Making current planets more interesting brainstorm

[Jett_Quasar]

I think there should be an anomaly scanner so that you can actually go out and find all of the anomalies in the game, instead of needing to look up their location on the internet and bumbling around until you trip over one.

[sumghai]

A (really old) idea of mine involves acquiring repeated surface/ocean/atmospheric samples, and using them to incrementally improve a pie chart of each planet's composition:

sumghai said:

As may have been hinted by Squad in certain places, a resource system featuring sample collection / analysis / return as well as mining / processing / storage has been suggested for an as-yet undetermined future release of KSP. This would be an additional justification / goal for players to send spacecraft to other planets/moons (in addition to flying Jeb and his flag there, of course ) - the ability to do real science.

While the actual implementation is still quite far off in the horizon, I figured I'd start a thread anyway detailing some of my ideas and musings, which could be potentially applicable to both the stock game and mods such as Kethane, Extraplanetary Space Centers and tek Industries Science.

What Squad has WIP'ed so far...

(Note that these may not necessarily represent the what Squad will ultimately implement - I've simply relinked them from the last known reddit thread for your viewing convenience)

• Spacecraft-mounted scanners (Long range directional, Short range omnidirectional)
• Drills (for acquiring Solids and Liquids)
• Storage containers
• Various refiners (1, 2) / chemical processors (Small, Medium and Large)
• A tentative list of resources, (prototype) resources map for each planet and a (now-outdated) resources flow chart describing how said resources would be turned into spaceflight consumables such as fuel and life support - it has been speculated by the reddit thread author that Squad is going to simplify the processors to be able to handle a variety of resources (rather than overspecializing by having one dedicated processor per resource).

My own musings...

Initial Surveying / Sampling

• At the very beginning of a new savegame, players would immediately be able to view Kerbin's resource map for its surface, oceans and atmosphere, without needing to do any additional prospecting / science (I presume Kerbals would already know their home planet's composition well enough). Conversely, the resource map for other planets would initially be blank.
• The scanner array(s) would be used to provide very rough surveys of other planets and moons from orbit - they would probably detect the presence of certain resources and locations where they are generally found, but little about their actual quantity / proportion / purity.
• Ground-based robotic or crewed missions would be required to obtain better data through sample collection / statistical analysis missions
  • Units of rock, liquid and gas samples would be collected by Kerbals on EVA or dedicated robotic arms
    • Rock samples provide data for surface makeup
    • Liquid samples provide data for ocean makeup (or additionally, underground crude oil-like substances such as the namesake of the Kethane mod)
    • Gas samples provide data for atmospheric makeup

    [*]Each sample obtained would contain differing proportions of selected substances found on that planet/moon

    • The rationale for this is that one does not simply have samples purely made up of whatever
    • Sample #005 may contain 45% Metaxium / 10% Blutonium / 30% Alium / 14% Kerbon / 1% UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE 06
    • Sample #021 may contain 67% Metaxium / 30% Zanotite / 3% UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE 02

    [*]The more samples one gathers, the more accurate the final resource map for that planet would be

    [*]"Known" resources are those that are already also found on Kerbin - it is enough to simply identify them and the proportion present in each sample

    [*]"Unknown" or "Rare" resources are those that are not found on Kerbin - a sample return mission is required so that Kerbal scientists back home can properly study it

    • Once sample(s) containing unknown substance(s) is/are successfully returned, new resource names are automatically added to the resource map list
    • e.g. UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE 06 will automatically be renamed to Jebedynium, for instance

Prospecting / Mining / Processing / Storing Resources

• A combination of orbital scanning and ground sampling would be used to determine which sites give the best purity for whatever resource the player is interested in mining
• Resources would be mined via various parts
  • Certain part types would limit where resources could be obtained
    • Drills acquire solid resources from the surface
    • Drills with pump attachments acquire liquids from below the surface (again, think Kethane)
    • Pumps acquire resources from oceans
    • Intakes acquire resources from the atmosphere

    [*]Parts of the same type would be able to mine all types resources found in their specific region, and differ only in extraction rate and efficiency

