Minor bug: contracts you shouldn't get yet

[Loren Pechtel]

Apparently orbital rescue contracts are tied to reputation, not performance.  I was milking the suborbital contracts before going orbital.  First orbital shot--got the world's first orbital flight.  If I'm the first guy to orbit how come there are Kerbals stranded in orbit?!?!

[Cpt Kerbalkrunch]

The space-time continuum is spooky. Best not to think about it.

[steuben]

Any mods?

[dangerhamster]

As one of the contracts I had involved a rover cab in orbit one can only assume they are up there for very complicated reasons that have been hushed up. Or aliens. Or possibly some very unusual traffic accidents.

[swjr-swis]

1 hour ago, dangerhamster said:

Or possibly some very unusual traffic accidents.

Considering the size of some of the explosions on the launchpad, it's not entirely beyond the realm of possibilities a rover got 'launched' in an unexpectedly creative manner...

[Spricigo]

3 hours ago, Loren Pechtel said:

 If I'm the first guy to orbit how come there are Kerbals stranded in orbit?!?!

Well... We had some Record-Keeping problems here at Kerbin World-Firsts Record-Keeping Society. 

 

[bewing]

The World's First achievements don't exactly say that you were the first Kerbal to ever achieve something -- they say that this was the first time you had achieved something.

Yes, other Kerbals have done everything you have done, and they did it before you, but they did it badly.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

2 hours ago, swjr-swis said:

Considering the size of some of the explosions on the launchpad, it's not entirely beyond the realm of possibilities a rover got 'launched' in an unexpectedly creative manner...

Yeah, the rocket I have been using to do suborbital tourist contracts has a habit of tipping over on landing, which usually results in an explosion.  Of a parachute.  How do they explode?

3 hours ago, dangerhamster said:

As one of the contracts I had involved a rover cab in orbit one can only assume they are up there for very complicated reasons that have been hushed up. Or aliens. Or possibly some very unusual traffic accidents.

Scott Manley has a video where he rescued a Kerbal from a balloon.

[Loren Pechtel]

4 hours ago, steuben said:

Any mods?

Gobs, but none that apply to contracts.

I'm pretty sure this isn't a mod issue.  The problem is I racked up quite a few suborbital tourist flights before going for orbit.  As my reputation grew and the tourist contracts started dropping to 2 or even 1 star the rescue contracts started showing up at 3 stars.  If you went for orbit as soon as you could this wouldn't happen.

However, my first orbital shot had Mechjeb guidance (legitimately unlocked), almost 5000 m/s and went into a polar orbit with a boatload of science instruments and by the time it lands it will have collected just about all the orbital and flying high science I didn't already have.

[Spricigo]

1 hour ago, bewing said:

The World's First achievements don't exactly say that you were the first Kerbal to ever achieve something -- they say that this was the first time you had achieved something.

Yes, other Kerbals have done everything you have done, and they did it before you, but they did it badly.

 

Ahem... 

An institution completely devoted to the tracking and curating all first instances of any event, the Kerbin World-Firsts Record-Keeping Society is a  non-profit organization, for the purpose of rewarding the doing of anything that's never been done before, especially concerning feats of space exploration. Their work is more challenging than it would seem however, as the prestige associated with the first-ever accomplishment of any deed is also a valuable target for commercial companies, who wouldn't waste the opportunity to be the official sponsor of such an event. Taking on the Society's contracts will definitely send the message that you're not in it for the money, which is always a good message to send. It's also just about the only reward, since the cash prizes are mostly symbolic.

 

[bewing]

I'm sure Dangerhamster has it right. All the other missions are clandestine and classified and therefore don't get reported to World's Firsts.

 

[Spricigo]

I'm more inclined to accept what Cpt Kerbalkrunch said about space-time continuum. 

Sometimes when I receive a world first reward there is a strange felling... It's like it already happened before. 

Worse yet it's the nightmares where Jeb die because a parachute open for no reason during a launch. 

[Loren Pechtel]

34 minutes ago, Spricigo said:

I'm more inclined to accept what Cpt Kerbalkrunch said about space-time continuum. 

Sometimes when I receive a world first reward there is a strange felling... It's like it already happened before. 

Worse yet it's the nightmares where Jeb die because a parachute open for no reason during a launch. 

If they were being hushed up why am I being asked to rescue them?!?!

[Spricigo]

1 hour ago, Loren Pechtel said:

If they were being hushed up why am I being asked to rescue them?!?!

I just know it's something strange.  Strange things happens all the time in KSP.  And I learned to avoid questioning. 

Some time ago Ionics asked me to rescue Donwin Kerman.  We don't just let someone stranded in space,  so said ok first then asked about the details.

Seemed strange that no one noticed Donwin's craft orbiting at 75km equatorial and just 15km away from one of our ships. Also seemed strange Donwin showing as an available pilot for the next mission. 

But the strangest thing in the whole history it's that according to our records Donwin was one of the candidates for astronaut in the more recent selection,  it was finally processed with Donwin being approved less than 10 minutes before Ionics contact. 

 

[Spricigo]

Ok,  serious now.  

O guess the requisite for rescue missions it's to be capable of EVA in space. 

The game think you are capable of achieve orbit and perform rendezvous even if you only did suborbital flights so far  

[GoSlash27]

18 hours ago, Loren Pechtel said:

Apparently orbital rescue contracts are tied to reputation, not performance.  I was milking the suborbital contracts before going orbital.  First orbital shot--got the world's first orbital flight.  If I'm the first guy to orbit how come there are Kerbals stranded in orbit?!?!

Kerbals are very accident- prone, inquisitive, and like to experiment with explodey things. It's a wonder there aren't more of them stranded up there.

 You're not necessarily the first one into orbit, but you're the first one to do it intentionally. Now if I could just figure out how the others "accidentally" themselves into orbit, it would seriously help my program.

Best,
-Slashy

[Loren Pechtel]

8 hours ago, Spricigo said:

Ok,  serious now.  

O guess the requisite for rescue missions it's to be capable of EVA in space. 

The game think you are capable of achieve orbit and perform rendezvous even if you only did suborbital flights so far  

Ok, that makes sense.  It still shouldn't offer them until I have attained orbit, though.

[Cunjo Carl]

There's tons of funny missions when you start to poke at the contract system seriously! You can get the "Walk on Mun" missions before the "Landing on Mun" mission, get missions involving returning to Kerbin from places in two different ways (they work out fine), and even rendezvousing in Munar orbit mission before getting a tracking station upgrade... which might just be impossible for me.

 

Though if I can posit my rationalization... You are the first Kerbal to orbit! So those must not be Kerbals <Queue X-Files music> .

[Spricigo]

4 hours ago, Loren Pechtel said:

Ok, that makes sense.  It still shouldn't offer them until I have attained orbit, though.

Why?  The game h offering a opportunity to do (and get rewarded by doing) something you didn't yet,  but is within your capabilities.