Contracts for other planets should only pop up near the transfer window

[juanml82]

I think this works specially regarding station and bases contracts, in which you need to dispatch a new ship from Kerbin. If you're running multiple missions simultaneously, you may have a contract popping up to put a station or build a base in, let's say, Duna, hundreds of days before the transfer window. So if you take the contract at that point, it will be sitting there and occupying a slot for in-game months because you can't cheaply launch to Duna for all that time.

It's sort of the KSP management saying "We have a window for Duna within a month. Let's take advantage of it!" which is pretty much how large and well funded space programs work: "There is a window to Saturn coming up in 20xx - let's try to get funding to send a probe there by that time", so it adds immersion. And since it doesn't take years to design a probe in KSP, the contracts can pop up within, let's say, 30 days from a transfer window. On top, it also allows players who don't play with mods (either because they are new to the game, because they don't like it or because they take a more casual approach to this game and don't read wikis, forums or reddits) to figure out something is happening regarding some specific planet. Sort of "Ok, why half the contracts popping up are suddenly about sending stuff to Duna?"

 

And to add immersion, I think resource and survey missions could be exempted from this timing, if the required equipment/ships are already at the destination. Or, and maybe that's guiding the player's hand too much, contracts could require sending a ship which can later be used to perform survey contracts. For instance "Send a base/rover, on wheels, with capacity for one kerbonaut and with a gravioli detector to Ike". Once that contract is complete, you get gravioli survey contracts, since the earlier contract was about sending in a rover capable of fulfilling it.

[Wjolcz]

That is a very nice idea. But KAC alarms would still be useful.

[Zombie_Striker]

Considering most contracts last 20+ years, there is real need to have these contracts come up at specific times.

[juanml82]

1 hour ago, Zombie_Striker said:

Considering most contracts last 20+ years, there is real need to have these contracts come up at specific times.

Yeah, but contract slots are limited, so if you take the "Explore Eve" or the "Build a Space Station in Duna" months before the transfer window, they'll be occupying that slot for months. And, depending on your difficulty settings, rejecting them makes you loose reputation

[SpaceplaneAddict]

I really would love this, especially when you have a level two Mission Control, and only 7 contracts can be active at a time...

[Sanic]

30 Kerbal days is ample time to construct even the most fanatical of space flotillas.

[Goody1981]

I think this is a great idea

[BlkBltChemie]

I think this is a good idea and a good solution to the limited number of contract slots available, but I am going to play Devil's Advocate a little bit.

1. You don't have to launch at the transfer window - it is only the optimal time to launch.
2. There is no in-game information regarding optimal transfer windows so having contracts tied to launch windows creates a black box scenario where you can't see why something is happening.  (Granted, this may change - and I hope it does - with the KSPedia or perhaps with mission planning tools in future updates.)
3. If you go in order of launch windows, your first (and most frequent) contracts will be for Moho, which is not where you want a beginner to plan their first interplanetary mission.
4. With the new contextual contracts, you'd need an exception to still allow contracts to generate outside transfer windows.  (This sounds like a nightmare to program although I know nothing about coding.)

Personally, I would like to see all of the "Explore" contracts available at the start of the game - this is sort of solved with the milestones which allow you to sort of ignore contracts.  I think that your suggestion though may be a good idea for satellite or related contracts.  The bigger thing, however, is that I really think this needs to be coupled with some sort of mission planning tool to help players know why optimal transfer window is approaching.

[RocketSquid]

Maybe contracts for a given planet should start becoming available after a "Reach" contract is completed and/or accepted. All "Reach" contracts have no expiration dates, and pay mostly in reputation. They would be available from the start. They don't have any real criterion other than that you get a craft into that planets SOI.