Contract; 0.90; Take an EVA from X [Where?!]

[Mahnarch]

Hi, Guys. Long time no explode.

I've upgraded to 0.90 and I'm working through Career Mode.

I keep getting these "Take an EVA a [Kerbin] at [JBM-01]..."

I can do the fly-over ones but, the ones that require an EVA from the ground I can't find!

I walked around for an hour UNDERNEATH the (map) arrow on one and couldn't complete the contract.

-Does the lander, itself, have to be in the area?

-Is there an arrow/sign I'm supposed to look for?

-What am I missing, here?

Me frustrate! Hulk smash!!

Edited December 30, 2014 by Mahnarch

[Mesons]

Usually these tell you to do something when you're in the specified region. I suspect this one tells you to take an EVA Report when you are on the ground in that region. Check the contract for some wording like that. To take an EVA report or surface sample, right-click on your EVA'd Kerbal.

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

This sounds like a bug to me.

Did the message "Entering Zone" show up in the middle of the screen?

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Try clicking on the icon in the map and 'setting it to navigation' a little icon should appear on your nav ball, follow this and you'll find the area, if it still doesn't work, then it is probably a glitch/bug.

[fprintf]

Try clicking on the icon in the map and 'setting it to navigation' a little icon should appear on your nav ball, follow this and you'll find the area, if it still doesn't work, then it is probably a glitch/bug.

I'll just add something I did, I went into map view and turned on the kerbal icon (I had previously turned it off). Then I oriented myself based on the map and the surroundings and headed off in the general direction. I'd keep walking in the direction waiting for my kerbal's head to get near the point of the marker (lower, sharpest point). When it just about hit I went out of map mode and shortly thereafter I was notified on screen I had entered the appropriate zone.

OP, I agree it is a PITA and I did a couple of fruitless EVAs before discovering map mode and the approximation of where my kerbal is. I walked for 1.4km before getting the notification.

[Anquietas314]

Try clicking on the icon in the map and 'setting it to navigation' a little icon should appear on your nav ball, follow this and you'll find the area, if it still doesn't work, then it is probably a glitch/bug.

If you're on EVA far away from your plane/lander/rover/etc the In-Flight Waypoints mod could help there. It'll show you exactly where you're supposed to go.

[AlexinTokyo]

The area seems to be centered on the point of the waypoint marker, so if you're wandering about underneath the icon part (the footprints), then you need to go some flavour of south.

Check the map often to make sure you're moving in the right direction.

If you use the EVE mod, then clouds move from West to East, which gives you a nice reference point.

Landed ships also make nice reference points.

Hiking 18.5 km from a botched on-target landing attempt was seriously tedious, I'd recommend a new launch if you're not completely strapped for cash. 3~4 km isn't too bad.

[Anquietas314]

Hiking 18.5 km from a botched on-target landing attempt was seriously tedious, I'd recommend a new launch if you're not completely strapped for cash. 3~4 km isn't too bad.

I would use a simple plane design for doing those. That way if you miss the target you can just taxi, or if it's far away take off and land nearer to it.

[Mahnarch]

When I walked around for an hour is was more or less in a spiral under the footprint arrow.

It took me two launches to figure out the "Set Nav" function - which saved a lot of time.

I get the "Entering Zone" text onscreen (both in a lander and a plane) when I'm in the air but, once I'm one the ground there's nothing to indicate I do'd good.

-Soil sample; Did one. It just says that "This is just the stuff they complain about tracking around the lab."

I'm going to do some other contracts for a couple hours and try one of these, again. Fresh eyes and all.

[Edit; Waypoints looks interesting... I'm going to check that out. Thanks.]

Edited December 29, 2014 by Mahnarch

[Anquietas314]

I get the "Entering Zone" text onscreen (both in a lander and a plane) when I'm in the air but, once I'm one the ground there's nothing to indicate I do'd good.

