Cost for maintaing multiple space missions?

[JWS]

Hi, everyone.

As a heavy career mode KSP user, I've seen lots of great mods to help or enhance career mode progress by aiding a player through funds boost. It is really helpful as early phase of a career game can easily become somewhat grindy:kiss:. Honestly, I enjoy struggling the difficulties. But as the game continues, it became rather boring as I can easily collect money from my existing stations, science probes, ground bases. At this point, I feel like there's no reason to play the save anymore as it becomse another sandbox save which I had already played several times before.

I know there are other mods which extend end-game experience by suggesting alternative goals, or forcing me to take care of my ships by causing part reliability issues. But that doesn't change the fact that the late phase career game becomes sandbox game.

I think this balance breaking issue may arise from the fact that a player can run numerous missions without any cost, except for the first launch. If there's a mod which charges a player regularly for the ships out there, the problem can be solved easily. I think the charge should be determined by currently tracking ship's number, each ship's SOI and situation, manned or unmanned, etc.

It also makes sense that for every new ship in space, there should be numerous, dedicated ground staffs to support the mission. If you hire more, you should pay more.

As I'm not a modder, I cannot make this plugin by myself. So if there's anyone who is interested in this idea, please consider make it a working thing. Thanks.

[hab136]

Life support sort of solves that - you have to keep supplying each base with food - but again, there are end-game options that eventually make that go away.

[magico13]

Kerbanomics has a bit of this in it. You have to pay regularly for crew, but not for vessels or other things like that, and you get funds regularly to help pay for things (essentially, it replaces contracts). The author appears to have gone missing, so I'm in the process of continuing it and will be posting a thread sometime soon to discuss ideas for the future, one of which will likely be having to pay for currently running missions.

I don't know how far people would want me to take it, but I think it'd be cool if you could dedicate certain amounts of funds for managing each mission, and if you don't put enough funds in they "shut down" the mission. So a probe might no longer be controllable after you stop paying for the ground crew. Or you can't transmit science from a Mun base if it's not being funded anymore.

I want to take the budget aspect of Kerbanomics up a notch, as right now it's basically nonexistent.

[JWS]

Life support sort of solves that - you have to keep supplying each base with food - but again, there are end-game options that eventually make that go away.

Yeah. I'm using TAC LS and OMKS right now. Building self-sufficient bases is one of the major goals at the end-game phase.

Kerbanomics has a bit of this in it. .

Didn't know that the mod offers the feature. I'll try it out. Thanks.

It's nice that you are interested in this idea. "Shut down" idea seems cool. Is it possible to make a probe into "Unknown obeject" which cannot be tracked unless a player restores enough funds level?

And about the budget, I think it is reasonable that each building should require fixed costs for their own. And upgrading those buildings should also increases the costs. If so, you can't just launch a eeloo science probe and do a time-warp for 2 years, as you'll end up bankrupt before it reaches its destination.

Anyway, I'll look forward to your continueing the Kerbanomics mod in the future. Thanks in advance.

[magico13]

It's nice that you are interested in this idea. "Shut down" idea seems cool. Is it possible to make a probe into "Unknown obeject" which cannot be tracked unless a player restores enough funds level?

That's one possibility, yes (pretty easy to do). Alternatively I can pretty easily make it so you can't control it when you switch to it (like RemoteTech does, or like what happens in the Stock game when a probe doesn't have power). Or I could just delete the craft entirely, but then you can't add funding back and regain control of the craft at a later point. I would want to add some penalty for cutting all funding for a long time and then adding it back, such as permanently "losing the signal", but the whole feature is still in the air at the moment.

And about the budget, I think it is reasonable that each building should require fixed costs for their own. And upgrading those buildings should also increases the costs. If so, you can't just launch a eeloo science probe and do a time-warp for 2 years, as you'll end up bankrupt before it reaches its destination.

I do like the idea of each building having a running cost that increases as you level them. I still need to think of where the funds you get each quarter come from (the Kerbal government most likely) and what controls how much you get (reputation for sure, but probably also # of active missions, and completing government issued contracts [or just any contracts?]) so you can't just timewarp forever and keep getting money, but instead have to actually do things to keep getting funds.

When I've got a thread up for it, I'll make sure to post back here.

Edit: Here's that thread: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/131505-1-0-4-Kerbanomics-for-1-0-Looking-for-Name-Suggestions-8-13-15

Edited August 14, 2015 by magico13