darpavader

It would be kind'a cool if kerbals would do things on the surface of the Mun even when you're not controlling them...like you're in control of Bob and you can see Jeb hitting golf balls or something.

Kegereneku used the right word, prioritization. Right now the game doesn't have it. Adding the time aspect to the game would add this. I was just reading about STS-125/STS-400. It reminded me about something that we've all done in KSP, the rescue mission. During STS-125, NASA had STS-400 stacked and on a pad in case 125 was in trouble. In KSP, rescue missions are stacked and launched in zero game time. I would like to see a system where chioces were forced on the player.

one more thing. after watching scott's vid where he unlocked the entire tech tree in two missions I'm convinced that Science shold be changed. Three things I would change: 1. Science should be tiered. Certain techs would only unlock by going to certain plantary bodies. 2. Science should be timed. No instant research. Research should take time. 3. Science should be conducted in certain areas. Certain techs would only unlock if the research was done in certain areas (ie, done in a lab in kerbin, done in an orbiting space station, etc.) Maybe really complex research would have to be conducted at several labs? Anyway just thinking as I type....

Hey everyone, thanks for the replies. I would like to start by saying, I love this game. Any suggestion I have, is just that, a suggestion and not a criticism. Squad has made a great game which gets better and better with every release. Having said that, there are things I woould love to see like the ones in my original post. I understand, with time warp, any annual budget system could be spammed. But I think with the Prestige system, zero launches would equal zero budget. The other idea I had would be Production Rate. Once a part was fully researched and tested it could enter production. If the player bought one, it would cost x. If the player bought two at a time, it would cost x-100 (as an example.) In other words the more you buy the cheaper the part would become. Also going back to commercial contracts. I think it would be great idea if there was monthly community contracts ( i have no idea if this is possible.) But what if Squad put out a small patch monthly that contained a community contract? regex, I like your idea that facilities would become unavailable for a certain period after use.

Sounds like you're suggesting a fix.

Things can always be fixed, or made better. 1. Science should open the doors of what is possible. Then, with that new information, new parts could be made. You just discovered x, now here's a contract to put x in a new engine and test it. 2. Right now, all the science you need is on Kerbin, the Mun, or Minmus. I think forcing players out to the rest of the system before the tech is great would be a good thing. I think it would encourage small probes and the like. 3. Real space programs do more than one thing at once. If a player chooses to build a space station and just wait for the science...well fine. But why not have your space station work on science while you're doing other things?

Some things that I think would fix things in KSP: 1. Science should unlock technologies, not parts. Once technologies are unlocked, contracts would be offered to develop new parts. 2. Science should be tiered. Certain technologies would not unlock unless you visit certain bodies. 3. Science should not be instant. Some techs should take time. Maybe a years worth of study in a lab on space station. This would force players to build space stations and build outposts on other palnets

