What will you do differently in your next career?

[Jett_Quasar]

Unless U5 changes things completely, there's things that will ruin your mission without being your fault. Doesn't feel fair to subject yourself to the pain of them.

IMHO you're better with a personal rule of play along the lines of "Quicksave often, quickload only due to bugs. If you crash, you crash. If you burn, you burn. If your space station overheats in LKO, or your rover explodes when you switch to it on the ground, or your actual orbit isn't what was projected, reload that mother because it wasn't your fault."

Yeah I get that, but to me fixing a messed up mission or needing to rescue Kerbals that aren't part of the contract system makes the game more interesting and adds real drama. I'm going to see if I can vidcap the whole thing as well. I can always test designs in a separate sandbox environment before each flight - that should lessen the risk. As far as glitches go, that happens in the real world too so it's just another challenge...

JR

Edited October 2, 2015 by Jolly_Roger

[xendelaar]

I use 20% science and Community Tech Tree, with some parts mods like Space Y, Atomic Age, and Near Future to flesh it out. I do use labs though, because the massive extra amount of science required is a good offset to the amount generated ¬

thanks for the tips! I can't wait to start my next career with these new mods. I haven't used any of them. I have to admit that the funding grind is less rewarding. But if the financial rewards are too high (which they are in a normal game), the whole idea of funds gets meaningless( in my opinion).

[The Destroyer]

Life support. Realism, but default kerbal system. Try to make awesome stuff without lagging on my FX-4100.

I've played like 20 careers, and haven't played in months. Playing a game since 0.14.3 is interesting

[Champ]

Forbid any landing on mun and minmus. That way i will HAVE TO go to the other planets to get more science.

It is so sad when my fist Duna mission is "land on duna, land on multiple Ike biomes, then return to kerbin with a kerballed ship" because i have enough science to do this.

[eddiew]

thanks for the tips! I can't wait to start my next career with these new mods. I haven't used any of them. I have to admit that the funding grind is less rewarding. But if the financial rewards are too high (which they are in a normal game), the whole idea of funds gets meaningless( in my opinion).

It's true about the funds, but the choice ultimately is between

- grinding the same satellite/tourist missions repeatedly to fund one proper launch

- eventually having more money than sense

With the latter, you're in a better position to chase the tech tree and try new parts and designs - and if you're modding in the extra things to populate CTT, there's an awful lot to cover. While I'm usually a fan of really long running games, I've kind of realised that KSP comes in seasons of 3-4 months and then a new patch invalidates everything... so aiming to have boots on Eeloo in three months of your usual play time seems pretty sensible. Anything beyond that means you'll not actually get there

Forbid any landing on mun and minmus. That way i will HAVE TO go to the other planets to get more science.

It is so sad when my fist Duna mission is "land on duna, land on multiple Ike biomes, then return to kerbin with a kerballed ship" because I have enough science to do this.

I tend to agree - though we'll need to do one Mun landing to bump the contract system onwards. Pretty sure it won't issue any Duna exploration missions until you complete the local Kerbin ones... Could just be a probe with a thermometer though, no need to abuse it for excessive science just because you must go there Rep might be an issue too... but I guess there's always the option to start with a bit extra.

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Life support. Realism, but default kerbal system. Try to make awesome stuff without lagging on my FX-4100.

I've played like 20 careers, and haven't played in months. Playing a game since 0.14.3 is interesting

1.1 looks like it will help you with performance And lol, I can only imagine the jump... I started in 0.25, and the difference in flight behaviour now is shocking (but good)!

[Kobymaru]

Quite frankly, my goal is that my next career save will be far, far away.

I want to keep playing my current save even throughout 1.1 because I just have so much infrastructure and achievements already, that I simply don't want to go through all of that grind again and fly all of the same missions again.

What I do want to change for 1.1 though:

- Build UKS bases everywhere! Actually, just two (Duna and Laythe)

- Dump RemoteTech. It was challenging and fun in the beginning, but it has stopped being fun quite a while ago. The Signal Delay makes unmanned landings impossible on everywhere but the Mun and maybe Minmus, and in order to use Probes that are so far out properly, I'd have to do a lot of KOS programming (which I'm not sure I'm capable of, but sure that it's just too far off for me in the challange/fun scale)

- Maybe switch to USI-LS from TAC-LS. Not sure yet, though.

- Finally building an Eve lander that can get back to orbit again

[FancyMouse]

- Dump RemoteTech. It was challenging and fun in the beginning, but it has stopped being fun quite a while ago. The Signal Delay makes unmanned landings impossible on everywhere but the Mun and maybe Minmus, and in order to use Probes that are so far out properly, I'd have to do a lot of KOS programming (which I'm not sure I'm capable of, but sure that it's just too far off for me in the challange/fun scale)

Not really - planets with atmosphere still works thanks to chutes (maybe still a little tricky on Duna when you don't have enough chutes). And you'll be sending a base w/ 6 kerbals per planet eventually anyway, for all practical purposes (which, LS would make it more fun).

And signal delay is configurable anyway. It's there to be changed if signal delay is your only concern.

