JadedStoner

Check out this guy's thoughts. He's got some really great ideas that you are looking for. Go Modders!

Just downloaded that one last night! Haven't tried it yet.

Agreed, I love messing around with RemoteTech and TAC Lifesupport, but it can be very time consuming. All of these could be done in a mod, alas I have zero programming knowledge.

Check these out: KDex - Kerbal Dust Experiment Scoop-o-Matic - Robotic surface samples L-Tech - Radiation and Radio Senors

I've noticed a few posts about science being grindy, probes being pointless and a desire for more science parts in general. I've been pondering this for a few days, so I'm going to outline a few thoughts I think could make the gameplay way more fun. First - TL;DR = Make planet stats discoverable, give sensors a purpose, probes unlock manned missions 1) First and foremost, probes should be an entry level component along with the four main science parts and the single solar panel. The driving force being a space program is the desire to learn more detailed information about distant worlds. It's arguable that Kerbal scientists would have need for these types of sensors for testing their parts, so in theory, the space program has access to that level of tech. 2) With all the science sensors available, you can now hide the planet/moon stats such as mass, atmosphere height, surface gravity with the Fog of Jeb. I feel this could create a scenario where probes must conduct a fly-by to collect x,y and z before you can send manned missions. NASA sent seven probes (two did crash...) with the Surveyor program before sending the Apollo missions (remember, Apollo 8 only went into orbit and Apollo 10 got to within 8km of the surface, but didn't land). While I don't want to stress such detailed realism, I think probe landings would be a nice way to convey a sense of legacy for the gamer. 3) So how would discoverable stats appear in-game? Let's imagine you are launching a probe to Minmus for the first time. You conduct your transfer burn and see your flight path enter the SoI for Minmus. The flight engineers at KSC have a rough estimate for the mass but can't predict your flight path with any certainty. So you cross into the SoI and from your ship you see a 'projected trajectory'. Think hurricane path projections, but in three dimensions. Specifically, it would be a cone with a small angle and the radius of the cone increases, giving you a circular projected area where you would leave the SoI. You would exit the SoI and re-enter Kerbin's SoI, but your exact position would be unknown since the guys at KSC couldn't plot an exact flight path. 4) Giving each sensor a reason for being there other than 'doing science' would make their existence crucial to gameplay. A quick breakdown: Gravity sensor - Flight paths and mass - Gives the cone of projected flight path Accelerometer - Surface gravity and radius - Discover 'orbit hazards' like Mascons on the real Moon (they mess up orbits, could be fun) Barometer - Atmospheric structure and pressure - Gives data on re-entry angles/speeds if that became a game mechanic (which would be wicked) Thermometer - Temperature and atmospheric content - Adjusts life-support systems, efficiency of coolant systems, EVA approval from KSC Altimeter - I would love to see this become a core science component since all stock pods come equipped with a radar altimeter in the cockpit. The tech exists within the game world, so I don't think its a far stretch. SCANsat has been a lot of fun, especially the biomes mapping. 5) This last part I imagine would be hard to implement, but I think it would be fun if KSC 'highly recommended' probes before manned. To keep it simple and require only two successful probe missions. First, fly-by probes could unlock manned orbit and second, soft-landing probes unlock manned landing. Perhaps the Kraken could guard the doors, so to speak... 6) Finally, probes should give the engineers at KSC a 'rough estimate' of the values and give a small value of science while manned missions provide a greater accuracy of measurement and have a high science value. For this, the best I could come up with would be that probes give erratic/large-error measurements for surface speed, altitude, pressure etc. I think it would be dead funny if your first probe landing became an experiment in lithobraking (but still yielded data required to unlock manned before telemetry was lost) because the probe sensors weren't sensitive enough. I don't troll the forums, but I know that the role-playing aspect of having your very own space program. Progression of knowledge of the universe gives a player a sense of skill building and mastery of abilities. I wish I could sit down with the devs for a left-handed cigarette and ask them about their plans for astronaut stats/ranks/medals. I would love a system of creating programs similar to Mercury, Gemini and Apollo (plus a mission patch creator!) I hope I'm not the only one who would love to see more RPG elements added to the Kerbals themselves, but I do like that quote that's been floating around "If you want to make your Kerbal go poo, go play the Sims." JS PS - Radius = sqrt( (G x Mass)/g ) so between the gravity sensor and accelerometer, you could calculate the average radius. A final thought, I know many people find the density of the Kerbal Universe to be preposterous, so why not have G change. Interestingly, fundamental constants (i.e. proton and electron mass) could change by 4% and still function in the Universe we known.

Is anyone working on this? With 0.22 coming out, an updated ISA MapSat would make me weep with joy! Innsewerants has a beautiful looking Dev build but it would seem he has been AFK for 3 months. I understand that life happens to the best of us and I hope everything is okay. If he is busy, could/should/would he hand it off to someone else? JS

Thanks for the pro tip! I had the same issue so I deleted what you suggested and presto: I really hope Innsewerants comes back... I would love to see this style of mapping used for future resources! JS

As far as the testing in low gravity, MAYBE a Neutral Buoyancy Lab could be designed somehow... Although, I think a much more Kerbal approach would be to have dudes hanging on wires next to a mock up station. JS