    • i.e. Pumps PX-100 and PX-200 are able to acquire the same resources, but the PX-200 works twice as fast

  [*]Refiners would be able to purify solids into any mineral-based resource desired

  [*]Chemical processors would be able to purify any liquids or gases desired

  [*]Bulk and fluid storage tanks are able to store any proportion / type of refined solids and liquids respectively (e.g. any combo of minerals can go into one bulk storage tank)

Using Resources

• Liquids and gases can be used to fuel rockets or supply life support systems (similar to Kethane)
• Minerals or metals can be used to fabricate basic spacecraft components such as fuselages and fuel tanks (like the "ore" used in Extraplanetary Space Centers)
• Rare resources would most likely be semi-conductor like minerals used for making more hi-tech components such as SAS, command pod instruments
  • May also reduce the cost / weight & increase the performance of basic components

  [*]Refined resources can be flown back to Kerbin - if resources are involved in career mode, this could be a source of financial revenue / means of replenishing part stocks

...And how to potentially implement them (from a code perspective)

Initial Surveying / Sampling

• The resources map proportions for each planet and moon are actually predetermined and hard-coded into KSP itself.
• A proposed resources.cfg for each savegame would contain:
  • An initial seed for the random deposits location/quantity generation (sharing seeds results in identical deposit locations)
  • Resource names and proportions available on each planet / moon (initially blank - populated through gameplay)
  • Deposit locations / purity (initially blank - populated through gameplay)

  [*]When players start with simple orbital scans of various planets and moons, the persistence file is updated to store the names of the resources found on said planet/moon, along with a quantity of 0%

  • This would be displayed in-game as "present" i.e. Kerbon - present

  [*]When players collect physical rock/liquid/gas samples:

  • The presence and proportions of resources are NOT stored on a per-sample basis (massive data overhead!)
  • Rather, Kerbals on EVA and robot samplers would simply have a incremented "SampleCount" up to their "MaxSampleCapacity"

  [*]When these samples are offloaded into analysis parts:

  • The code simply loops through the the number of samples deposited
  • For each sample/loop iteration, dummy variables are used to temporary hold resource names and quantities
  • The composition of each sample is randomly generated, but strongly determined by the hard-coded proportions for each planet
    • e.g. Assume Duna is hard coded to have 75% Metaxium on its surface
    • Therefore any given rock sample is more likely to mostly contain Metaxium
    • The actual quantity of Metaxium returned as outpost from any particular sample may actually be anywhere between, say 25% to 50%

    [*]The results for each sample are averaged out and written back to resources.cfg map, as the "actual" resources map proportion for each planet/moon

    • i.e. only the final running average for the whole planet/moon is stored

    [*]The more samples one collects, the closer the savegame's data tends towards the hard-coded ideal values

  [*]Example:

  • At the start of the savegame, nothing is known about the Mun's composition
  • Internally in KSP, the Mun may have hardcoded resource proportions of 10% A, 20% B, 30% C and 40% D
  • When a player scans the Mun, resources A, B, C and D will be detected but their quantities will be unknown
    • i.e. A - present, B - present, C - present, D - present

    [*]When a player analyses their first rock sample, the random number generator may assign said sample as having 70% A, 20% B and 10% D

    • Mun Resources map is now updated to A - 70%, B - 20%, C - present, D - 10%
    • Obviously this is grossly inaccurate compared to the overall hardcoded figure, but remember that we've only taken one sample

    [*]By rock sample #025, the figures might get averaged out to:

    • A - 12%, B - 18%, C - 33%, D - 37%
    • Basically, the more samples we take, the closer we tend towards the "ideal" hardcoded proportions

Prospecting / Mining / Processing / Storing Resources

• Improved orbital scans would result in deposit locations/quantities/purities being written to the resources.cfg savefile (much like kethane's own kethane.cfg)
• Deposit quantities would limit how much resources can be extracted before the deposit runs out
• Deposit purities would determine the extraction rate for any extractor part
• Processing efficiencies would further influence the amount of purified resource actually obtained
• Storage is already implemented in-game

[DaMachinator]

Personally, making the planet VFX look better would be a start. They already look good, but adding things like a "halo" around a planet with an atmosphere when it is between you and the sun would be worth going to for screenshots.

