Give World First results a permanent home as a tab in the Science Archive

[Kelderek]

I love the way the World First milestones work now in 1.0.5, but one small thing that bothers me is that if I delete the contract completion message where these are displayed, then I have no way to see these records any more. New records are added over time, but I find it's too easy to lose the records from accidentally deleting that contract complete message. This data needs a more permanent home, and the best place for this in my mind is the Science Archive.

At a bare minimum...

Keep an ordered list on a tab in the Science Archive, sorted by the order in which the records were completed. This would look much the same to how these are displayed on the completed contract popup, but it would be a permanent place to see all of your accumulated milestones.

Taking it a step further...

Incorporate the World First milestones into the pages of the Science Archive for each celestial body to exist with all of the other science data you have obtained. In the sections that filter the science data by experiment, biome, etc. there could be a new section to include any World First milestones that relate to that celestial body.

An even better (and more thorough) option...

Add a timeline feature to the archive to show everything that you have done for your space program, integrating all of your launches, links to vessels used, and every significant event and including all of these World First milestones. This has been suggested many, many times, so you can see more about that in other posts, but it would be an excellent home for this World First data.

[Snark]

Excellent suggestion! +1 to this.

[Alshain]

+1 from me too.

[Kelderek]

I had to go do a double check, but the records are not already stored in the contract archive either, so if you click on the delete button on the popup window for the World First records they will be lost forever. The contract archive would be another alternative home for these records, but I tend to think they have more to do with science than with contracts, so I would prefer them to live in the science archive of the R&D building.

[Snark]

The contract archive would be another alternative home for these records, but I tend to think they have more to do with science than with contracts, so I would prefer them to live in the science archive of the R&D building.

Strongly agreed. It's clear from the current implementation that Squad is thinking of them as being a "contract" thing, but they really are much more of a "science" thing. "I just landed on the Mun" clearly belongs in the same bucket as "I just collected a surface sample from the Mun." Besides, the science archive UI is such a natural fit for this; it already has the ability to sort, filter, etc. It would be a natural home for it.

[SpaceplaneAddict]

I like this. You have my +1 for this to be integrated.

[nothingSpecial]

I approve of this suggestion.

[Moesly_Armlis]

On 11/14/2015, 11:59:43, Kelderek said:

Incorporate the World First milestones into the pages of the Science Archive for each celestial body to exist with all of the other science data you have obtained. In the sections that filter the science data by experiment, biome, etc. there could be a new section to include any World First milestones that relate to that celestial body.

This to me seems the best option.  Already there are buttons for situations per world (eg. Kerbin -> surface landed) , so that should be easy to add a button for each of the celestial bodies records.

[Andem]

Yes Please. Now Please. (1.1 will also work...)

[DMagic]

On 11/15/2015 at 1:01 PM, Snark said:

Strongly agreed. It's clear from the current implementation that Squad is thinking of them as being a "contract" thing, but they really are much more of a "science" thing. "I just landed on the Mun" clearly belongs in the same bucket as "I just collected a surface sample from the Mun." Besides, the science archive UI is such a natural fit for this; it already has the ability to sort, filter, etc. It would be a natural home for it.

The science archive might make sense, but some of us become quietly enraged by the constant need to go back and forth from the space center to access things that we should be able to access anywhere. 

So this works well enough for me (I plan on adding it to CapCom at some point too):

It's also nice to be able to view recent progress completions without having to use the stock message box (which can't be moved, or re-sized, and disappears when you click anything else).

[Snark]

1 hour ago, DMagic said:

The science archive might make sense, but some of us become quietly enraged by the constant need to go back and forth from the space center to access things that we should be able to access anywhere.

I could totally see that.  I guess my point is, "World Firsts should be handled by the game like science results."

Therefore, they should have a home in the science archives, just like science results do.

Therefore, if the game ever adds a browsable science archive that doesn't force you to go back to KSC, they should be there, too.

Therefore, if there's any mod that allows browsing past science results, the API should support World Firsts too, so that any such mod will seamlessly and painlessly include World First results.

[AbacusWizard]

I think an expanded World Firsts records page would be much better than whatever achievements system is in the works.

[KrazyKrl]

You have my axe.

 

I would also like to see that idea extended. I.e. "Science Archives" Becomes "Rocketry Museum and Science Archives". The science archives as they are now stay as a subset of the Rocketry Museum.

World firsts should get their own section, along with any other flight you've ever had. The world firsts section should have something special, maybe something like the VAB/SPH "craft thumbnail" image of the craft; as it was when the craft broke the record. Of course, the Rocketry Museum would also track every flight you've ever had; the worlds-first section would just be the premier section.