Third_OfFives Suggestions.

[Third_OfFive]

I've had a few ideas for things that should be added to KSP.  Most of them are parts, so I've put together a list. Hopefully it'll give the developers at SQUAD a few ideas.

Here goes..

Biome Scanner - Similar to the M700 Survey Scanner, the Biome Scanner could be sent into orbit and used to map a planet's biomes, in a similar way to how resources are mapped. This would aid science research and planetary exploration tremendously. The Biome Scanner could also be used, perhaps, in cooperation with the Surface Scanning Module to refine it's accuracy and detect anomalies.

Fold-able, Rover-esque Solar Panels - While rovers are quite a useful and iconic feature of KSP, none of the solar panels in the game quite fit the aesthetic of a rover. It would be nice if we could have flat, fold-able solar panels designed specifically for rovers.

0.625m Escape Tower - Pretty much self explanatory. An escape tower for the Mk1 Pod would be a nice addition, whether for aesthetics or for hardcore players.

Specialized RCS Blocks - Similar to those found in the RLA Stockalike Mod, specialized RCS blocks would allow for more specialized control of a vessel. Preferably, these parts would be available under the "Specialized Control" node of the tech tree when playing in career mode.

2.5m SRB's - Also pretty self explanatory. 2.5m Boosters similar to those of the Space Shuttle are a feature that has been requested for some time now.

Life Support - Redundant, I know, but I really want this. There are some good mods for this out there in the modding community (USI, TAC, etc.), but I would still like to see a new stock version of life support implemented into the game. Food, Oxygen, Exercise, Morale; factors like these would add a whole new level of depth and realism to KSP.

Astronaut Training - This is one that I haven't seen at all, and might actually be an original idea of my own. Astronaut Training has to do with how an astronaut levels up in career mode. Every time an astronaut levels up, they unlock special and often very useful skills. Currently, however, the only way for an astronaut to level up is by performing incredible feats, such as going into space or walking on the Mun. What I propose is a way to "train" these astronauts via the Astronaut Complex to level up astronauts beforehand.

When viewing your astronauts in the astronaut complex, under the "available" tab, each individual astronaut would have a "train" button next to him or her. When pressed, the astronaut in question would be labelled as 'TRAINING' for a period of 10 or so days, and cannot be assigned to a mission during that time. After the training period has finished, the astronaut will level up by one level and will be made available again.

These "training" sessions would of course cost funds. Training would become progressively more expensive with each level, and the maximum level to which an astronaut can be trained would depend on the building's level (Level 1: No training, Level 2: Training unlocked, capped at 3 levels, Level 3: unlimited levels).

Edited February 10, 2016 by Third_OfFive

[SpaceplaneAddict]

All good and fair, I support all of these. However, many do play KSP for how UNReal it is in cases, such as LS. Life Support seems to be a very divded issue, I don't recommend opening that can

[Third_OfFive]

23 hours ago, SpaceplaneAddict said:

All good and fair, I support all of these. However, many do play KSP for how UNReal it is in cases, such as LS. Life Support seems to be a very divded issue, I don't recommend opening that can

I think there should be a balance. It shouldn't be too realistic, but still realistic enough so that you can't just coop up one kerbal in a tiny mark1 capsule for a 5-year trip to Jool. Again, it's about balance. Division over an issue (even on a video game forum) gets us nowhere.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Third_OfFive

[SpaceplaneAddict]

4 minutes ago, Third_OfFive said:

I think there should be a balance. It shouldn't be too realistic, but still realistic enough so that you can't just coop up one kerbal in a tiny mark1 capsule for a 5-year trip to Jool. Again, it's about balance. Division over an issue (as modern-day politics has clearly shown us) gets us nowhere.

Who said everyone liked LS?

[Third_OfFive]

4 hours ago, SpaceplaneAddict said:

Who said everyone liked LS?

What do you mean?

 

[SpaceplaneAddict]

1 hour ago, Third_OfFive said:

What do you mean?

 

I mean many also disagree with the idea of life support. (I'm guilty as charged )

[mattinoz]

On 6/2/2016 at 7:38 AM, Third_OfFive said:

Astronaut Training - This is one that I haven't seen at all, and might actually be an original idea of my own. Astronaut Training has to do with how an astronaut levels up in career mode. Every time an astronaut levels up, they unlock special and often very useful skills. Currently, however, the only way for an astronaut to level up is by performing incredible feats, such as going into space or walking on the Mun. What I propose is a way to "train" these astronauts via the Astronaut Complex to level up astronauts beforehand.

I believe (sadly) having the option of Kerbals learning to do stuff on their own has been ruled out as it to much like auto-pilot. Some vocal players don't like the idea of Kerbal's being at all useful. Which leaves mods which give you full auto-pilot without any effort and still leaves the Kerbal's as ballast.

Good idea, just don't expect it to get much traction.

Also not having to care about Kerbals is much of reason LS is unlikely to be stock.

[Third_OfFive]

19 hours ago, mattinoz said:

I believe (sadly) having the option of Kerbals learning to do stuff on their own has been ruled out as it to much like auto-pilot. Some vocal players don't like the idea of Kerbal's being at all useful. Which leaves mods which give you full auto-pilot without any effort and still leaves the Kerbal's as ballast.

Good idea, just don't expect it to get much traction.

Also not having to care about Kerbals is much of reason LS is unlikely to be stock.

But then why give Kerbals special skills at all? If you can't unlock a kerbal's special abilities, what's the point?

Secondly, my idea isn't about letting Kerbals learn stuff on their own (in fact, they already do that), It's about being able to unlock a special ability that could be useful for certain missions; the exact opposite of the concept of an autopilot.