I'm losing some inspiration for KSP... let's have a giant ideas thread!

[SlabGizor117]

So yeah, as I said I'm kinda getting bored with the few ideas I have, because I do them and they don't work and I don't have the patience to see them through to the end, or I'm just not good enough at the game for it.  For example, I was building a lot of fighter planes with BDArmory, but I ran out of ideas for designs, or I wanted to make an ODST Drop Pod from Halo that could work as an escape pod from a space station, but I didn't even have a space station in my Sandbox save.  So here's my ideas:

Fighter planes and ODST Pods, as mentioned before, and another thing was from a hype picture for Mk III parts, where a shuttle had it's EFT docked at the nose, and the EFT had its own wings.  

But that's it, so for me and other people who have lost their inspiration, post your ideas here!

[Evanitis]

I love new career games with self-imposed limitations. The most fun times I had in KSP (since figuring out the very basics and landing on the Mun) was a horizontal launch only career. Now it would be even too easy with those junos.

Though I generally enjoy the most basic career games too - if I get bored, I just pick an unusual contract with very silly requirements.

Also, trying the exact opposite of how you usually design crafts is a great experience. Are you a full math or a full eyeball engineer? Or are you in-between those approaches? Try both extremes. Are you a rocket guy? There are planes, rovers, boats even submarines nowadays.

[Temstar]

Which inspired me to have a go at a fully reusable rocket:

But it's not really a close analogy. Someone could probably do a better job with Stage Recovery to avoid having to make a SSTO.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Temstar

[SlabGizor117]

Cool, thanks for the pics.  I never really bother with career because I don't have the patience for such a limitation and the contracts bore me.  Maybe I can get into it with all the changes they've been making with it..  Most of the time I try a no death and then inevitably die and ragequit.  Maybe I can make use of "F5 simulations"..   Keep the inspiration coming!

[Francois424]

Try to make a STOCK Jool-5 without ISRU (exception being replacing 4 parts by 1 (more powerful/same ISP engine), TweakScake*same reason, large fuel tanks, if needed), procedural stuff is good too, or welding Mod if you use it). 
Mods only for parts count sanity, which is even more required since 0.90.

Or get the Outer Planets Mod, and try the same thing for a Sarnus-5, although ISRU is kinda necessary..

 

Right now I am designing ships to do both, but since I have little free time it's taking forever.  Still the "Core/Cockpit" part, including all livng space and re-entry vehicle is ready, the Light gravity vehicle is ready, and the Tylo (or heavy gravity) lander is ready.   Everything is modular so each lander uses pieces of the others (to a point).  I only need to do the engine section and have a parts budget of about 120 (trying to stay under 250); definitely feasible, thanks to TweakScale and Procedural Tanks. 

[maceemiller]

Have you tried scanning a planet and visiting all anomalies in one visit then return home? I recently did this on Duna which I found fun. Also, I was a sandbox only player for a good year. In the last couple of weeks though ive been playing career mode in stock only and its brilliant!

I love the way you get a part, weight and height limitation...really makes you think about your designs.

One other thing youmay want to look at is the Infernal Robotics mod. I myself have been looking at this mod on youtube for example and I have to say, it will be my next mod for sure. Ive already got some wacky ideas for craft (whether I can make them work or not is a different thing, however it will be fun trying)

Dont lose inspiration....try to think outside the box and go try something completely different.

Hope this helps

Edited January 4, 2016 by maceemiller

[Caelib]

Have you successfully landed on every celestial body in the system in career mode?  If not, I challenge you to do it -- you will find that it will make you much better at everything and even inspire you come up with new and creative ideas to solve the many problems you will face.

[kimjongspoon]

I was in the same boat, but Realism Overhaul and RP-0 got me out of it. I like the greater challenge (To get to orbit you need about 9500 m/s dV, getting into orbit of Jupiter takes about 20k m/s). If your computer can handle it, you should check it out.

Edited January 4, 2016 by kimjongspoon
spelling :/

[FancyMouse]

If you haven't done so - install RemoteTech and one life support mod (I prefer TAC-LS) at the same time and start a career/sandbox from scratch.

[steuben]

design and build something from a movie, book, tv show, etc., either in sandbox or career, i recommend sandbox.

design a program set of craft around that, launchers, support, construction, etc.

 

 

[Terwin]

Take a look in the missions/challenges section: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/forum/25-challenges-mission-ideas/

Lots of interesting stuff there.

I plan to go back and look at another challenge if I finish my current plans(visit and return from every body using only stock(+tweak-scale) engines) before 1.1 is out.

Previously I returned from every body except Lathe, Tylo and Eve(landed probe), but I was using Atomic Age(1500 ISP) and Near Future(>10K ISP) engines, so I started a new 1.0.5 game with USI Life Support and Kolonization to make it more interesting.  (Current Jool ship will not arrive for more than a year, but has nearly 2 years of LS not counting recycling, and can collect water+substrate to replenish what is lost due to recycling inefficiencies.  It is also my first ship designed to use docking ports for more than staging or contract requirements)

Edited January 4, 2016 by Terwin

[SlabGizor117]

Thanks for the ideas!  I have only been to Duna once on an unmanned one way lander, but Career with Life Support and Remote Tech sounds fun!