So this is my two cents on how Science, Contracts, Funds, and Prestige should work within campaign mode in KSP. Science Science unlocks the dreams of the Kerbal scientists by unlocking potential parts on the tech tree. When you unlock the potential, you’ll get contracts to test new parts. Contracts Contracts would be broken down into three different types: R&D. These would be the parts you’ve unlocked the potential for in your tech tree. These would cost a lot of funds to field the first time and would have zero or very little financial payback. The reward would be full access to develop the new part (but more funds would be needed after the R&D stage to bring the part into production.) More complex parts should require multiple tests, say test an engine on the ground, in the air, and in space before it can go to the next step. Prestige. These contracts also would offer very little financial reward but would build up your reputation. Which over time would bring better commercial contracts (see below,) and would bring you a higher annual budget (again, see below.) Commercial. These would be your money makers. Companies would ask you to put up weather satellites, GPS satellites, communication satellites, etc. These missions would have a very accurate altitude and orbit. Funds Funds would come from two sources: Annual Budget. The higher your prestige, the higher your budget. Commercial Contracts. (see above.) Also everything should cost funds. The VAB, the launch pad(s), the kerbinauts. I also think time should be a factor here. The VAB should only be able to stack, say one rocket per week. A launch pad should only be able to lanch x amount of ships per week etc. So there would be financial incentives to build more of your infrastructure. Also like commercial and prestige contracts could be seeking the same launch day, forcing the player to choose one over the other. Prestige This would influence the type of commercial contracts you receive and the size of your annual budget. The more success, the better. Failures, such as losing a Kerbal could eventually having you fired as head of the KSP. Anyway, hope you guys like these ideas. Love this game. PS, if resources were ever added, it would fit with this really well. Just adding on my thoughts from yesterday: Science Gaining Science would unlock technologies (not parts) that would then unlock contracts (see below) for new parts. In this new system, Science would not be instant and would take time to unlock. Certain technologies would require lab work done in orbit or on alien planet over time. This would encourage the player to build space stations and permanent bases on other planets. Science would also be tiered, with certain technologies only unlocking by visiting certain planetary bodies. This would encourage this use of probes, especially earlier in the game. Contracts Contracts would be broken into three parts: R&D: These contracts would appear when certain technologies are unlocked on the tech tree by gaining Science (see above.) These contracts would have little or zero financial payback, but the reward would be unlocking new parts. These new parts would in fact be very expensive to field for the first time, with their cost going down if the player puts them into production. Prestige: These contracts would be offered by the government or planet wide organizations looking to push the bounds of spaceflight. These too would have very little, if any, financial reward, but would build the players Prestige over time (see below.) Commercial: These contracts are the money makers. Private companies would ask to have communication, GPS, and weather satellites be put into orbit. These missions would have very exact positioning in orbit. As the players Prestige grows, more complex commercial missions would be offered, like putting an orbiting hotel into orbit or on the Mun. Funds Funds would be gained in two ways: Commercial Contracts: (see above.) Annual Budget: This would be directly tied to the players Prestige (see below.) The government would expect a certain amount of successful launches per year, this would prevent the player from just fast forwarding time. Also, everything should cost Funds, the VAB, the launch pads, training, etc. Facilities like the VAB and launch pad should only be able to be used x number of times per month, encouraging the player to build out more infrastructure. Time and timing should be a major factor. As an example, rescue mission shouldn't be just thrown together. Rockets would take time to stack, roll out and fuel. Also contracts should ask for the same launch day, forcing the player to choose. Prestige Prestige would influence the player's annual budget and type of contract. Success would lead to higher budgets and better contacts, and failures would lead to lower budgets and no contracts. If the player continued to fail or lose many kerbals, the player could be fired as head of KSP.

KSP is running into the same problem that real world space agencies are running into. We can get into space, NOW WHAT? IMO, the science system in the game now needs to be tied into a resource system. Things like the mystery goo could be more attracted to certain elements leading the kerbals in the discovery of elements on different planets and moons. Maybe new metals could be found that would open up new parts. This also should be tied into the life support system. And I'm not sure why this has to ne so complex. Kerbals are not humans. who knows how many snacks or water or air they need. anyway, we're so close to having a perfect game.

I saw it live and I'm pretty sure Harvester said that it was not coming because it was too complicated and wasn't fun. Which is a shame. So much of this game is complicated until you get a better handle of things: 1. Launching a rocket without blowing up. 2. Getting into orbit. 3. Soft landing on the moon. 4. Docking. 5. Getting into deep space. etc, etc, etc. I hope they don't want dumb down what could go down as one of the great games.

Like any polling a small portion will answer a question. Like political polling, polls are a sample and almost always reflect what the larger community wants.

To me resources were going to be one of the most important parts of the game. Science should be directly tied to it. Kerbalcon 2012 was great as we looked to the future, but kerbalcon 2013 ended on a sour note. Still love the game and have been playing since .16 but I hope Squad will change this.

I hope Squad change their minds on this. Resources are wanted by the community as this poll shows.

and yes, we should be Kerbalising the calander

so Kerbin completes a day in 6 hours but the game clock is in earth days, 24 hours. unless a kerbin "day" is 6 sunrises? i think maybe squad should change the time to Kerbin time in the game. but regardless, coming up with the best launch windows shouldn't be that hard, right?

Now that the saved games have a clock, would it be helpful to have a calander? Could we than as a community work on when the best launch windows are and maybe debvelope a pork-chop chart? Sorry if this has been talked about already.