The problem is that it is up to the player to set goals. Contracts in career are simply an income source, as I see it. While being able to do "press releases" and stuff that would cause the contracts you get to more specifically target your long-term goals would be nice, and the ability to SELL space on rockets instead of accepting contracts (e.g. KSA is offering to put up to 5 tons in a high Kerbin orbit for 10,000 kredits!) even better, it is ultimately up to the player to decide what they want to do.

[monstah]

On 15/07/2016 at 3:11 AM, Rath said:

All I want is for stuff to be diffrent in diffrent places.

On 15/07/2016 at 5:15 AM, Speadge said:

yeah, just turn them 90°

...or invert their colour!...

 

[adsii1970]

1 hour ago, Jett_Quasar said:

I think there should be an anomaly scanner so that you can actually go out and find all of the anomalies in the game, instead of needing to look up their location on the internet and bumbling around until you trip over one.

While there is not a specific default game scanner that will do what you've said you wanted, there is SCANSAT, a very useful mod that does just this. The key is you will need to put your survey satellites in polar orbit. You will also need to be sure to put the satellite in the proper orbital altitude to get the best results. It does just what you ask.

 

[Jett_Quasar]

Just now, adsii1970 said:

While there is not a specific default game scanner that will do what you've said you wanted, there is SCANSAT, a very useful mod that does just this. The key is you will need to put your survey satellites in polar orbit. You will also need to be sure to put the satellite in the proper orbital altitude to get the best results. It does just what you ask.

 

So how hard would that be to put into the game?

[adsii1970]

@Jett_Quasar: There are two basic ways. If you use CKAN, you simply start CKAN and select it from the available mod list and it will install it for you. The second basic way is to download it from the GITHUB link provided, then open the download, open the GameData folder, and copy the entire SCANSat folder. Go to your game's GameData folder, open it, then right click-paste into the folder. It's then a part of your game!

I actually keep a shortcut to both the KSP 1.0.5 GameData folder and my 1.1.X GameData folder. That way, once I copied the file, I just click on the shortcut, then paste...

[Jett_Quasar]

I know how to install mods.  What I was asking is how difficult would it be for Squad to include this in the core game build...  I'm assuming it would be not very difficult at all.

[monstah]

I've been thinking. In real life, the reason we do science is to know stuff. And the reason we like to know stuff is that it teaches us how to do more (hopefully cool) stuff. If you think of it this way, the Science points abstraction actually works pretty well, even tho I personally find it a boring gameplay.

Which is why I think we need stock information tools! Take these mods for example: KER, Trajectories, Transfer window planner, KRASH. Together, just these four provide a plethora of information to aid on mission planning, maneuver planning, etc. Add in a Wind tunnel-like feature, and Reentry simulation, for example.

Now, all of them need info! KER, Trajectories and KRASH use atmospheric stats. KER, Transfer window planner and KRASH use gravity info. KRASH uses temperature info. It kinda uses elevation info, too, by unlocking bodies once you've flown past them.

@sumghai mentioned statistical analysis. What if these bits of information are gathered from actual missions? Instead of presenting you with exact numbers (and/or graphics), they'd show you confidence ranges, based on the info you gathered from actually flying places. The R&D archives would them become some sort of database with their expected values, their variations, their correlations, would gradualy build up to make these tools better. Even the Mystery Goo could come into this; materials lab would probably be used for terrain assessment, or to understand environmental effects on materials.

That's just a seed of idea right now, but I think it can go places.

There's so many threads discussing gameplay and science and "interestingness" around, I'm not even sure this is the right one to be posting on. So, calling @Snark and @Pthigrivi and @tater and whoever was discussing these maters with me elsewhere  

[adsii1970]

5 minutes ago, Jett_Quasar said:

I know how to install mods.  What I was asking is how difficult would it be for Squad to include this in the core game build...  I'm assuming it would be not very difficult at all.

