More Uses For Space Stations

[The Justice King]

Space stations are not very useful in Kerbal Space Program; It is only really used as refueling. I have a few ideas that might give them more uses. First, there should be hunger and thirst. This should be optional. If it is on, Kerbals should gradually lose hunger and will need to resupply. There should also be buildings that can grow food and recycle water for space stations. There should also be gravity problems, also being optional. Overtime, kerbals in low gravity areas start getting weaker. Their skills weaken until gravity gets back to normal. This will allow practical use of gravity rings on the space ship. These changes, while making the game more difficult, allow space stations to have more uses.

[Geonovast]

Moved to Suggestions.

[Wjolcz]

This is very far from what I'd call useful.

IMO tourist contracts should be one use for them. Once the game recognizes you've built a space station (which it totally does, because you will get asked to expand it eventually) you should have tourists who want to go there.

Tourist contracts like that already exist but they are bad. You have two or more tourists who want to go on completely different thrillrides.

Edited March 13, 2020 by Wjolcz

[DeadJohn]

@The Justice King I'm commenting on a few things you wrote.

It is only really used as refueling: Laboratories on stations can be used to process data collected by science experiments (applies to science and career saves). Contracts can require building a new station, expanding an existing one, or bringing tourists to a station (applies to career saves). Even in sandbox mode, I've used stations as a place to assemble large ships that have to be launched in multiple pieces, and as a good rendezvous point for SSTO shuttles to meet space-optimized ferries/tugboats.

There should be hunger and thirst: There are life support mods to add this. I've never played with life support, but I think Kerbalism and Snacks are popular mods for those who do.

[XLjedi]

I'm not seeing suggestions here that would make them "more useful"...   Rather, these suggestions would make them more of a pain to service?

Now, if they had some special ability that would allow them to remember certain refuel/resupply missions you performed with them successfully...  and then those could be automated based on your own proven mission criteria, expense, timing, etc.  That would make them more useful!

The most "useful" station in this game right now... is the one that has engines on it and can fly around while in space.  Therefore, I don't have stations in orbit, I have Orbital Command Vessels, or Motherships that are just permanent space vessels.

[I likeOxidizerrfuel]

Eww, life support!

Oh oh! I know one other way they can improved!

You can have special modules that allow you to build spaceships in orbit.

[The Justice King]

On 3/10/2020 at 4:40 PM, Geonovast said:

Moved to Suggestions.

Sorry, I am new to these forums.

[The Justice King]

On 3/16/2020 at 11:09 AM, DeadJohn said:

@The Justice King I'm commenting on a few things you wrote.

It is only really used as refueling: Laboratories on stations can be used to process data collected by science experiments (applies to science and career saves). Contracts can require building a new station, expanding an existing one, or bringing tourists to a station (applies to career saves). Even in sandbox mode, I've used stations as a place to assemble large ships that have to be launched in multiple pieces, and as a good rendezvous point for SSTO shuttles to meet space-optimized ferries/tugboats.

There should be hunger and thirst: There are life support mods to add this. I've never played with life support, but I think Kerbalism and Snacks are popular mods for those who do.

Hey guys, I figured out that mods are a thing, so please ignore everything I asked for in this topic.

[Vanamonde]

17 hours ago, The Justice King said:

Sorry, I am new to these forums.

No problem. We're just letting you know where your thread went. 

[KerbolExplorer]

There should be an extra tier of parts that can only be unlocked when doing science tests on a space station(this could work by contracts that instead of granting you and  to grant you parts, the contracts may require you to do some extensive research in other planets, this could bring space stations in as by having them on multiple of them at multiple places you wouldn't need to launch a new rocket)

 

[HvP]

At the very least, a space station in orbit around a planet should add to the planetary data available to the player.

For example, if the station has been crewed or fitted with an advanced probe core with a Kerbnet connection and has been in orbit around the planet for X months then:

• The chance of discovering a new anomaly increases which then may become marked.
• Surface biomes become mapped in more detail.
• Geographic points of interest become discoverable and marked for exploration (including marking out areas of flat level ground for landers and bases.)

Additionally, perhaps...

• Orbital stations can be "paired" with ground ore refineries to automate refueling.
• Crew members who set station endurance records get experience points (but only after a crew transfer.)
• Stations with luxury accommodations and higher electricity generation (for entertainment) can offer higher cash reward for tourist contracts.

Edited March 28, 2020 by HvP