[Guest]

Insanely huge rockets are always fun!

[AlamoVampire]

@SlabGizor117 2 suggestions, first it has been said this is basically a lego game, so do like me, treat it like a spaceship themed lego set and play around. Ud be shock how refreshing it can be to just grab random parts and toss it in a blender and see what happens!

second is take a break from ksp for a while (while here being a minimum of a full day, up to how ever long recharges you).

[RogueNine]

FASA + Realism overhaul/RP-0 + Real Solar System. I'm having a lot of fun recreating Project Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. I plan to expand into Apollo applications and STS designs as well.

[Sovek]

Install difficulty mods and upscale it by a factor of 2-4, Would make things interesting

Right now my difficulty mods are

• Harder Solar System 3x
• TAC LS
• Remote Tech
• Real Fuels
• Real Heat
• FAR
• Added challenge of no Reaction Wheels asside from slight roll (for some reason the computer cant handle roll on RCS)
• Land on every single body at least once.

[AbacusWizard]

What's been keeping me amused recently is the notion of upgrading large orbital ships (and space stations and munar landers and so on) instead of de-orbiting them and launching higher-tech replacements. I have a ship up there called the ChopShop Refit Cruiser with a large cargo bay, plenty of grappling hooks, a couple of KIS-credentialed engineers, and a tiny monoprop tugboat with a klaw on one end and a docking clamp on the other. When something needs an upgrade, I bundle up the relevant new parts in a small rocket or (when feasible) a spaceplane, send them up to the ChopShop, and send the ChopShop to rendezvous with the vessel in need of upgrade. Then the engineers get to have fun moving parts around. Good times.

 

I'm also working on designing a modular orbital construction system--long beams with docking ports on both sides, etc.--that I can send up in a bundle and then assemble into whatever shape I want in orbit. I figure it might be useful to have a simpler pier on which to moor my orbital transport skiffs rather than keeping them all docked to my LKO science station "Bob's Attic."

[SlabGizor117]

Cool ideas guys, keep 'em coming.  Also, I don't always have the patience for big projects, so if you can think of any smaller fun things to do, that would be nice.  Thanks!

[Wjolcz]

I always wanted to replicate some of space shuttle proposed designs. Especially the one with 2 big tanks on the sides. Might try it with Vectors. About 6 should be enough to lift the whole thing, right?

[SlabGizor117]

Probably.  My normal shuttle lifts itself fine with the three Vectors. 

[Dman979]

then replicate a mission bay for one of the STS missions. Say... Spacelab?

[samstarman5]

On 1/5/2016 at 7:34 PM, AlamoVampire said:

@SlabGizor117 2 suggestions, first it has been said this is basically a lego game, so do like me, treat it like a spaceship themed lego set and play around. Ud be shock how refreshing it can be to just grab random parts and toss it in a blender and see what happens!

second is take a break from ksp for a while (while here being a minimum of a full day, up to how ever long recharges you).

If you need a kickstart, check out any KSP Let's Play where the player(s) is just screwing around themselves either due to inexperience with the game, or just for sherry and giggles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZK3aoeUQuQ is a good example. (brace yourself, you may feel the need to pull your hair out)

The challenge comes in replicating their drunken designs, and make them work with the least alteration possible.

Edited January 6, 2016 by samstarman5

[Evanitis]

10 hours ago, SlabGizor117 said:

I don't always have the patience for big projects, so if you can think of any smaller fun things to do, that would be nice.  Thanks!

Got an SSTO-design that you didn't manage to get to orbit? Launch it on a rocket, and take it to Laythe. The trip isn't too long or hard if you don't have other payload. It's an exotic location, it isn't too difficult to land there, and the spaceplane that fails to orbit in Kerbin can usually take off there easily. It's my -go to- relaxation mission for times when Jeb wants to take a break.

I'm also having a blast with the GAP contract pack. It got me to make low-tech cars, planes, boats, a VTOL and a kopter... in the first days of a new career. Now I'm struggling with the first experimental submarines and hydroplanes. And I'm still only scratching the surface.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Evanitis

[luizopiloto]

I have only one objective... Maintain my base on Eve... I never get bored of that planet...

[Talavar]

 I've been playing KSP in a different way. Starting with electric generation and full steel structurals and wheels and mining capabilities, but no fuel.. so the objectives are switched around... the first thing to do is, Get fuel!. Im also using Extra planetary launchpads, INfernal robotics, KSP foundry, and KAS KIS.  I first moved to a location and plopped down a launchpad near a good fuel source. This took a while.. I built paddle boats to transport everything, and some large land rovers to haul my stuff to the new location. Since Im no longer using the default space center, (other than to design my rockets for EPL) I have to mine for everything.. Also my new base is on top of a mountain in the western desert 4000 meters above sea level, (saves some fuel when launching) . This was a REAL job getting everything up there, (I built a spider that grapples the terrain to climb the mountain).. This enhanced my gameplay INCREDIBLY.  I've just wiped my save, and am starting over in a new location for a different experience. Just thought I'd throw this up here for an IDea for people who may be getting bored with the same ol same ol. Take care!