My bad... not sure if you did or not. Personally, I don't think it is a feature Squad will ever add. It would be nice if they did, but I do not think they will.

[Jett_Quasar]

1 minute ago, adsii1970 said:

My bad... not sure if you did or not. Personally, I don't think it is a feature Squad will ever add. It would be nice if they did, but I do not think they will.

What would be cool is if they added bonus science for scanning all the anomalies to unlock hidden alien technologies... (wait wasn't that in the original game concept?)

[adsii1970]

2 minutes ago, Jett_Quasar said:

What would be cool is if they added bonus science for scanning all the anomalies to unlock hidden alien technologies... (wait wasn't that in the original game concept?)

When I first found out about KSP, the demo was .22 and there were discussions about the abnormalities being like bread crumbs leading to some big game revelation, or at least that was the impression I got from the old forum. I do not think it was ever a lot of interest in it because at the time, I believe everyone was focused on just building and flying... before there was career mode!

I'm not sure if there would be enough interest in it for Squad to devote the effort now. What I think should be the focus is flushing out what they already have. I'd like to see then add the ability to create facilities outside of Kerbin, a dock near the KSC, etc...

[Jett_Quasar]

14 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

When I first found out about KSP, the demo was .22 and there were discussions about the abnormalities being like bread crumbs leading to some big game revelation, or at least that was the impression I got from the old forum. I do not think it was ever a lot of interest in it because at the time, I believe everyone was focused on just building and flying... before there was career mode!

I'm not sure if there would be enough interest in it for Squad to devote the effort now. What I think should be the focus is flushing out what they already have. I'd like to see then add the ability to create facilities outside of Kerbin, a dock near the KSC, etc...

That's exactly right, in addition there were more gas giant planets in the outer solar system.  I doubt any of this will be added to the game now.  I would just like it if there was a stable build that didn't change every 3-4 months and break all my stuff.  

Personally, I think Squad should freeze the game in it's current state and start working on Version 2.0.

[Tyko]

1 hour ago, Jett_Quasar said:

I know how to install mods.  What I was asking is how difficult would it be for Squad to include this in the core game build...  I'm assuming it would be not very difficult at all.

The counter-argument to this would be asking why Squad, with their very limited resources, should duplicate existing modding efforts when instead they can focus on fixing and extending parts of the game that mod-makers can't / won't touch.

I've asked the same thing and then realized I'd rather have them squashing bugs and improving general playability

Edited July 19, 2016 by tjt

[Pthigrivi]

On 7/18/2016 at 6:49 PM, Veeltch said:

The first one: making certain biomes have percentage bonuses won't make landing on bodies any more appealing. In fact, it will result in players visiting the biomes with the high yield only.

Well part of the idea is that the locations with higher bonuses are also harder to get to--high inclination, small area, steep slopes, etc. This way there's a bit of a balance there between risk and reward. We're also only talking about a 20% maximum bonus for non-anomaly biomes. 

On 7/18/2016 at 9:27 PM, Raptor9 said:

Point #1 addressing "Things to do": I would propose that the likelihood of getting a surface survey contract (ie "Take seismic surveys at Site Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc") in the immediate vicinity of your surface base goes up.  This would give the Kerbals on-site consecutive scientific jobs to go out and complete, so Bob climbs in his rover and checks out some random crater a few kilometers to the east of the base.  The more of these surface base area surveys that are completed, the further out from the base they will continue to populate or be more spread out in area.

This is a great idea.
 

On 7/18/2016 at 9:27 PM, Raptor9 said:

Point #2 addressing Base Part Count: A dedicated set of surface base parts would need to be developed to not only further encourage surface bases, but it would provide a more manageable long-term base expansion contract scheme.  Namely, these parts would really need to be "assemblies". A single-part base module that lacks only utility additions such as wheels or antennas or the like.  One such mod that I think would be an outstanding example of this strategy is Kerbal Planetary Base Systems.  Many of the part modules serve multiple purposes or store multiple resources.  One such part has fuel storage, engines for propulsive-landing, and properly oriented side surfaces that can easily accept landing struts or wheels.  This combines fuel tank parts, engine parts, and any structural pieces for mounting all into a single part tracked by KSP physics.