Designer, missions would be a full implemented, from Liftoff to Landing according to the mission profile. Before you embark on the mission, you go through a series of craft designing stages that focus on specific aspects, such as launch, habitation and IP travel. They would all come together at a final stage in preparation for the actual mission, much like the Space Shuttle use to do at the actual VAB at Kennedy Space Center. Parts would be shipped in, astronauts included, to be finally packaged and assembled into once piece for launch. Armchair, no, not at all. I'm totally fine with a fully stocked, free to do whatever your heart desires Sandbox mode. If you need/want/must have all the gadgets and whirlygigs from Day 1, go for it, it's your space program. What I'm suggesting is a model for a Flight Logistics and Planning mode nestled inside of Career mode. KSP is about creating a space program and I think some people would relish at the chance to build one from the ground up, so they can look back at their first Stayputnik or Kerpollo missions and feel they have truly built a space program to rival the stars. Going through mission development is a very fun process, think of the JPL guys that said "Golly, let's just use rockets to land the damn thing and lower it on a rope!" (KSP even comes with a stock skycrane/rover!) Mission profiles have an astronomical number of possibilities and some might find it helpful to be guided through what is needed to launch a probe to orbit the Mun versus land a probe on the Mun. Having a series of in-game simulations (simulationception?) could help the non-hardcore, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants space cowboys some players think they are. JS

So it struck me that the concept of 'revert flight' is akin to resetting a training simulation. With the addition of Kerbals being permanently lost, Career mode could be the realm of permadeath, while Sandbox would be your flight sims, where the Kerbalnauts can gain mission experience. Missions in Career mode would be multifaceted with goals and gain access to research and new parts. The next Sandbox round would incorporate the new parts and let you being a new series of flight simulations. Missions would start with sending a satellite or two to a target, gathering data for manned missions. Manned missions pave the way for bases. Then, SCIENCE! It could even been broken into a series of mini-games. Develop a launch platform and place X mass in Y orbit. Develop a habitation module, ground test in mountains/desert/tundra. Design a rover, test at rover facility outside KSP. Design lander, simulated based on current data only. Construct a flight plan. All the while, the Kerbalnauts selected for the mission would gain skill experience and flight experience. A small increase to engine isp, a longer lasting batter, increase life support, improved instrumentation, quicker reaction time could be a few minor perks. Patches, ranks and assignments would be an awesome addition towards personalizing the Kerbalaut Corp as well! JS

Welcome to the new Mun!

Lazor readouts were very wonky. No ability to control the craft through the inputs either.

I think this mod has some great potential. The parts seem a bit unwieldy for their size and there are multiple copies of each part for different systems. I tacked a sample gathering and a sample analysis cores to opposite sides of a lander, took it to the Mun, gathered samples and then wasn't able to transfer it over, so I'm guessing fuel lines are necessary. I tested back on base and if the units are stacked, the analyzer will recognize the samples and process it. I found that the sample didn't drain into the analyzer and there was no way emptying the sample unit for a fresh sample. I've also noticed there are no differences in the large or small parts, other than mass and physical size. Zyrac, I know it sounds like I'm highlighting a lot of rough spots, but I think this is a really neat mod and would love to see some more come from it. I like the RUI Database on the WikiPage you set up. That has a lot of promise as well. Hope this helps, keep up the good work. JS

It's tricky... I've had various amounts of success by flying straight at the station with at least 60 or 70 m/s of relative velocity... Swing the docking port at the last second for that 'spooky action at a distance' we love called docking! JS ps - Also, gratuitous amounts of MechJeb...

I was trying to do some close a fly-by, perhaps a little too close... JS

Totally amazing... http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130618.html The guy's site is here: http://www.mikeolbinski.com/timelapse/

Hey man, this is one fun little bike! I tried taking it to the Mun first... not enough TWR to keep hold it vertical, so I tossed it up into LKO. The power drains after a minute or so, so I tossed on a a bunch of RTGs and pulled out one of the Xenon tanks to give it a little less mass. Jeb is now ready... All in all, tons of fun, even after serious solar panel to panel collision... JS

Woot, just entered the last of my grades and that's one more year done! Time for some serious Kerbaling!

I've been hassling my students with my KSP misadventures all year long! I had a couple roll there eyes as I was explaining how I used a couple of equations to place a multi-satellite platform into a 4:5 orbital insertion so I could get even coverage for my GPS system. A couple of them did a demo for Newton's Second Law and projectile motion for their final projects. I will probably be setting up a KSP page on my school site for the summer break.

Perhaps something of Will Riker's library? JS

So I fiddling around in game today and remembered Scott Manley saying something about the little Rocomax radial engines have a huge TWR, so I wondered if I could use em to get a probe into orbit. As it turns out, it wasn't so hard and I ended up with a little more than 2k deltaV in a 100km LKO. Mods being used are KW Rocketry, MechJeb2 and Kethane (the smaller detector looks sweet)

yea... it sucks. My buddy and I drove about and hour and a half north of Oakland last summer for the Perseids, it was freakin awesome! Counted about 200 meteors in about 4 hours. JS

This would be a really sweet idea, but I've taught astronomy in one form or another for about four years, much of that out at a college observatory actually under the stars. Constellations are very subtle, most students can't see the centaur in Sagittarius, but do find it easier to identify the asterism 'the teapot'. Even the names of the stars themselves have special meaning based on their location within the constellation, Deneb means 'tail' in Arabic, which is good seeing as it is the located in the tail of Cygnus the Swan. Procedurally generated constellations could be... tricky. Perhaps some random algorithm to section off a random group of stars and then provide some randomized line connecting the brightest 25% of the stars in that group could provide a basis for personal constellations. I would really love to see distant nebula, galaxies and other exotic stellar objects to be implemented as targets for study. A major science overhaul would be wicked awesome, but I'm sure the devs have thought of these things before and I doubt now is the time to add it. Having an EM spectrum to analyze would be icing on an already bitchin' cake... JS

I would love to see subcategories such a 'staging engines'. 'fairings', 'communication equipment', 'scientific sensors', 'power equipment' etc. It would also be nice to have all the engines/fuel tanks/command pods subgrouped by size. Could really clean up the menus and make building a lot faster. JS