If you got that message in the air before you landed, and didn't get the "You are leaving ..." one, then you're still in the zone!

-Soil sample; Did one. It just says that "This is just the stuff they complain about tracking around the lab."

Don't pay any attention to the experiment's message - it has nothing to do with the contract and you don't even need to keep the experiment data (you should of course if it's worth anything). You get a separate popup where transmissions and such display that says something like "Receiving <experiment> data" and then the "Contract parameter complete!" message in the top right.

[Mahnarch]

If you got that message in the air before you landed, and didn't get the "You are leaving ..." one, then you're still in the zone!

Archer: "The Daanger Zoone!!

(Sorry. Had to. )

I downloaded and installed Waypoints...

HOLY CRAP! How is this not a huge banner on the home page?!

As best I can tell, from my previous experience to using Waypoints - I was about 500ft on average from actually being IN the actual zone.

If it were a snake it'd have bit me!

Now. I had to restart my career because I ran out of money.

I couldn't even afford a parachute.

Miser time.

[Anquietas314]

Now. I had to restart my career because I ran out of money.

I couldn't even afford a parachute.

Miser time.

Yeah, revert flight exists for a reason.

[Mahnarch]

Yeah... I wasted a lot of money.

I built up a spaceplane runway that I really didn't belong using.

I am a bad Kerbal.

[AlexinTokyo]

I would use a simple plane design for doing those. That way if you miss the target you can just taxi, or if it's far away take off and land nearer to it.

That assumes that a) I've unlocked the plane parts (90 science) and the landing gear (another 90 science, and I have any aptitude whatsoever for flying and landing planes.

Unfortunately both of these assumptions are false (I really don't like planes very much).

[Anquietas314]

That assumes that a) I've unlocked the plane parts (90 science) and the landing gear (another 90 science, and I have any aptitude whatsoever for flying and landing planes.

Unfortunately both of these assumptions are false (I really don't like planes very much).

Then you're not really ready to do the surface survey contracts . The aerial ones are doable with rockets but because you're spending so much launching rockets, they're hardly worth doing if there's more than one marker. Especially on hard difficulty, planes are really the only way to make them worth doing (even then, the payout/time investment isn't good compared to e.g. satellite contracts)

[AlexinTokyo]

Surface survey contract with four points (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) on the north-west edge of the 'Africa' continent that KSC is on. Can land there with a <10,000 fund rocket (5,000 if you're really, really good; I'm not). Each point pays 4~5 thousand, and the completion bonus is (from memory) 38k. On hard mode with rewards set to 40%.

If you don't stuff up the landing, takes maybe 20 minutes of real time. I move that you couldn't finish it in that time with a plane, because you couldn't get there that fast with a plane.

The ones you don't want to try with rockets are the 'in flight below' ones. Then you're guaranteed to need one rocket per site, and to be expert at precision landing, and quick on the draw to get the crew report.

I tend not to accept those contracts at all.

I completely agree that the satellite contracts are far better, though.

[Anquietas314]

If you don't stuff up the landing, takes maybe 20 minutes of real time. I move that you couldn't finish it in that time with a plane, because you couldn't get there that fast with a plane.

Planes are generally much faster than rockets in the atmosphere actually. Especially if you use turbojets. The reason is you can have a much higher thrust-to-weight ratio with jets without a significant cost to fuel efficiency. It takes me about 20-30 minutes to hit a target half way around the planet. If there's more than one of them... well... I don't need to do that for every single marker - I can just fly from one to the next

The ones you don't want to try with rockets are the 'in flight below' ones. Then you're guaranteed to need one rocket per site, and to be expert at precision landing, and quick on the draw to get the crew report.

The thing is, even with the in flight above ones, if they're a decent distance from KSC you're going to be nearly at orbital velocity when you get there. Turning to hit the next one isn't really an option unless you have way more fuel than you need, which means you need a way bigger, more expensive launcher.