Much Needed Contracts Rework

[funkcanna]

Hi guys, I've been playing KSP since 0.9 and I truly love it.  One of the only games in my life I can say that about.  Theres been a couple of occasions I've left the game for a while, but I've always came back with the same original excitement.  When 1.1 PreRelease was released I came back after a few months (6-7) away and I'm in love all over again...except the contracts system STILL sucks sweaty balls.  My main issue is that theres no depth, no substance.  No POINT (other than science) to do missions.  They don't feel like they're PART of my Space Program, more like little add-ons.  What I want is the "Space Program" part of "Kerbal Space Program".  There are some mods which attempt to address this and most do a decent job, but its still only surface deep.  The closest mod to creating a true space program I feel is Strategia.  This is a step towards making a realistic space program in game.  

At the moment the contracts seem totally random, unstructured events - and I'm sure thats because, they are!  

 

In real life, when Kennedy said the USA was going to the Moon, the NASA Space Program became ALL ABOUT the moon.  Every thing they did was geared towards this goal (generally, I'm sure they did other things, although I'm not sure testing a parachute while splashed down was one of them).  In Strategia, you get to CHOOSE a goal for your space program.  For example, "Plant Flag on Mun" - this gives more incentive to land on the Mun, while penalising any other planets / moons you land on while this goal is active.  This is kind of a start, not ideal but a start. 

What I suggest is implemented, and I don't think this would be too much work as its just a rejig of the current system:

1) We choose our Space Programs Goal (lets say landing on the Mun).  From that point ALL contracts are geared towards that goal.  Lifter tests, Kerbin Orbits in the proposed Lander etc.  

2) We can have a few different categories of Space Program Goals - Exploration, Probing, Terrestrial for example - Exploration is our chosen goal to explore somewhere, The Mun for example (as in point 1).  Probing is our goal to send a probe somewhere (maybe unlocking that location for a possible Exploration goal once complete) like Duna.  Terrestrial goal would be getting data from and around Kerbin.

3) While science is great for unlocking the tech tree, I would like to see it linked to unlocking future goals also.  For example, we can't choose Duna as an Exploration goal unless we have enough science from Kerbin, or the Mun etc.

In practice this is how I see it working:

Beginning of the game, we can only choose a Terrestrial Goal:  Get to Orbit.  This will give us contracts like, test Lifter, test Launches, Test Launch Escape System, Leave Atmosphere, Get to Orbit.  GOAL COMPLETE.  Now we're in space we can choose an Exploration Goal and a Probe Goal.  Exploration Goal would be Land On Mun.  Contracts then appear like, Build Lander, Test Lander in Kerbin Orbit, Fly By Mun, Orbit Mun, Land on Mun.  At the same time our Probe goal is active which would be to build a probe to get to Duna with contracts such as Design Probe, Test Probe around Kerbin, Test Prove around Mun, Put Probe into Orbit around Duna.

Im sure you get the idea, but overall id LOVE to see this or something similar implemented for Career mode because all it feels like now is a Grind for Science without any real targets.  Yes we can create self imposed goals, but we can do that in Sandbox.

Anyway, thanks for reading this far!

Edited April 6, 2016 by funkcanna

[RA3236]

Definitely !

[EliasDanger]

Something like this would be good. I just get frustrated cuz the contracts come in no order. Its too easy to miss out on the flyby duna contract, cuz you got the explore duna contrace first, and already landed or at least went orbital around the planet before that contract ever popped up. A step by step logical progression would be ideal. The option to jump ahead a few contracts is fine if you don't want to do all the initial Lead up contracts...but they should make it where explore duna doesn't appear until after you've had the option to accept or reject the flyby mission.

 

[KSK]

I don't really like your third point because it would make the game a bit too linear. What happens if I'm bored of going to the Mun and decide to start an exploration focused career game where I start by sending probes to as many planets as I can? I'd really prefer not to have to churn through the same old Mun/Minmus science grind (yet again) to unlock interplanetary contracts.

Apart from that, I like your suggestions a lot. Not sure how easy they would be to implement but they would make the contract system a lot more coherent and make Career mode feel much more like running a space program.

Edited April 6, 2016 by KSK

[funkcanna]

Yeah I see your point about 3.  

[Pthigrivi]

Have you tried using world firsts in 1.1? I'm still on 1.0.5, but hoping the balance is getting better there. 

[EliasDanger]

What'd be really cool is if they could give you planetary contracts based on which planet's transfer window is coming up next. That'd just be the greatest.

[funkcanna]

I havent tried world firsts yet, ill check it out.