What I would love to see at some point is a real habitation mechanic. I know Roverdude has been working on one. Its a tough nugget though, to make something thats really super simple for stock but still engages gameplay in a real way.

 

3 hours ago, tjt said:

The counter-argument to this would be asking why Squad, with their very limited resources, should duplicate existing modding efforts when instead they can focus on fixing and extending parts of the game that mod-makers can't / won't touch.

They are already working on a stock remote-tech type system. There's certainly an advantage to having key systems fully integrated and suppored within the game. Dmagic has done some really impressive work with Scansat. Now that I've started using it I wonder how I survived without it so long. Just the same its a little clunky, and maybe over-rich on data that I don't use often or at all. Seeing a streamlined version that was genuinely integrated into the basic mechanics of the game would be a hugely welcome addition. 

Edited July 20, 2016 by Pthigrivi

[monstah]

On 18/07/2016 at 7:49 PM, Veeltch said:

The first one: making certain biomes have percentage bonuses won't make landing on bodies any more appealing. In fact, it will result in players visiting the biomes with the high yield only. The whole science gathering system should go right out of the window and into the trash.

9 hours ago, Pthigrivi said:

Well part of the idea is that the locations with higher bonuses are also harder to get to--high inclination, small area, steep slopes, etc. This way there's a bit of a balance there between risk and reward. We're also only talking about a 20% maximum bonus for non-anomaly biomes.

How about the combinations of biomes? We're so used to having diminished returns in video games, isn't this a situation where increasing returns could be used instead? So while repeated experiments in the same biomes would still yield less science, if you perform the same experiment in multiple biomes on the same body, there's a small bonus that increases for each new biome the experiment has been run in, regardless of the order in which you explore them. The rationale is that, the more you know about a planet's geology, the more you correlate information, so the new biome teaches you stuff about all the previous ones, too.

(If we get fancy and folow @Pthigrivi's idea here, there should be a correlation matrix for the bonuses, so for example, on the Mun, the Poles, Polar Lowlands and Polar crater give good bonuses when combined, but the Poles and Southwest crater don't. Or even a correlation matrix between experiments  But that's getting ahead of time)

On 18/07/2016 at 10:27 PM, Raptor9 said:

Point #1 addressing "Things to do": I would propose that the likelihood of getting a surface survey contract (ie "Take seismic surveys at Site Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc") in the immediate vicinity of your surface base goes up.  This would give the Kerbals on-site consecutive scientific jobs to go out and complete, so Bob climbs in his rover and checks out some random crater a few kilometers to the east of the base.  The more of these surface base area surveys that are completed, the further out from the base they will continue to populate or be more spread out in area.

I had been under the impression that that has been the plan since... whatever version incorporated awesome Fine Print and got @Arsonide his current job, but they haven't gotten it there, yet.

Hey, the surface base contracts could be expanded so that there is a chance of it actually choosing the site for you, eh? "We want to expand our Minmus Base Alpha, set up a new base at Site UVB-76 with space for 5 kerbals, power generation and an antenna".

[adsii1970]

14 hours ago, Jett_Quasar said:

That's exactly right, in addition there were more gas giant planets in the outer solar system.  I doubt any of this will be added to the game now.  I would just like it if there was a stable build that didn't change every 3-4 months and break all my stuff.  

Personally, I think Squad should freeze the game in it's current state and start working on Version 2.0.

I'm going to throw out my opinion here - and please realize it is just that - my opinion...

I think that what needs to happen before we even go to a KSP 2.0 is the problems in the current build need to be addressed. Personally, I do not think the current version needs to have any new features added or parts redesigned.At this point, it should be about creating a stable gaming platform that does not crash in the editors (as I crashed twice last night). Wheels and landing leg issues need to be addressed, as well as a few smaller bugs. No achievements need to be added.

2.0 needs to be about EXPANDING the game, such as new planets in the system, more things to do, and a larger variety of parts, achievements, and contracts.

