Mods for the Most Difficult Campaign

[Probus]

I love Realism Overhaul, but if I were to not use it and play in a Sci-Fi solar system, what would be the most difficult/realistic mod setup I can install?

Kopernicus would probably be a must. 

Mods/settings would include requirements like:

1. Life support
2. Unmanned first
3. Antenna contact required for direct control
4. Part failures
5. etc...

I have no problem with using things like KOS, Mechjeb, and calculators as I believe they are realistic, but should probably be limited by the tech tree and probe/pilot level.

Suggest 1 mod, or your favorite list of challenging mods.  I  wish there was a true Iron Man mod that didn't let you alt-F12 around it.  Right now Kopernicus is still 1.8.1, so the mods would have to be for that version.

Edited May 18, 2020 by Probus

[Probus]

List of mods:

Mod Name	Affects	Description
JNSQ Planet Pack	Setting	2.7x remake plus more planets
Kerbalism TACLS - TAC Life Support	Life Support ???	Adds consumables for kerbals
RemoteTech	Require signal for control	Realistic comms
Kerbal Launch Failure Revived DangIt! Continued	Part Failures ???
Engineering Tech Tree Probes Before Crew/Unmanned before Manned	Tech Tree ???	Personal Favorite Probes then Kerbals
Kerbal Construction Time	VAB/SPH/Tech Tree/KSC	Takes time to build and research
RealChute Parachute Systems
Real Fuels	Fuels/Engines	Uses real fuels.  Has Stockalike cfgs
RealHeat	Real heating (not temperature) model	May no longer be required?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

??? - Choose one

Edited May 19, 2020 by Probus
Added Mod Links

[Cavscout74]

I would say JNSQ planet pack - its a 2.7x remake of the stock system.  Just the right size for stock parts to perform closer to the real world but still be viable.  Also adds several planets past Jool.

For life support, Kerbalism is probably hardest/most realistic but I've never used it to give advice.  Tac-LS is probably next most difficult, and seems to work well although I haven't used it a whole lot.

RemoteTech for more realistic comms.  Also, the stock game has an option "Require signal for control" that takes away ALL control if you lose contact with probe - including during reentry.   Makes you realize just how bad you've been designing craft the first career you enable that option

I use Kerbal Launch Failure for part failures, but it only covers failures during launch.  BARIS (by @Angel-125) covered all craft all the time, but I don't know what kind of shape it is in currently.

There are two tech trees I know of - Probes Before Crew and Unmanned before Manned that I think are both up to date.  I've looked at both, but wasn't quite fully satisfied with either.  Nothing wrong with them, just weren't quite right for what I was looking at the time.

[James Kerman]

Hello @Probus, your thread has been moved to add-on discussions.

[Probus]

Thank you kind sir!

[Nightside]

I've always wanted to do a survival mode game, where you have to build Everything with Extraplanetary Launchpads. You start with just enough money to make a little drill rig, then have to go from there. 

[Astrofox]

Although I am not a very hardcore person with KSP, I am fairly interested to see where this thread goes...

This would be an interesting thing to come back to as reference for when I inevitably get bored and need something with a bit more substance.

[Probus]

21 hours ago, Nightside said:

I've always wanted to do a survival mode game, where you have to build Everything with Extraplanetary Launchpads. You start with just enough money to make a little drill rig, then have to go from there. 

Intriguing.  How would that work exactly?

[Nightside]

3 minutes ago, Probus said:

Intriguing.  How would that work exactly?

Probably not very well...

But in my head like this:

Kerbals are not native to Kerbin, but shipwrecked on it, while their mothership is stuck in some remote orbit (beyond Eeloo or wherever) . The goal of the game is to bootstrap your space program to a level that you can deliver enough fuel or engines or whatever to that stranded ship and then navigate it back to Kerbin.

Instead of starting the game with a lot of  and infinite resources, your kerbals are effectively marooned on an empty planet with just ISRU equipment, and have to produce all the fuel, food, and materials they'd need to get back to orbit.

That sounds like a lot of set up, but could possibly be done with only commonly used mods. That said, I've never actually played it through!

Extra-hard mode would include roving drones that you have to fight off with BDA!