Returning after much hiatus - What to do?

[Bilfr3d]

So I've haven't played KSP for quite some time - I used to play religiously, but things got in the way, and KSP lost its charm. After about 5-6 months of launching the game maybe once or twice, I've decided to finally come back into the game and work like I used to on it (hint, I used to play it 4+ hours every day, 7 days a week. Calling me a 'fan' would be an understatement). But to be completely honest, I'm a bit lost with what I should work on after coming back into the game after so long. I was thinking starting some ship building series perhaps, blogging on my creations and building tips, or perhaps creating my own craft thread in the spacecraft exchange section of the forum.

Outside of 'creative' works, I was thinking perhaps just playing some career mode to get back into the game, before going into sandbox and doing exploring like I used too. Despite how much I've played the game, I've never really left the Kerbin system - I've orbited Duna and returned. That's all the inter-planetary experience I've had. So, community - help me decide what I should do! Any tips or ideas would be cool. I might even make a list of everything everyone recommends, and cross them off when I complete them.

 

 

 

THE MIGHTY LIST TO RULE THEM ALL

• Get into orbit around Kerbol. Probably do some science, that'd be helpful too. Unless you're dumb, then... well, don't do science
• Orbit Duna, and land on it with a one-way probe ticket. Tickets start at 9.99, get yours before they sell out.
• Rinse and repeat the one-way probe, but with Eve, Ike, and Gilly. Tickets are also 9.99, probably won't be selling out. Maybe collect science on the way too...
• Manned return mission to Duna! But wait, there's more...
• Orbit a fuel tanker around Duna - preferably do that before you land. Otherwise, you know, it won't be a return mission no more.
• Flyby Moho, and if you're daring, orbit it.
• Flyby everything at the same time! Just kidding, but flyby as many things as you can at the same time. Maybe do something like Mun -> Minmus -> Duna -> Ike?
• Start a mining mission on the Mun.
  • Step 1: Mine Ore.
  • Step 2: Transport Ore.
  • Step 3: ???
  • Step 4: Profit.
• Look at the Strategia mod... seems like a good strategy
• MOONBASE ALPHA! Lez' go
• Manned mission to Dres. Because why not.
• Manned mission to Moho. Mo Ho Ho! (Like Santa, but with a moe)
• Laythe and Eve gliders. The one glider (or two) to rule them all.
• Capture an asteroid and build a refueling outpost. Gotta catch em' all!
• Aerial refuelling
• Visit Jool and stuff...

 

THE MIGHTY MOD LIST

• KIS/KAS, USI
• KER
• SCANSat
• Strategia
• Community Resource Pack
• KScale (?)

Edited June 8, 2017 by Bilfr3d
Updating the mighty list, and starting the MIGHTY MOD LIST!

[ansaman]

Yes, play career. After completing most of the work in the Kerbin system, I tend to have a particular set of goals:

1. Go into orbit around Kerbol, do science and return.
2. Orbit and land on Duna with a probe.
3. Orbit and land on Eve with a probe.
4. Orbit and land on Ike with a probe.
5. Orbit and land on Gilly with a probe.
6. Manned mission and return to Duna. (usually have a tanker orbiting Duna for guaranteeing  return fuel.
7. Moho flyby and if possible orbit.
8. Multiple flybys of objects in the Jool system.

By the time this is all done, you probably will have sufficient science and money to tackle custom missions. I tend to be a little free with the money and science multipliers since I get the biggest kicks out of designing missions and craft to execute them.

I really enjoy doing the multiple flyby missions and have managed to do Mun, Minimus, Duna, and Eve in one shot.

Edited May 31, 2017 by ansaman

[Bilfr3d]

Oh yes! To be honest, I didn't even think of the landing and orbiting as goals. I need to go outside more... outside the Kerbin system that is. A very nice start to THE MIGHTY LIST!

[Jetski]

Don't let the Duna atmosphere fool you, you can almost treat it like a vacuum planet.  A lander can with a single LV-N and a few tanks of LF can do a nice round trip manned mission including a stop at Ike.  Leave one of the 400LF tanks in orbit for the trip home before you land if you want to be super safe, but you can do this

 

[Bilfr3d]

Half the challenge is getting to Duna though. I tend to spend too much time making fancy satellites at Kerbin for money, and then have no money to upgrade my buildings, so I can't launch larger ships, so I can't take on bigger contracts... you can see where this is going.

