The Department of Booms and Snacks - Episode 22: Nearly Finished (with Kerbin)

[CaptainApollo]

Wow, I have been following this career mode campaign since day one, and it is very interesting and entertaining; I like it a lot! Very creative, good job!

[Geschosskopf]

This is quite a show. Thanks for giving me ideas

[LittleBlueGaming]

Wow, I have been following this career mode campaign since day one, and it is very interesting and entertaining; I like it a lot! Very creative, good job!

This is quite a show. Thanks for giving me ideas

Glad you guys are enjoying it, thanks for following it.

[LittleBlueGaming]

Ad Astra per Aspera

In honor of those who made it home, and those who didn't.

---

It's a mournful day at DoBaS. After flirting with financial ruin the weeks previously, a new disaster followed right on its tail.

A powerful solar-flare ripped through the Kerbol system, with devastating effects. Our communications network went down, we lost contact with all of our probes, stations, and outposts. The flare tripped the RCS system on the KSS 1, causing it to deorbit and break apart in the atmosphere, with Valentina still inside it. Two of our kerbals, Lembles and Gregsby, were on Minmus when the flare hit. Analysis of their last signals home shows their life support systems were destroyed, and there was nothing we could do to rescue them in time.

Elliot, Gwenthys, and Edtop were on their way back to Kerbin after an extended research mission on Minmus. They lost all power during their descent, but managed to manually trip the parachutes, and thankfully made it home safe.

While they mourn their friends, the brave kerbals at DoBaS inwardly vow to rise again from the ashes, and fulfill the dreams that were so cherished by Valentina, Lembles, and Gregsby.

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[Mister Dilsby]

Well... that was dark. Wha happened? Pretty sure solar flares and loss of life support aren't stock

[LittleBlueGaming]

Well... that was dark. Wha happened? Pretty sure solar flares and loss of life support aren't stock

The power went out right after I posted that, so I wasn't able to post an explanation until now.

What happened was I wanted to get rid of all my low-tech and proof-of-concept bases and stations. A lot of stuff has too many parts for what it is, and if I'm going to build a better infrastructure, I need to keep those part counts lower.

I also decided that I'm going to add in Kerbal Alarm Clock, Kerbal Engineer Redux, and Transfer Window Planner. Entering an interplanetary era, I don't want to have to keep doing all that manually.

So I decided to clear things out, I just created that scenario for sake of the story. It was actually that first screenshot that decided it for me, I was very happy with how the framing and lighting turned out on it, it set up the mood for me.

Edited June 7, 2015 by LittleBlueGaming

[Geschosskopf]

So I decided to clear things out, I just created that scenario for sake of the story. It was actually that first screenshot that decided it for me, I was very happy with how the framing and lighting turned out on it, it set up the mood for me.

Hehehe, the old Tracking Center Purge, regardless of any Kerbals in the way. It's good to be bad sometimes

[LittleBlueGaming]

"This one's for you, Val." - Jeb

The kerbals at DoBaS had made a fundamental transformation during the following weeks. A memorial wall for those lost in the Day of the Flare was set up in the Astronaut Complex, and a new saying had found its way among those who were left to push on:

"It won't fail because of me."

While the kerbals were still playful, imaginative, and dreamers, they had developed a new determination when it came to their work. The engineers were using their tape measures a little more, and their hammers a little less. The scientists buried themselves in lab and field work, determined to make space travel as safe and reliable as possible. The pilots even spent a little more time in the simulators, and a little less time pushing each other off the roof of the VAB with cardboard wings attached to their arms.

Gene had perhaps changed the most. He became more careful in the contracts he selected, looking at more than just the advance payment. He started being a little warmer to the kerbonauts, spending more free time with them, developing bonds and friendships.

Above all, the kerbals were taking care to enjoy and appreciate life, never taking a moment for granted.

KRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH-BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Jeb: I'm alright, I'm alright! Bill, that might be just a few too many boosters.

Of course, some things will never change.

---

Following the devastating solar flare, nearly a dozen kerbals were stranded in the Kerbin system, trying to figure out how to get home. DoBaS quickly took advantage of the situation offered their services to forcefully enlist graciously bring the remaining kerbals back home.

My first new goal is to setup a more permanent, and less-protoype infrastructure in the Kerbin system. Stations, labs, refueling depots, and mining operations on each body. Once that is all established, I'll turn my eyes toward manned missions to other planets, and developing those systems as well. I just want to unlock the remaining tech nodes before I send anyone to another system.

I've also decided to enact a clean space policy. Each station will have a tug equipped to deorbit any debris left behind, and I will attempt to design my lifting stages so they are separated before achieving orbit.

I'm trying to find a balance between aesthetics and part count, so one area I'm cutting back is in lighting. To light up a station the way I want to, it just takes too many lights, so I'll leave them in the dark during the night (I also installed Docking Port Alignment Indicator since I won't be able to see what I'm doing half the time). That way I can afford better designs like the first station I put up around Kerbin.