[Kobymaru]

Not really - planets with atmosphere still works thanks to chutes (maybe still a little tricky on Duna when you don't have enough chutes).

You're right, sorry. I meant bodies without an atmosphere.

And you'll be sending a base w/ 6 kerbals per planet eventually anyway, for all practical purposes (which, LS would make it more fun).

The keyword here is *eventually*. With a Life-Support mod, this kind of stuff gets significantly harder compared to stock if you have to pack several years worth of suppies. I'll do it eventually, but in the meantime I'd quite like to actually use probes to do useful things as well.

And signal delay is configurable anyway. It's there to be changed if signal delay is your only concern.

I don't want to diss the mod at all, I think it's great! I just came to realize that it's nothing for me.

There were several frustrations that simply make the game *less* fun instead of more. For example, manually having to switch relay satellite targets, when it would have clearly been simple to just "find a route". Or the lack of a "longer" range omnidirectional antenna that can withstand higher aerodynamic forces when active. Also, I just lost a Jool probe because it was just too difficult for me to keep the solar panels pointed at the sun before/after flying a maneuver (is it really that much fun to program HDG/ROLL/PITCH in advance?).

Also, the flight computers UI is frustrating and the PID parameters are sometimes not very well tuned.

Again, that's just my personal opinion. I know that all of those problems are "realistic", but the solution to most of those in real life is to program the probe to behave correctly on its own - which I just don't have the energy/skill to do.

I'm kinda hoping that the 1.1 stock antenna stuff will add "challange without nuisance".

[KerikBalm]

Nothing... there will be no new career mode save for me for a long time.

I've invested too much in my current one.

I just got my Moho station + landing mission into orbit, my Duna-Ike flotilla is arriving (some already arrived, some on the way)

Eeloo is the only body that hasn't had a probe sent to it. (it will, and a manned mission, when the transfer window arrives next)

Even Dres has a manned mission on the way.

I'll disable the remote control changes until I have a network in place.

I'll text edit communitrons onto my robotic tugs if I have to (since they wont work at all without an antena, right?)

I'm not giving up on my Mun+Minmus+ massive Duna + Ike + Gilly + Laythe colonies... way too much time invested.

[eddiew]

Nothing... there will be no new career mode save for me for a long time.

I feel the same about RT. After a while, I realised it was just obstructive to how I like to play because it adds problems (LOS, lightspeed) without offering solutions. Admittedly these are the exact reason why nobody has landed a probe on a vacuum body IRL either, but realism and fun don't always go hand in hand RT is very well made, but it does appeal to a specific mindset, and I don't have it either ^^;

(Also, the closed antenna incident. After two realtime weeks of gameplay. Never again.)

[salajander]

Curious about people who want life support mod that doesn't kill kerbals - what's the point? Just to have a bunch of weight to haul around?

[FancyMouse]

Curious about people who want life support mod that doesn't kill kerbals - what's the point? Just to have a bunch of weight to haul around?

Well some LS just disables kerbal without killing them, so extra weight isn't for nothing. Not my style either, but some people may prefer such easier mode.

[Geher]

I will only use F9 when a bug appeared, and not everytime I did something stupid, because I didn't pay enough attention. (I'm already praying for all the poor Kerbals that will die.)

And I will play in Hard* Mode and try to make the program very cheap and reuseable from the beginning. In my current carreer mode there where dark times where I didn't bother about reuseability and then almost got bankrupt.

EDIT: *I meant Moderate. I won't play Hard Mode, because I fear the Kraken.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Geher

[eddiew]

Curious about people who want life support mod that doesn't kill kerbals - what's the point? Just to have a bunch of weight to haul around?

From my perspective it's a combination of two things:

- F9 quickload is easy

- command pods have a high impact tolerance

That may need some explaining... For myself at least, I find that the majority of my crashes happen due to a slightly misjudged landing. It's rarely if ever catastrophically bad, and the result is I'm often left with a ship that lacks legs, engines, and maybe some lower fuel tanks - but the command pod will often survive. Sometimes all on its own, sitting on the Munar surface with the crew grinning away inside it like they're on vacation.

With TAC, this scenario means mission over. The kerbals will almost certainly die before help arrives, since food cannisters have no greater impact tolerance than most parts and tend to get wiped out by chain explosions. So what happens is either:

- abandon the mission right there

- F9

...and I really don't want to watch the crew suffocate and starve. I think a lot of players are going to F9 out of this situation because the penalty is too harsh for them.

On the other hand, RoverDude's LS which does not kill the crew, means that rescue missions are on the table. The crew will wait indefinitely (if grouchily) for the arrival of a snack vessel, which is then going to have to transfer resources to it to bring them off strike. Often the rescue ship will need to be bigger, since it'll need a spare seat for the rescue pilot, and have to perform a pinpoint landing. Depending on your mods, you'll need a rover to dock and transfer snacks to the crashed ship.

