Jump to content

getting reputation by taking pictures of your missions (Telescopes)


Recommended Posts

Lately it happened with new Horizons and the Pluto-Charon system, EVERYONE talked about it. It gave NASA a lot of reputation for going to the system. This let me wondering, why can't go to eeloo, take pictures and have the entire kerbalkind talking about my mission, and thus gain some positive reputation. So that is what this suggestion is.

Basically it would be "Reputation experiments". They are parts that take pictures or record video's of whatever the parts are pointed at. And if you put certain things onto you pictures (like for instance, a kerbal on the surface of eve) you gain reputation. It would work EXACTLY* like the science system, but you get reputation as a reward*, and a pretty picture of course.

EDIT: *scratch that, you also get a dialogue showing you the picture taken, and with a button to save it as a screenshot. It is just another boring experiment otherwise.

Imagine the following scenario.

Imagine your first unmanned Laythe rover nearing its destination. As you near the moon, you record photos of the beautiful watery moon, with a Joolrise in the background, and transmit them back. Upon arrival of the pictures, every kerbal on kerbin goes wild, as the pictures are the sharpest ever taken from the moon. Your space program earns science and reputation. (You save the picture as a screenshot). It is time for landing. During the last stages of descend your lander deploys the video recorder and records Laythes surface getting closer and closer. You land, the rover drives from the landing platform and takes a photo of itself and the landing pad.

The landing has succeded.

What do you think? Suggestions are very welcome! 

__________________________________________________________________________

All suggestions in this thread! (any suggestions to these suggestions are also very welcome)

-map view

  Reveal hidden contents

-Currencies

  Reveal hidden contents

-Parts and camera experiments   

  Reveal hidden contents

-Contracts

  Reveal hidden contents

-First person view

  Reveal hidden contents
Edited by nikokespprfan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes. I've seen this suggested several times before and I think it would be a good addfition.  IRL cameras are used for real science as well as 'pretty publicity' pictures so it would be a nice extra tool to provide both rep and science.

We have the screenshot option that just gives nice photos, but this would add a game play aspect too. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This already exists.  It's called a contract.

The cameras on New Horizons didn't get NASA a lot of reputation, the mission, and the results did.  I think a camera would be a nice science experiment which could then have contracts tied to it to earn reputation, but lets not invent a new mechanic when we have one already.

Edited by Alshain
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/27/2015 at 3:59 AM, Alshain said:

This already exists.  It's called a contract.

The cameras on New Horizons didn't get NASA a lot of reputation, the mission, and the results did.  I think a camera would be a nice science experiment which could then have contracts tied to it to earn reputation, but lets not invent a new mechanic when we have one already.

Expand  

What do you mean? Like the explore Ike contracts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think what he means is if landing on or flying by a planet already fulfills a contract then the requirement to take a picture really only ads minutiae. I've seen cameras suggested a number of times, and I'll be honest I don't know what they really add. I mean it seems cool and realistic, but the 50th time you have to line up and take a picture is it really going to be fun?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/27/2015 at 1:40 PM, 322997am said:

What do you mean? Like the explore Ike contracts?

Expand  

What I mean is a science experiment.  An object, that looks like a space camera, that you right click and choose take picture.  You can then remove it like any science experiment and return it for science.  Contracts could require you gather these pictures as well for reputation and funds.

It makes sense to have a camera object because we use those in real life but  a new mechanic would be redundant and not add much.  Except if they they were to implement ScanSat, which normally I would be all for that but I honestly do not believe Squad is capable of doing that without screwing it up.  So I would rather they leave ScanSat as a mod than implement a complete piece of trash like they did with the resource system.

Contracts add reputation, that is their purpose.  In real life, reputation is gained through prestigious missions, like New Horizons.  That is the closest analog to contracts in the game.  I firmly believe the excitement of New Horizons is why NASA got such a big budget approval from congress.  But, it wasn't the camera specifically that earned the reputation, it was the mission.

Edited by Alshain
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/27/2015 at 4:25 PM, Alshain said:

It makes sense to have a camera object because we use those in real life but  a new mechanic would be redundant and not add much.  Except if they they were to implement ScanSat, which normally I would be all for that but I honestly do not believe Squad is capable of doing that without screwing it up.  So I would rather they leave ScanSat as a mod than implement a complete piece of trash like they did with the resource system.

Expand  

It is not a new mechanic, in my opinion, but rather an already existing one (that of the science experiments) that is reused for something very similar. The effort that it would take to add it (as far as my knowledge goes, which is not that much) is to copy the code for the mechanic, write extra references (like when to use the science-experiment-mechanic and when the reputation-experiment mechanic) and change all signs of "science" in the copied code to "reputation".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/27/2015 at 5:57 PM, nikokespprfan said:

It is not a new mechanic, in my opinion, but rather an already existing one (that of the science experiments) that is reused for something very similar. The effort that it would take to add it (as far as my knowledge goes, which is not that much) is to copy the code for the mechanic, write extra references (like when to use the science-experiment-mechanic and when the reputation-experiment mechanic) and change all signs of "science" in the copied code to "reputation".