Lastly I decided to keep my space stations and refueling depots separate. I've decided on the following orbits:

• 75km - Refuelling depot and low parking orbit.
  
• 100km - Construction yard
  
• 150km - Station
  
• 250km - High parking orbit
  

I'm very satisfied with how my new station is turning out. Launching that torus ring was a pain in the neck though. I wasn't able to pitch-over until after 20km, and I ended up using 4500m/s to get it up to 100km x 100km, and deorbit the rest of the lifter. When I attach the last module, I'll push the whole thing up to 150km x 150km.

Jeb performed a courageous EVA, setting the retrograde heading of the last stage, firing the engines, and hastily exiting the vessel to catch back up to the station.

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Hehehe, the old Tracking Center Purge, regardless of any Kerbals in the way. It's good to be bad sometimes

How dare you, sir! It was a completely unplanned tragedy, I would never intentionally harm my kerbals!

(Gotta stay in character)

[LittleBlueGaming]

"That's right baby, we're sending the entire station up in one launch!" - Bill

---

Finished the station around Kerbin, dubbed the KSS Valentina. I ended up really pushing the limit of what my computer can handle, I can still dock and maneuver around it, but the framerate is pretty low. It's alright though, this particular station isn't actually going to be used very much, I'll likely just bring most of the crew back to Kerbin and then leave it.

Launched two smaller stations, and didn't have to assemble them in orbit. 66 tons each, that's my largest payload so far. These actually launched pretty well, my ascent profile was a little steep, but nothing like launching the core of the KSS Valentina.

Put a clean-up tug at 75km x 75km. I had 15 abandoned pods in orbit, so far I've de-orbited 6 of them. I'll probably get another 4 or 5, then I'll have to launch my fuel depot to top it off.

Now I'm off to try and design a decent outpost that won't kill my framerate. Living quarters, mobile lab, drill+ISRU, fuel freighter, rover, and some kind of biome-hopper. 150 parts seems to be around where I really start suffering on performance.

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[stellarator]

A huge and beautiful stock-alike station. I like it. Its a good career, keep it on!

[LittleBlueGaming]

Apologies, I've been feeling a bit down lately, having a hard time coming up with dialogue.

I was trying to design an all-in-one outpost for Minmus, but I couldn't get a modular station with a low enough part count. I decided, having been so successful launching entire space stations, to try and just launch the outpost in one piece. This saved me on parts for legs and docking ports, and made it more sturdy.

It was a little difficult to balance, I left one side a little heavier so it would help me with my gravity turn, but that caused more problems outside of the atmosphere than it helped with. I got the part count down to 62, and decided to make the drilling rig, fuel freighter, and biome hopper all separate from the outpost. That way I can park them out of physics range when I'm not using them and keep my frame-rate up.

This baby was... fun... to fly

I also finished cleaning up all the debris, and put up the beginnings of a fuel depot. I just need to finish that, then get an outpost to the Mun, and I'll be moving on to other systems.

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A huge and beautiful stock-alike station. I like it. Its a good career, keep it on!

Thanks

[LittleBlueGaming]

"Gene, why did you leave me up there so long?!?!?" - Jeb

---

Haven't been playing as much this last week, but made progress since my last entry.

• Put up a fuel depot in LKO. And yes, it does carry gratuitous amounts of mono-propellant and electrical charge for its size. What can I say, I like the way those parts look.
  
• Brought some kerbals back from the KSS Valentina, they had been there for quite a long time, and done all the science they could. There were too many parts when the station and crew vessel were both loaded, so I parked the crew vessel out of range and performed a synchronous 2-kerbal extreme EVA.
  
• Got a science-biome-hopper thing to Minmus. Picked up 5 biomes and realized that was more than enough to power my mobile lab for a long while. Vertical docking ftw.
  
• Got a drill rig to Minmus. It's vastly inferior to just having a drill on my outpost, but I wanted to simulate having to travel between the 'mines' and the outpost for processing. Plus, vertical docking on Minmus is fun.
  
• Only have 3 nodes left to unlock, and I'm starting to feel disappointed. I've got 4 mobile labs setup, I want to have tons more research nodes to work toward.
  

I'm going to take a module off the KSS Valentina to get the part count down, probably just de-orbit the science module since I'm done with it.

Next on my list:

• Outpost on the Mun... that will basically mark the Kerbin system as 'complete' in this career.
  
• Manned missions to Duna and Ike, followed by outposts and stations.
  
• Design a better crew spaceplane, what I have now is just a two-seater SSTO with a drone core.
  
• Design a cargo spaceplane, I haven't yet worked on an SSTO that can carry a decent payload.
  

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[Geschosskopf]

Nice station. That should keep SSTOs happy for some time to come.