The No-Contract Career, an attempt to create a Career/Science hybrid mode.

[Superfluous J]

I've been playing and testing and fiddling under the hood with KSP persistent.sfs files and I've finally reached a point where I can release something. It should be considered in the "Beta" phase as it's not really balanced, but it is playable and fun.

THE PROBLEM

I've started a lot of careers. That's an understatement. I've started a ridiculously large number of careers. Hundreds, probably. Most of them were in career mode, with contracts. For the most part, I've enjoyed them. Lately, however, I find a dual problem in that I am sick of doing the same old contracts over and over AND I feel the relentless need to perform them. Especially the progression contracts do this, and I also find myself putting off things because I've not gotten the progression contract for it yet. Why put a base on Minmus NOW, when I know I'll eventually get a contract to do so? I'm sorry, I can't land on Mun yet I have to dock two ships in LKO first.

My first attempt at fixing this was the "No Contract Career Challenge" which was fun, but not really a way to run a full career. It was a challenge, and not an idea for a new game mode. But that started the wheels turning in my head. What I wanted was a sustainable, long-term game mode that had the freedom of Science Mode but the restrictions of Career mode. I wanted to have to upgrade buildings. I wanted to care what my ships cost. I just didn't want to perform a spacewalk around Minmus on command.

THE SOLUTION

So I fiddled with career mode options and persistent.sfs file checks until I came up with a cocktail of changes that made just such a mode. Below are how you can try the same. As I said this is a "Beta" of the idea so any problems and suggestions should be reported, and may affect how this post and thread progresses.

THE SPECIFICS

• Start a new career, use whatever settings you like but note, you will ONLY make money for milestones and strategies.
  • I suggest you give yourself some cash to start (default is fine) and EITHER:
    1. Set science gains pretty high (Maybe 200%?) so you can convert them to cash.
       OR
    2. Set cash rewards fairly high (Maybe 200%?) so you can get the early unlocks before the cash train runs out and you have to convert science to cash.
• Exit back to menu and open persistent.sfs
  • MANDATORY: This makes it so you can't even go into Mission Control. You'll still need to upgrade it at least once to get maneuver nodes.
    • Search for:
      • CanGoToMissionControl = True
    • Change to:
      • CanGoToMissionControl = False
  • OPTIONAL: This will allow you to start with the Strategy to convert 25% of your science gains to money. I suggest it, especially if you didn't up your cash rewards.
    • Search for:
      • sci = 0
    • Change to:
      • sci=777
  • MANDATORY: This will make it so no contracts even generate. Mostly it's to keep satellite contract orbit lines from cluttering your Tracking Station.
    • Search for:
      • name = ContractSystem
      • Under that, find a couple dozen "[thing] = 30" lines.
      • Change every single one to "[thing] = 0"
      • Under that, find a dozen or so CONTRACTS. Delete all of them.
      • The contract scenario should look exactly like this when you're done:

    SCENARIO
    {
        name = ContractSystem
        scene = 7, 8, 5, 6
        update = 1528816.7603717183
        version = 1.8.0
        WEIGHTS
        {
            ROCScienceRetrievalContract = 0
            ROCScienceArmContract = 0
            DeployedScienceContract = 0
            SentinelContract = 0
            RecoverAsset = 0
            PlantFlag = 0
            PartTest = 0
            GrandTour = 0
            CollectScience = 0
            TourismContract = 0
            SurveyContract = 0
            StationContract = 0
            SatelliteContract = 0
            ISRUContract = 0
            ExplorationContract = 0
            BaseContract = 0
            ARMContract = 0
            Eeloo = 0
            Dres = 0
            Pol = 0
            Gilly = 0
            Tylo = 0
            Bop = 0
            Vall = 0
            Laythe = 0
            Jool = 0
            Ike = 0
            Duna = 0
            Eve = 0
            Moho = 0
            Minmus = 0
            Mun = 0
            Kerbin = 0
            Sun = 0
        }
    }

• Save and exit the edits of the Persistent.sfs file.
• Open your save again, you'll note you can't even enter Mission Control but you can upgrade it.
• If you gave yourself 777 science, go into the Admin building and select the science to funds strategy 25% commitment. This will use up all the science you gave yourself.
• Start playing. You will get money for pretty much everything you do, but not a lot and it can dry up. You could lose (!) so tread carefully.

Edited October 19, 2019 by 5thHorseman

[EveMaster]

Good idea! I also felt kind of bad when contracts popped up with things I just had done. Contracts can be fun, but when you know them already, it's also an option to disable them.

What do think of starting with the leadership initiative instead right from the beginning? You would have to cheat the required funds and reputation. It would put the focus on achieving many milestones to get enough funds.

 

 

[Waxing_Kibbous]

This reminds me a bit of Play Your Way, I may have to try this method out. I just got the new DLC and there are a lot of cool science mods, the big question is what the heck to do with all that science? As a resource it needs some balance for sure.

[Superfluous J]

6 hours ago, EveMaster said:

What do think of starting with the leadership initiative instead right from the beginning?

I hadn't given it any thought. Not a bad idea though, as those ARE the only contracts you'll start with. Might fit better than the other two, dunno.

