Reward systems

[tater]

I was messing around with KIS/KAS and the new Kerbal Planetary Base System mod by Nils277 (which is really cool), and the idea of rewards came to mind.

In the stock game, the sole reward is unlocking tech as well all know.

Using the engineer (not level 3) to repair a wheel by using a landing leg as a jack, then adding a new wheel, it occurred to me that the leveling system is sort of bizarre. Aside from the fact that perhaps new applicants (plus the initial 4) should maybe have random skill above 0, maybe ranking is a kind of reward.

Right now, ranking is very formulaic, flyby, orbit, land, plant flag. Meh.

What about specific tasks (done off-kerbin) can add XP? What about missions/contracts that do the same. Rendezvous and dock 2 craft? Pilots get XP. Do science away from kerbin as a scientist? Get XP. Fix stuff for an engineer? Get XP.

I want to send a decent engineer to Duna, for example, and I know how to rank him via a grind in the Kerbin SoI, but it would be cooler if it was part of a more well thought out reward system.

For piloting, the initial milestones could dish out contract-specific XP, but later guys will miss that. Some contracts might help---rescues, for example (give the pilot XP on the first rescue based upon how close they get to the stranded kerbal with a closure rate below 5 or something). Engineers can get repair contracts (stick a new solar panel on Kerbosat). Scientists can reset an experiment, do science, whatever.

It's better than what we have now.

Other rewards are more complex to figure out, particularly later game. Perhaps the ability to construct a VAB/launchpad elsewhere as a high-level reward. Not just bought with science points, but science, funds, and infrastructure. Buy an expensive (millions), heavy (20 tons?) container in the tree, then the VAB. Land 10 of them at a base that supports XX kerbals, and has power, a science lab, and ISRU. Then you can build the pad/VAB in-situ.

Any other ideas?

[Daveroski]

While I am very much behind the whole XP for kerbals thing and have been for some time.

As far as the being able to make another VAB somewhere else?

You are going to have to face the wrath of the mods on your own for that one.

[rkman]

I hope KSP remains one of those traditional games where the reward for playing the game is the fun that you have while playing the game, not a cookie that you get after having played the game.