Poll: What Would Be Your Preferred Tech Tree Start: EVA, Probe, Car, Boat, Plane, or Rocket?

[wumpus]

I prefer unmanned for career, but would probably use kerbals exclusively in tutorials.  And I would try to encourage tutorial use before career (I think there are issues with career difficulty which might be best fixed by tutorial usage).

In practice, the current system appears to work (if you have the skills):

Kerballed launch (nowhere) [could be unmanned if you had the tech]

Kerballed [Bob or other scientist] launch to space.  Do the science dance.

Kerballeld launch to orbit [Jeb or Val for SAS, science dance already done] grab all the "EVA over biomes".

(optional) unmanned launch to Mun and/or Minmus

unmanned launch to Duna and/or Eve (Duna's window pops up first).

manned [use Bob or other scientist.   SAS can be provided by octo-core] to Minmus.  Extreme science dancing.

 

Note that not only the probes can get to Duna/Eve with barely more delta-v than needed for Mun/Minmus, you don't want to send a Kerbal there until you can unlock soil samples (which costs 675,000 kerbucks to unlock).

[Hannu2]

I would like to start with simple rocket and probe. Just like real space technology. I think that KSP should be spaceflight game. I do not want to begin by inventing fire and wheel or even plane. However, manned flight should begin at about tier 3 or 4.

[AbacusWizard]

On 2/9/2016 at 3:41 PM, Cornholio said:

Probe, because this is Kerbal Space Program, not Kerbal Aqua Adventure.

Now I want Kerbal Aqua Adventure to be the sequel.

[Cornholio]

10 hours ago, AbacusWizard said:

Now I want Kerbal Aqua Adventure to be the sequel.

Thinking about it now, it would probably be amazing...

[Evanitis]

I can launch an SSTO from undersea to Orbit. I can splashland my Shuttle upside down to save on the gear costs. Not to mention GAP contracts that got me to do coastal tourism and water-rescues.

Dunno what more you guys need.

[Yemo]

I prefer a start with simple rockets. In game terms that means simple probes and SRBs.

Historically a space program starts as a "rocket group". While they may "rent" planes/cars from other organizations, they do not have control over them, let alone design new ones.

Only after some progress in the rocket launching department, they get more influence/funds/leeway and are allowed to commission their own planes and test rovers.

Since there is no differentiation between "renting assets from other organizations" and "designing your own planes/rovers" in game, I made rovers and planes available very early in SETIctt, but you should imho do at least one or two simple rocket launches until you get them.

[T.A.P.O.R.]

I would like to see a tech tree "style" option at the start new game screen so I chose other.

Edited February 11, 2016 by T.A.P.O.R.

[_Astra_]

A motor testing stand.

 

Seriously.

[razark]

I'd love to see the game start at a mid-late 1940's level.  The beginning of the jet era, reaching higher and faster, rocket planes breaking the sound barrier, sounding rockets pushing towards space, huge runways marked on on dry lakebeds, and the Astronaut Complex replaced with Pancho Kerman's Happy Bottom Riding Club.

[AbacusWizard]

4 hours ago, Evanitis said:

I can launch an SSTO from undersea to Orbit. I can splashland my Shuttle upside down to save on the gear costs. Not to mention GAP contracts that got me to do coastal tourism and water-rescues.

Dunno what more you guys need.

Sails. Wind. Storms. An interface in which I give commands to crew members rather than psychically controlling every piece of the ship. Cargo contracts. Fishing. Pirates. Sea monsters.

 

In short, KSP 2: Kerbal Sea Pirates.

Edited February 11, 2016 by AbacusWizard

[Probus]

Just now, razark said:

I'd love to see the game start at a mid-late 1940's level.  The beginning of the jet era, reaching higher and faster, rocket planes breaking the sound barrier, sounding rockets pushing towards space, huge runways marked on on dry lakebeds, and the Astronaut Complex replaced with Pancho Kerman's Happy Bottom Riding Club.

Funny you should mention that.  I'm working on just that @razark.  I have the US side started.  Working on the USSR next:

 

[Fearless Son]

I start by getting to EVA status as quickly as possible.  That actually means grinding early contracts to get enough money to upgrade the astronaut complex, but I think it is worth it.  It greatly accelerates science accumulation, and vastly expands the breadth of missions I can take on. Once I can go EVA, I can collect soil samples, crew reports, and collect data from scientific instruments to conduct additional measurements in the same mission.  

Any other vehicle is just a means to get my crew and their scientific apparatus around.  

[inigma]

Much to the detriment in sidelining GAP development, I'm in the process of preparing my own first ever career game!

For fun I am designing a tech tree from scratch based on feedback from this thread, one that starts a player with basic parts for a car to check out KSC, and immediate nodes to crucial small metalworks, early (small) aircraft parts, sounding rockets (leading to solid and liquid rockets), science, and other basic starting nodes.

This essentially makes the tech tree part-centric rather than technology centric.

I would love your feedback:

https://bubbl.us/?h=934b/628e0d/37NjN5.wx1052&r=1281092114

[Choctofliatrio2.0]

I feel like sounding rockets are the best start. Cars are boring, boats give hardly any science, and rockets are just fun.

[inigma]

All I want is to be able to make these within the first acquired tech levels:

 

 

And then branch from there.

[Guest]

Just had a quick thought:

Why do you guys say "kerballed"? We don't say that our missions are "humanned". Because 21st century, people call them "crewed". Why not say that your KSP missions are crewed instead of that horrendous "kerballed" word? Sounds much better...

[Yemo]

17 hours ago, inigma said:

All I want is to be able to make these within the first acquired tech levels:

[...]

And then branch from there.

Same for me, so the basic versions of those are available in SETIctt for single digit science costs (old pics, many parts look different now, but have same/similar functionality):

Of course initially without the mystery goo/materials bay and solar panels, but they are designed to accept those capability additions.