Expand  

To what end though?  Reputation is ridiculously easy to get and contracts are the way to get it.  Why should this be here?  Why should developers spend time on this?  You are talking about introducing a rather complex change for really no gain at all.

Edited by Alshain
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cameras with filters showing the composition of planets and their atmospheres would be a great thing to have. Rep could be gained by taking pics, but I don't think it should be much. Like 2-5 rep points per pic.

What I really would like to see in the game is a telescope part. It would take pictures of galactic events, nebulas other galaxies, quasars and display actual info about them.

This game could be such a great tool to actually TEACH about both of those things! Why shouldn't it do so GODDAMMIT!? WHY!?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/28/2015 at 1:25 PM, Veeltch said:

What I really would like to see in the game is a telescope part. It would take pictures of galactic events, nebulas other galaxies, quasars and display actual info about them.

This game could be such a great tool to actually TEACH about both of those things! Why shouldn't it do so GODDAMMIT!? WHY!?

Expand  

It is such a shame. I feel you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/28/2015 at 1:25 PM, Veeltch said:

Cameras with filters showing the composition of planets and their atmospheres would be a great thing to have. Rep could be gained by taking pics, but I don't think it should be much. Like 2-5 rep points per pic.

What I really would like to see in the game is a telescope part. It would take pictures of galactic events, nebulas other galaxies, quasars and display actual info about them.

This game could be such a great tool to actually TEACH about both of those things! Why shouldn't it do so GODDAMMIT!? WHY!?

Expand  

I guess the question for me is how does this actually work? I mean think about the actual gameplay. So I'm rotating my view around looking for... what? Is finding a quasar random? How long am I swiveling around looking at things? If I'm near Duna okay I can point and take a picture, be rewarded essentially with free rep and flavor text? How many times is this actually fun?

I love people's enthusiasm and I'd be totally on board I just haven't seen anyone present this as a genuine game mechanic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/29/2015 at 10:51 PM, Pthigrivi said:

I guess the question for me is how does this actually work? I mean think about the actual gameplay. So I'm rotating my view around looking for... what? Is finding a quasar random? How long am I swiveling around looking at things? If I'm near Duna okay I can point and take a picture, be rewarded essentially with free rep and flavor text? How many times is this actually fun?

I love people's enthusiasm and I'd be totally on board I just haven't seen anyone present this as a genuine game mechanic.

Expand  

That's one way to do this. You would get the coords of points of interest and rotate the telescope in order to find them, or simply take a look from time to time to check if anything there changed. There could be strangely oscillating double star systems, stars on wierd orbits around unknown objects, or simply blinking pulsars. Or sources of radio signals (it's actually a pretty fun way to implement easter eggs IMO).

The other way to implement this would be simply putting a telescope up in orbit that gathers those pics automatically. Like, you know, IRL, I guess. The Hubble telescope is used by many different agencies to take pics AFAIK. You could just leave it there and get dem pics.

There's also the third way to do this, which is SQUAD's way. They had the telescope discovery system in works since forever. The only reason it's not in the game is the fact that they decided to wait till more planets is added, so we actually have something to discover.

Also Kepler-like missions. I would actually be soooo happy to hunt for exoplanets!

Edited by Veeltch
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/29/2015 at 11:31 PM, Waxing_Kibbous said:

I've mentioned a similar idea around here somewhere- I like the idea of taking pictures as a contract goal and to also have it included in world firsts- I'd prefer science points over rep though.

Expand  

Do you still have the link? Maybe there are some valueble ideas in there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 12/29/2015 at 10:51 PM, Pthigrivi said:

 If I'm near Duna okay I can point and take a picture, be rewarded essentially with free rep and flavor text? How many times is this actually fun?

 

Expand  

How about it being exactly like being near Duna and clicking the thermometer or the goo pipe or the etc.? (How many times is that actually fun in and of itself?) Except instead of giving rapidly diminishing returns of science, reputation (or some combination of the two.) One (or some) more piece(s) of kit to load onto your vehicle, one more "experiment" to run, one more thing for the scientist to reload, one more type of contract request "take a pic of Duna" ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 1/4/2016 at 1:54 AM, Nathair said:

How about it being exactly like being near Duna and clicking the thermometer or the goo pipe or the etc.? (How many times is that actually fun in and of itself?) Except instead of giving rapidly diminishing returns of science, reputation (or some combination of the two.) One (or some) more piece(s) of kit to load onto your vehicle, one more "experiment" to run, one more thing for the scientist to reload, one more type of contract request "take a pic of Duna" ...

Expand  

That's kind of my point? I tend to think experiments in general are a bit clicky and unfulfilling at the moment because they don't really have a dynamic besides being clicked. Without addressing this adding cameras really only exacerbates the matter. 

Again Im not necessarily against the idea, I just wonder how rep or science would be scored. How does it go from another thing to be clicked to a real part of the gameplay?

Edited by Pthigrivi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...