Do you 'complete' careers?

[The_Rocketeer]

When I start a career, I tend not to have an end goal in mind. Rather, I might have one or two ideas about interesting and complex mission crafts I'd like to build, but honestly I rarely even get to the point of building them because of a lack of funds or the perfect part being out of reach in a top-tier tech in a branch that I haven't pursued. Often, I get tired of grinding to reach those techs or funds before I get to the attempt, which is sad.

So, I wonder if other people experience the same thing, or if they are more single-minded in their approach to a career, i.e. you have a goal in mind when you start, you only tech towards the parts you need? And then having reached the goal, do you retire the career, or do you make up a new goal? Do you ever consider the career game completed?

I'm not looking for a perfect answer, I'm just curious how other people approach career mode and how often their aims for that game, if any and however vague, are satisfied.

[RizzoTheRat]

Not yet because they keep releasing new versions before I complete the career so I go back and start again Not getting much opportunity to play at the moment so I doubt I'll complete the tech tree on this game before the next release.

[Nookos]

I consider my first career completed. I placed one space station around each body, ground bases on bodies where it made sense to have one, reached reputation of 99%, completed the ultimate challenge contract and did an ultimate landing challenge (not in the contracts unfortunately) and that was it. I had different goals along the career. First was learning the game, unlocking all the science then placing 'good looking' space station around each body and finally reach 100% reputation but that turned out impossible it seemed.

Regarding lacking funds I would suggest to group contracts in big expedition ( like sending a space station, satellites, science gathering, mining,.. per body) That makes them very profitable to do all at once. Also very useful for funds is from that start of your career have one probe that does fly by around everything you can and keep it alive so all the grand tour contracts are fullfilled easily and multiple times ( very profitable too, maybe too much)

Regarding science having a mining operation on the natural satellites of kerbin with a tiny science gathering ship to biome hop does the trick fast.

However since that first career in stock system I couldn t be satisfied with all the other attempts with planet packs.. contracts don't work well with planet packs so no luck since my first one.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Nookos

[astrobond]

Err... I always make a new career in normal mode when a new version of ksp is available, and i always try to unlock all parts and buildings asap ^^

(All science points on Kerbin, Mun, Minmus and contracts for science/money)

Then, and only then, i plan for long travels missions to have more fun, more money and more science, even if i don't need more science xD

Might not be totally normal...

[Caelib]

On hard-mode ... when I have completed all of the planetary/moon contracts, I usually consider that career completed. I tend to build a few stations along the way and then work on some asteroid captures but after that I don't have enough drive to do much else. I tend to play stock-only except for Kerbal Engineer.

[Guest]

Not yet because they keep releasing new versions before I complete the career so I go back and start again

This has been my experience as well. I've started 4 separate career mode games, and haven't "completed" any of them.

The first one I started right after careers became a thing, then I built a modded installation and started a new career on that.

When the Beta came out I started a new career once again, then when 1.0 came out I started my current career for that.

I've only now come the closest to actually "finishing" a career since v.22.

[Alshain]

I don't complete careers because that is impossible by my definition of complete. That's like asking if you complete Minecraft, or if you complete a city in SimCity. Can't be done. Finishing the tech tree is not complete to me.

Nevertheless, if you do count finishing the tech tree as "complete", always. I mean the game for me really doesn't BEGIN until I finish the tech tree and I can do that in a handful of missions.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Alshain

[The_Rocketeer]

I don't complete careers because that is impossible by my definition of complete. That's like asking if you complete Minecraft, or if you complete a city in SimCity. Can't be done. Finishing the tech tree is not complete to me.

Nevertheless, if you do count finishing the tech tree as "complete", always. I mean the game for me really doesn't BEGIN until I finish the tech tree and I can do that in a handful of missions.

This is exactly what I mean by the question. KSP is a game where you make your own goals, like other sandbox/builder/explorer games, so if you have an endless supply of goals, you can never reach the end.

So, for those that hold/share this view, do you/would you never retire a career? If not, what do you do? Does there never come a point where you've done everything and nothing is challenging? Do you treat the career like a sandbox game, or do u just keep 'playing' (like playing with a toy/model trainset)?

[StrandedonEarth]

I consider a career complete when a new update comes out. By then I've usually sent (and landed) at least a probe to every body.

My current career is stalled while I try to find my way around a baby kraken that strike a certain ship at a specific time, rendering the toolbar unresponsive for that ship and others in the same SOI. I don't get much time to play lately so I may not 'complete' this career before the next update

Edited October 10, 2015 by StrandedonEarth

[Alshain]

This is exactly what I mean by the question. KSP is a game where you make your own goals, like other sandbox/builder/explorer games, so if you have an endless supply of goals, you can never reach the end.

So, for those that hold/share this view, do you/would you never retire a career? If not, what do you do? Does there never come a point where you've done everything and nothing is challenging? Do you treat the career like a sandbox game, or do u just keep 'playing' (like playing with a toy/model trainset)?

Well I retire a career when one of two things happen.

1. A game patch breaks the game I'm working on or largely breaks most the craft in it. (i.e. 1.0)

2. A game patch adds a new function that I feel is best experienced from the beginning. (i.e. Contextual Contracts)

So yes, I will be starting a new career for 1.0.5. In current versions I usually 'clean' my orbits around Kerbin, Mun and Minmus, so satellites that serve no purpose get de-orbited. Because of the new contextual contracts, there is a purpose for leaving them in orbit, so I want to start that from the beginning.

There is a 3rd one. I want to try a new game enhancing mod that I feel is best experienced from the beginning.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Alshain

[moogoob]

I play a career game once I get bored of Sandbox and then only until I get bored of that particular career save. I don't max out Mun and Minmus science - a lab around Minmus alone grants more than enough science for some end-game tech. I tend to probe the heck out of each and every explore contract rather than send manned missions - my program makes tons of money that way.

[KerikBalm]

I'm getting close to having flags on every body with a solid surface... (missions on the way to Moho, and Dres at the moment, the Eve lander is ready but the Eve window isn't open, still preparing the manned Jool missions - window isn't open, Eeloo window isn't open)

I now have a substantial presence on Duna (I'm thinking I should send more surface habs)

I've got craft on the way to turn Gilly into a fueling stop

Duna+ Ike are fueling depots (including a modded ISRU part that will make Xenon from any planet's atmosphere... so Duna is a Xenon depot too).

I just need to put together my Jool colony flotilla before the next Jool window (its early Year 2 for me)

My "complete" goals are:

* Flags on every solid body

* ISRU + Fuel depots at Gilly, Duna-Ike, Laythe-Val

* Substantial orbital and surface assets on Duna and Laythe.

Just some flags and sending a lot of stuff to Jool, then its complete to me.

Maybe after that, I'll build up the Kerbin Space Station, which so far is pretty small and unused.

I may also replace my rather messy and obsolete Mun and Minmus stations (I've already substantially upgraded the mining operations on Mun)

Then for 1.1, I may have to set up a relay network.... then its done.

I'll have so many tugs and reusable boosters to eject to escape velocity and fuel depots, that a mission to anywhere (except Eve) will just consist of sending up a mk2 SSTO with kerbals, who can then transfer to other elements of the STS to get to their destination.

Eve... willl still require the launch of a lander.

Someone made a SSTO from Eve work... just barely, taking off from a high location, in an absolutely gigantic winged rocket, carrying a single kerbal.

- I've yet to see someone land on Eve, and then get back to orbit, with a single stage.

even if they did... theres only 1 spot I know of that they could even do that... so... disposable landers for eve... forever