How should I progress in science mode?

[Dyingsoul]

I've been playing it since yesterday despite of the fact many of my experiments were destroyed by client crash (I'm not using any mods before you would suggest to turn those off). Still, I've researched everything which required 45 points but now I have no idea what should I do.

Things that I visited:

-Coastal exploration

-Ice Cap exploration

-Different levels exploration till I reached the space

-Naturally I've been on the mountains as well

But now I'm clueless what should I do.

Tryed to make a sputnik but it couldnt stabitize the rockets it has a really weak SAS... Crew handles the job much better.

I really miss a guidance or something because I really dont know what should I do.

I dont have to guts to leave an astronaut on orbit I don't know if there would be any use of that because I could do it only as a one way option: No hatch unlocked yet, I couldnt recover him.

Leave any suggestion below!

Edited May 6, 2015 by Dyingsoul
Answered

[Randazzo]

I've been playing it since yesterday despite of the fact many of my experiments were destroyed by client crash (I'm not using any mods before you would suggest to turn those off). Still, I've researched everything which required 45 points but now I have no idea what should I do.

Things that I visited:

-Coastal exploration

-Ice Cap exploration

-Different levels exploration till I reached the space

-Naturally I've been on the mountains as well

But now I'm clueless what should I do.

Tryed to make a sputnik but it couldnt stabitize the rockets it has a really weak SAS... Crew handles the job much better.

I really miss a guidance or something because I really dont know what should I do.

I dont have to guts to leave an astronaut on orbit I don't know if there would be any use of that because I could do it only as a one way option: No hatch unlocked yet, I couldnt recover him.

Leave any suggestion below!

There are two more biomes between KSC and the mountains (grasslands, highlands) but I presume you encountered those. You can also gather data at every major structure (VAB,SPH, Mission Control, etc..) on the KSC grounds, including surface samples, eva reports, crew reports, and all experiments. Each counts as a separate Biome. Once you've exhausted your planetary options, there's really only one way left to go.

And you can always recover your astronauts as long as the pod doesn't explode or plow into the surface, you don't need any special unlocks for that.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Randazzo

[TheXRuler]

There might be quite a bit of science left if you are willing to do it all around the KSC. Otherwise, you can't recover things oO? Otherwise just build something that flies sub orbital. Have you done high and low altitude flight science?

Tip: Don't know how much you know about ascent profiles, but don't go to fast in the low atmosphere, start turning earlier than in the old versions (you can now start at ~1km with a TWR of ~1.3 if I remember correctly). And maybe try sticking some controllable or stiff fins on the back. [You can also get suborbital science by going straight upward ]

If you need some more advice just post again, we are here to help after all

[Pe-Ter]

When I unlocked everything on the 45-science-cost column in the tech-tree I decided to go on a trip around the Mun and back. I took 4 cans of Goo with me, I opened one mid-way, did an EVA just to gather an EVA report there and did a cew report too. One Goo can, EVA report, crew report while orbiting Mun and the third can, crew report, EVA report + a surface sample after landing back on Kerbin. You can do one EVA report while hooked to your opened parachutes if you want.

[Garius]

Might I suggest trying to get to orbit with your current tech instead of trying to grind out more around Kerbin? It's possible to get to orbit with just the two 5pt nodes, and figuring out how to do so will help you understand how to design and fly more complex missions.

If not, you can do as the above posters say and hop around KSC, and do some suborbital flights to get enough science for most if not all of the 45pt nodes, at which point you'll pretty much have to go to orbit and beyond to progress.

[Randazzo]

Might I suggest trying to get to orbit with your current tech instead of trying to grind out more around Kerbin? It's possible to get to orbit with just the two 5pt nodes, and figuring out how to do so will help you understand how to design and fly more complex missions.

Flying floppy rockets with horrible control is actually a terrible representation of how vehicles should be designed.

[Dyingsoul]

Ahh thank you very much for the suggestions! I just find hard to find these out myself. There would be cool if I could see a list of things that I could do with the current tech.

BTW Transmitting data: I think I get less science for a data if I transmit. Should I install more antennas or how could I get 100% of the science for an experiment? Usually i can only transfer for only 30% of the science I would get with collecting the ship and data.

[Randazzo]

Ahh thank you very much for the suggestions! I just find hard to find these out myself. There would be cool if I could see a list of things that I could do with the current tech.

BTW Transmitting data: I think I get less science for a data if I transmit. Should I install more antennas or how could I get 100% of the science for an experiment? Usually i can only transfer for only 30% of the science I would get with collecting the ship and data.

You are correct, you will get less science for transmitted data versus returned data. So far as I know there is no way to get 100% return from experiments, though you still get 100% for crew or eva reports when transmitting.

[Garius]

Ahh thank you very much for the suggestions! I just find hard to find these out myself. There would be cool if I could see a list of things that I could do with the current tech.

The minimum tech I've succeeded with for Kerbin SOI:

Break atmosphere: Just the T30 (5 science)

Orbit: Both 5 point nodes (10 science total, Astro complex upgrade useful to collect tons of EVA science while in orbit, can be purchased in flight as you should get tons of money breaking records and achieving orbit)

Flyby Mun and return: Add general rocketry (30 science total)

Orbit Mun/Minmus and return: Add advanced rocketry (75 science total)

Land and return from Mun/Minmus: Add survivability and stability (108 science total) and Launchpad upgrade

Just started a new hard career to test this, first launch got low atmo goo and crew report plus he science from the world first science contract.

Second launch orbited with goos and bay with Bob piloting to reset. Bought Astro upgrade in orbit, got bay flying low, high and in space near, goo and crew high and in space, EVA high and all biomes in space except tundra and ice caps. Also picked up the Return from Orbit contract which is easy to miss.

Upgrade launchpad and bought the tech listed above, third launch landed and returned from the mun. No experiments as I was at 30 parts with just enough fuel, though my design wasn't optimized and my ascent was not the best. Bringing experiments might be possible with very careful design and flying. But just orbital EVA spam on the Mun, plus one biome landed, plus crew reports and high space over Kerbin and Mun, netted enough science to fill out the rest of the tier and then some.

In particular, this was done with no ground science and no contracts other than world firsts.

Edit, just realized you are playing science mode, so you aren't limited to 30 parts, but the above mostly still applies. If on hard you'd need one extra experiment to unlock both 5 pt nodes (no WF contract), could conceivably land on then mun without the 909, but you'd either need to land on the engine bell or make landing legs out of struts, as the T30/45 is too tall for the microstruts.... Conceivably you could do it with only the T30 and radial decouplers, I might try that, but I imagine it will end up mad wobbly.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Garius