So from this perspective, it is deadly life support that is the extra weight, for players who really don't like to lose kerbals. We know the mission duration before launch, and we aren't going to accept a lethal crash, or an orbital disruption due to KSP miscalculating as we cross an SoI, or a random overheat and explode. Therefore deadly life support does nothing except add mass to the ships. Non-lethal LS on the other hand, makes things more challenging. Your ship crashed on Duna but the pilot survived? Guess what... you're gonna go get him - because you can and you should. The gentler LS encourages you to live with your mistakes and build missions to recover from them

It's easy to resist the F9 key when the situation you've gotten yourself into by crashing is now more interesting than a perfect landing

[Thorbard]

It depends if there is save compatibility. If so, I'll carry on with my current save.

If not, I like the idea of a large initial science budget, but low percentage rewards.

I'm also interested in playing with some of the near-future technologies, and maybe community tech tree too.

[monstah]

On the other hand, RoverDude's LS which does not kill the crew, means that rescue missions are on the table. The crew will wait indefinitely (if grouchily) for the arrival of a snack vessel, which is then going to have to transfer resources to it to bring them off strike.

[snip]

The gentler LS encourages you to live with your mistakes and build missions to recover from them

I never thought of it that way! Nice.

[Warzouz]

I would probably :

- set a lower science income because, as I like to collect science, everything is already unlocked before I leave Kerbin SOI**.

- activate the "pay to unlock parts" because that's more fun to focus on really needed parts.

[monstah]

I might activate "pay to unlock parts" too. Always overlooked that.

[soulsource]

My next career...

I'm planning to use an easier difficulty. Maybe leave science at 60% (or whatever the value at "hard" is), but keep funds income at 100% or have it even above that value. I'll definitely enable the pseudo Remote Tech.

Also, I'm planning on a different set of mods. Maybe TAC-LS and KCT in addition to my current mod selection. As I always liked the signal delay of Remote Tech, maybe I'll even give that mod a chance again, combined with kOS for Rover autopilots and automated landers.

[Cirocco]

what will I do differently in my 1.1 career play through?

modsmodsmodsmodsmodsmodsmodsmodsmodsmods

seiously: part mods. Never used em before, finally cracked a week or so ago and downloaded most of Roverdude's stuff for experimentation in sandbox. Definitely going to do this in career mode once 1.1 hits

[eddiew]

My next career...

I'm planning to use an easier difficulty. Maybe leave science at 60%

You can easily edit your save file and do this now, if it's bothering you Search it for 'multiplier' and you'll find one related to science income ^^

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...modsmodsmodsmodsmodsmodsmodsmodsmodsmods...

Yeah... working 64 bit will bring many options to the table, and allow all those mods we couldn't quite find room for this time round. Beautification and parts and planets? Always had to choose just one of the three until now

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I never thought of it that way! Nice.

Heh, it's not necessarily very intuitive - you have to admit that you're gonna cheat your way out of death situations. But if you are/do, then this seems to make for more interesting options

[Terwin]

Heh, it's not necessarily very intuitive - you have to admit that you're gonna cheat your way out of death situations. But if you are/do, then this seems to make for more interesting options

As one of those that refuses to accept Kerbal deaths, non-lethal LS is the only option to have consequences that don't have me going outside the game to avoid them.(cheat menu, persistence editing, mod removal, etc).

I have already copied my Caveman stock install and added the mods I plan to use, but I am still on the fence about using civilian population or relying solely on rescues to provide additional crew for my off-world bases... (my current game, where I am trying to finish an outer grand-tour prior to starting my new game currently has > 50 Kerbals all at 3+ stars(most at 4 stars), so I am suspecting rescues wil probably be enough, but may require much shuttling around to get everyone where I want them.(and I should probably add in that off-kerbal leveling mod so not everyone I rescue needs to visit Kerbin to be useful)

[Blue_J]

So, yesterday I broke down, updated all my mods and started a new career. This time around I'm using a few mods I've never played with before, including CTT and Near Future Propulsion. I have to say, I'm optimistic about the pacing this time around. With cash and science rewards at 100% and the initial tech-buy in on, I can advance quickly enough to key techs that the early game isn't too terribly grindy, but I still have to be thoughtful about my research choices. Moreover, it looks like the combination of the high-end mods and CTT will mean that I can't just max out the tech-tree in the Kerbin system, and I'll need to run some high-yield Duna/Eve/Dres missions to get the really fun toys.

It also looks like changes over the summer to MKS/OKS are going to solve my space station woes, (once I get that far.) I'm thinking of replacing my complicated multi-launch fuel depot with a handful of the really large "Kontainer" tanks. It'll be a pretty scary/expensive launch, but if I can get a few of the 11 or 15 m tanks into orbit, I'll have more fuel storage than I can possibly fill in like 10% of the time and 20% of the part count of my previous designs. We'll see how it goes.

[cantab]

- set a lower science income because, as I like to collect science, everything is already unlocked before I leave Kerbin SOI**.

Too much lower and it's liable to be grindy though. I wonder if it wouldn't be better to nerf the Mun and Minmus science multipliers, so that relatively speaking the rewards for going interplanetary will be bigger.

[Mikki]

If i really start a new career... then it will be on harder mode. I assume it will then be my last PC game i ever play.

SQUAD, you have occupied my life. Why?