 

[nikokespprfan]

On 18-7-2016 at 0:06 AM, cubinator said:

-snip-

I really liked this, particularly the part of not knowing certain things, because the attitude that it would create [you want to have knowledge, try to get it.] fits in with the current attitude of the game [you want to go places, try to get to it]. By going to bodies you learn about bodies, just like by flying ships form orbit to orbit you learn how ships fly from orbit to orbit.

I guess I'm more on the "stuff to find" side than the "stuff to do" side, as I would be doing exploring.

On 19-7-2016 at 3:27 AM, Raptor9 said:

However, to address a few of the previously asked questions with my own two cents: adding more stuff to do on a planet I believe would be a bit more manageable than "Planet Overhaul 2017".  I am no programmer, just a KSP player, so I'm probably about to speak out of my rear end here.  The following are a few things that I think could be implemented with an update or updates that don't require the scale of the KSP 1.1 update.

You have a point here, most of the visual stuff might take a long time. While I wouldn't mind being patient, I do think however that there are some options that do not take years:

-procedural scientific discoveries (small (maybe easter-egg small) biomes, preferably procedurally generated the position, that is, that, when you perform a certain science experiment, will yield a important scientific discovery discovery itself not procedurally generated, while the rest of the sensors work like if the biome wasn't there. This is to encourage roving and exploring)

-small geology improvements (different ground properties in different biomes, extra science situations, clouds and biomes for Jool, difficulty option for collision mesh in scatter objects etc.)

-Telescope, camera and mapping science for bodies and the skybox (no visuals needed, they only have to appear in the picture taken (picture manipulation may be a harder thing said than done))

-Not knowing (things) about bodies, and learning them as you go.

7 hours ago, monstah said:

How about the combinations of biomes? We're so used to having diminished returns in video games, isn't this a situation where increasing returns could be used instead? So while repeated experiments in the same biomes would still yield less science, if you perform the same experiment in multiple biomes on the same body, there's a small bonus that increases for each new biome the experiment has been run in, regardless of the order in which you explore them. The rationale is that, the more you know about a planet's geology, the more you correlate information, so the new biome teaches you stuff about all the previous ones, too.

(If we get fancy and folow @Pthigrivi's idea here, there should be a correlation matrix for the bonuses, so for example, on the Mun, the Poles, Polar Lowlands and Polar crater give good bonuses when combined, but the Poles and Southwest crater don't. Or even a correlation matrix between experiments  But that's getting ahead of time)

I like this idea. Another way of getting fancy is to take aditional cicumstances into account (altitude, attitude, longitude and day/night) into the bonusses, as they follow the same rationale.

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2016 by nikokespprfan

[Tyko]

16 hours ago, Pthigrivi said:

<SNIP>

There's certainly an advantage to having key systems fully integrated and suppored within the game. Dmagic has done some really impressive work with Scansat. Now that I've started using it I wonder how I survived without it so long. Just the same its a little clunky, and maybe over-rich on data that I don't use often or at all. Seeing a streamlined version that was genuinely integrated into the basic mechanics of the game would be a hugely welcome addition. 

I entirely agree with your goal, but the reasons you just gave - fully supported and integrated + streamlining it - mean that they can't just "buy & drop in" Dmagic's work. So, we're back to choosing our battles on what we are asking the devs to do - improve core game or add new features.

Based on the DevNote this morning, they're doing a ton of great work on improving the core game in terms of stability and performance. I'd much prefer to have current ScanSat (or any mod) functionality running on a faster, more stable core game, than have a stock scanning solution with the existing core speed/stability.

They have limited resources 

[Joonatan1998]

Each planet can be seen as a combination of different features.

The main properties a planet has at the moment are:

-Orbit (location)

-Mass

-Surface shape

-Atmosphere

There are some secondary properties, that matter less but can add diversity.

-ore density

-biomes

-science multiplier.

-lenght of day and night.

-Temperature.

 

The current system has already contains most combinations that make sense, are actually different (some them aren't) , and don't run into problems with the game engine.