I don't think I've ever had a wish about the admin building (other than I wish it was for something other than strategies) but I wish there was an option to upgrade strategies. They can make you lose the current one and have to pay for the new one, I'd just like to know before bailing on the current one if I hand the currency available to pay for what I want to upgrade to.

[Pds314]

Science? Who needs science when you have OIL?

(You, because you need ISRU to mine and refine it).

Edited October 20, 2019 by Pds314

[Superfluous J]

5 hours ago, Pds314 said:

Science? Who needs science when you have OIL?

(You, because you need ISRU to mine and refine it).

That's at least part of the idea, making cash by delivering LF home when necessary. Or refining it on the ground if you're so inclined

Edited October 20, 2019 by 5thHorseman

[EveMaster]

Oil? Do you refer to a mod or do you mean ore, liquid fuel, oxidizer and monopropellant?

[Superfluous J]

1 minute ago, EveMaster said:

Oil? Do you refer to a mod or do you mean ore, liquid fuel, oxidizer and monopropellant?

Haha I just re read it and edited it to say LF.

[EveMaster]

I think monopropellant gives the most funds per kg when recovered. I would not mine on Kerbin or even the runway to make money. That would feel kind of cheaty.

[Pds314]

On 10/20/2019 at 4:39 AM, EveMaster said:

I think monopropellant gives the most funds per kg when recovered. I would not mine on Kerbin or even the runway to make money. That would feel kind of cheaty.

Yeah obviously spawning ore tanks and immediately converting them is a bit low effort.

[Wjolcz]

Science grind is worse than repeating contracts IMO.

The only way I could turn career mode into something enjoyable was turning money rewards up (200% iirc?), turning the science rewards all the way down and creating my own converter strategy (money->science). Now all I have to do to progress is to do something new (World's Firsts) each time I need to unlock new nodes (I actually have to do math or else I will run out; tech is a pricy thing). Then, I buy enough science to unlock a new node (using that rebooted Historic Tech Tree mod). I don't have to do any side missions at all (they are a very helpful cash boost though). I only accept them when I'm going somewhere anyway.

For example: I've landed on the Mun before and got the reward for that (World's First). I wanted to do it again in some other place so I accepted a couple of contracts (plant a flag, grab a rock, etc.). I would be perfectly fine never going back there but I have to wait for transfer windows so might as well do a complicated Mun-Minmus-Mun swing by in the meantime.

And it's the best experience I've ever had when it comes to KSP's career mode. It's incredible how much freedom one simple converter strategy can give.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Wjolcz

[Cruesoe]

Why don't you look into monthly budgets.  Contracts reward Reputation which increases the money you get paid each month.  I only do a few contracts to increase Rep that month and then fly what I want the rest of the time.

[Kergarin]

I still love the old challenge and I'm working on optimising it from time to time. Well... It's by now the only way I play career to be honest 

So I'm verry happy to see you starting a new one 

In my opinion, leaving all rewards at 100% is more than enough to play career without contracts. And this works without any boring science farming or mods. So 200% money should be more than enough to play around a little.

Generally I think, you would finally work to the point, where rewards get rare, but then you can make money by science (and labs) or isru mining on other planets. (making money by isru on kerbin should be forbidden)

What about breaking Ground science equipment?

[dnbattley]

This challenge might be well suited to a custom "scenario", that forgotten technology which allows for interesting save-game-based, er, scenarios in the base game (i.e. not the Making History mission builder)

 

[Superfluous J]

On 10/22/2019 at 4:20 PM, Wjolcz said:

Science grind is worse than repeating contracts IMO.

Both have their minuses, but a mod to automatically collect science eliminates the grind in it for me.

I like the idea though and may try it in a future run

[Kergarin]

13 minutes ago, 5thHorseman said:

Both have their minuses, but a mod to automatically collect science eliminates the grind in it for me.

I like the idea though and may try it in a future run

Science grind is not needed for this at all. Even at just 100% rewards. It's totally doable by just doing one biome per planet per experiment and 0 KSC science apart from launchpad science at the first launch.

It's not verry easy but also not that hard. But that's why this is in challenge forum 

[Superfluous J]

1 hour ago, Kergarin said:

Science grind is not needed for this at all. Even at just 100% rewards. It's totally doable by just doing one biome per planet per experiment and 0 KSC science apart from launchpad science at the first launch.

It's not verry easy but also not that hard. But that's why this is in challenge forum 

This is more a "mission idea" than a challenge, but really it's neither. There's just no forum for "ideas on how to play the game differently than was intended."

And I have a pretty strict definition of grind when it comes to science. If I have to pay attention to it outside of the VAB and mission summary screen I feel like I had to grind too much.

[Kergarin]

21 minutes ago, 5thHorseman said:

This is more a "mission idea" than a challenge, but really it's neither. There's just no forum for "ideas on how to play the game differently than was intended."

And I have a pretty strict definition of grind when it comes to science. If I have to pay attention to it outside of the VAB and mission summary screen I feel like I had to grind too much.

Well that's true. But it's also a more challenging way to play the game 

My definition of science grinding is doing one type of experiment in more than one biome per planet. E.g. Orbiting Mun and doing the same experiment over different biomes, or waking around KSC to do science.

Just one straigt line of science without repeating experiments is my personal limit