What am I supposed to measure here?

[RocketBlam]

Got this mission. Half of the mission parameters require me to take "pressure readings", the other half, "atmospheric analysis." So do I use the PresMat Barometer, or the Atmospheric Fluid Spectro-Variometer?

Edited July 18, 2015 by RocketBlam

[smjjames]

Wouldn't hurt to try both...

[HoloYolo]

Use the barometric instrument and the Spectro-Variometer.

[RocketBlam]

The problem is, I'm sending 4 probes, and the instruments are fairly expensive.

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Even the icons are different. I wish they would be more clear here.

[Kryxal]

I read it as the barometer for the first and last, and the other device for the second and third ones.

[Wolfox]

Judging by the map screenshot, two are barometers and two spectrometers. I personally send all probes fitted with as many instruments as I can, to squeeze every last bit from the designated biome, but I understand that money shortage can make this difficult, or waste if you already scanned that biome before.

[RocketBlam]

Well that's what I decided to do. It is two of one kind and two of the other, by the way (I just finished it). I don't think I've ever seen a mission like that before. But I just put both on all 4 probe cores. I didn't get to use both on every landing, but I guess it's close enough.

[mrclucks]

Try doing all four readings with one probe, that way you can save from building the others and just add the baramoter and spectrometer while focusing on adding more dv so you can easily get into orbits to get your readings

[Streetwind]

Well that's what I decided to do. It is two of one kind and two of the other, by the way (I just finished it). I don't think I've ever seen a mission like that before. But I just put both on all 4 probe cores. I didn't get to use both on every landing, but I guess it's close enough.

There are plenty of missions with varying requirements. For example, even the very first survey missions you ever get will sometimes ask you to produce a crew report in flight over one waypoint and then an EVA report while landed at a different, nearby waypoint. It's the same concept: not every waypoint has the same task, or requires the same experiment. The waypoint icons are intentionally different to better help identify which experiment you need to take where.

[Superfluous J]

The waypoint icons are intentionally different to better help identify which experiment you need to take where.

But they could be a little more obvious, in a lot of cases. I don't know what the above icons mean, for example. And for some reason I can never get straight in my mind if the boot print is an EVA report on the surface or a surface sample. And he Gravity reading always makes me think it wants me to take the reading below it.

In any case I think this is a good example of KSP not giving enough information to the player. How hard would it be to change "Take reading X at place Y" to "Take reading X with instrument Z at place Y"?

[RocketBlam]

But they could be a little more obvious, in a lot of cases. I don't know what the above icons mean, for example.

THIS!

I appreciate the effort to put the icons in, but Squad is really quite lax in explaining a lot of these things. So It's a different icon... what does each icon mean? No idea, and I haven't seen any kind of "guide" to explain it to me.

This game desperately needs a manual. And that's coming from a guy who's spent 1600 hours playing it.

Edited July 19, 2015 by RocketBlam