Most planet adding mods I have seen either add new objects with often unrealistic/game-engine-breaking gimmics, (orbits,etc) or contain more planets with mostly similar gameplay to the already existing ones

 

To make the existing planets more interesting, or to add interesting new planets, new properties for planets are needed. 

Ideas:

-Different resources on different worlds.

Maybe one that you can return for a lot of funds, and maybe you could find xenon somewhere, maybe you shouldn't be able to get fuel everywhere.

Life support could also give reason for one or two resources

Construction in space could give a reason for many resources. (but would be very complex to add, and maybe unrealistic.)

The current resource interface is clearly designed for more than one resurce, I think the stock game should have at least 2.

-Axial tilt

I know adding this would be hard, but it give at least one or two planets something unique.

-Make atmospheric temperature matter more.

Probes could use extra electricity when it is cold, especial when landed in cold liquid. Maybe give one of the probe cores extra insullation. Batteries would work worse. Crew could require warming/cooling.

-More terrain properties

Maybe some places could be extra slippery, while some could cause your rover to sink in and slow down/get stuck? Maybe only heavier rovers would break the surface layer and get stuck, while small ones would be safe, maybe you would need large wheels to avoid getting stuck. This could be implemented without needing complex animations.

-Weather

Rain, clouds, sandstorms?

Would make solar panels work worse, maybe other effects, observing it could be worth science, maybe add contracts for it. Maybe add weather scanners to predict it.

-Radiation

Maybe as a difficulty option? Being only able to visit some areas for limited time could make some places intresting. Maybe it should have no effect on the crew, but give you reputation/funds hit. Maybe it wouldn't kill the probe, but make the science data collected by it worth less.

As less advanced electronics tend to resist radiation better(I think?), this could also give an sandbox-mode use for the less advanced probe cores.

Maybe have an extra shielded, heavy crew part?

-Rings

Would probably be procesor melting up close, but would be very cool if they could work. These would be enough to make at least one planet special.

-More objects on similar orbits

If there were 15-40 asteroids on a similar orbit with dres, they would make each other special even though individually they are boring, there could also be procedual (part) asteroids there. Would need to be careful not to use too much RAM.

-Make biomes actually matter

Having 5 biomes on each planet/moon with basically same terrain just makes them boring and grindy.

-Volcanoes/Geysers/Maybe earthquakes

Very destructive, but also good sources for science.

 

 

SQUAD simplified a lot of things to make the game more accesible, this, hovever also reduced their ability to differenticate planets.

Maybe the more challenging properties should only occur in more endgame places?

Science having an use in the lategame would help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2016 by Joonatan1998

[THX1138]

Oh, I also want areas that glow, kind of like the magic boulder glows.

Also plant life on Laythe, maybe. Laythe is as much of a barren wasteland as the rest... 

[KerikBalm]

So far from the sun, I doubt photosynthesis would be viable. I've made a modded duna that has seas and greenery surrounding the seas though.

Duna's atmosphere is thick enough to support water after all... although its barely above the armstrong limit (6.7 kPa at the lowest areas, vs 6.3 kPa armstrong limit).

To the other recent suggestion: I don't think biome synergy / combination bonuses would really add anything to the game. It just makes biome hopping more attractive... which is what people already do despite the common consensus that its "grindy"

[Wjolcz]

On 20.07.2016 at 4:08 AM, Pthigrivi said:

Well part of the idea is that the locations with higher bonuses are also harder to get to--high inclination, small area, steep slopes, etc. This way there's a bit of a balance there between risk and reward. We're also only talking about a 20% maximum bonus for non-anomaly biomes. 

I'm cool with that as long as experiments get you reputation instead of science points.

[adsii1970]

1 hour ago, Veeltch said:

I'm cool with that as long as experiments get you reputation instead of science points.

Why not both? After all, discovering something about a celestial body not only earns valuable knowledge in real life, but gives bragging rights to those who discover it. Be nice if something similar could happen in 2.0

[monstah]

12 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

Why not both? After all, discovering something about a celestial body not only earns valuable knowledge in real life, but gives bragging rights to those who discover it. Be nice if something similar could happen in 2.0

I think what he means is "no more science point mechanic"