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

If you're still on 1.2.2 go get strategia and start a new career

[Bilfr3d]

Unfortunately, I'm already on 1.3. I *could* go back to 1.2.2, but my internet is slow, so I'd rather not thanks for the idea though

[Jetski]

Make a cheap and simple probe landing on Duna.  Here's one for about 15K funds, all low tech except for one good antenna. Second stage still has leftover fuel, I could have used a Terrier in place of the Spark and done the same. Sorry Imgur puts the images out of order.

Craft file - This isn't a masterpiece but it will give you a good idea of what you need to get there.

 

Edited May 31, 2017 by Jetski

[Bilfr3d]

That is one big liquid-fuel stage - I never knew you could get there with such a small craft! Definitely a cool design that I'll look at.

[cratercracker]

Create a mining rig on the Mun and send ore back to Kerbin!

[Bilfr3d]

ooooooo! Is mining ore and transporting it back actually profitable though? I'll probably do it regardless, but getting extra money would be a bonus Definitely adding that to the list

[Alpha 360]

My progression tree always uses strategia which puts some limits and rewards. 

1. Munar probes(strategia)

2. First manned station

3. Minmus manned missions(strategia)

4. Fully industrialized LKO with a HKO station, which is vital. 

5. Duna manned mission(strategia)

That is how far I am in my career mode game. My Intrepid mission was flung out by Ike and so it will be on its way back. Luckily I have eight years of supplies on board which I will use. Remember to have a fleet of interplanetary spacecraft, its very fun after you do that, trust me.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Alpha 360

[cratercracker]

28 minutes ago, ToTheMun said:

ooooooo! Is mining ore and transporting it back actually profitable though? I'll probably do it regardless, but getting extra money would be a bonus Definitely adding that to the list

Yes, it is profiteble. Full ore tank weigh and costs way more than empty one!

[Bilfr3d]

1 hour ago, Alpha 360 said:

My progression tree always uses strategia which puts some limits and rewards. 

1. Munar probes(strategia)

2. First manned station

3. Minmus manned missions(strategia)

4. Fully industrialized LKO with a HKO station, which is vital. 

5. Duna manned mission(strategia)

That is how far I am in my career mode game. My Intrepid mission was flung out by Ike and so it will be on its way back. Luckily I have eight years of supplies on board which I will use. Remember to have a fleet of interplanetary spacecraft, its very fun after you do that, trust me.

That's the second time I've heard someone mention the 'Strategia' mod. I might have to check it out sometime soon... thanks!

1 hour ago, cratercracker said:

Yes, it is profiteble. Full ore tank weigh and costs way more than empty one!

I'll have to go full entrepreneur mode for this then... MAXIMUM PROFITS! Munbase-Alpha coming soon to a moon near you...

[Alpha 360]

If you install community resource pack, you can mine exotic metals which give one a fortune. Something like 250,000 per ton off the top of my head.

[Bilfr3d]

Honestly, I kinda wanna stay vanilla for the most part. I like installing visual enhancements and stuff, but I tend to stay fairly vanilla when it comes to parts and resource packs. I might add it to the list, to check it out after I've finished my vanilla play-through

[suicidejunkie]

"Profitable" is stretching it for raw stock ore.  Unrefined, it only gives you a speso or two per ton, and unless you're using EL to forge the tank and parachutes in space, you'll be taking a loss.

Converting that ore to fuel and delivering the fuel is definitely profitable however.  If you have a fully recoverable SSTO, then you can launch with some empty tanks, fill all of them from munar ore, and glide back for a net profit.

 

The most efficient but most cheesy way is to buy ore on Kerbin, and operate a refinery business instead of a space program.

[Bilfr3d]

I'll probably experiment shipping both unrefined ad refined ore - who said my program couldn't be a refiner program? It's not that unrealistic. Onto the list it goes!

[cratercracker]

Maybe put a mining rig in on the surface of the mun, an extractor-lander in orbit of mun and an ISRU in orbit around Kerbin. Where you will make fuel and then send it back to kerbin!

[kerbinorbiter]

Install KScale64 and my new mod KScale64 overhaul which creates configs for it (its in addon Dec or just click in my sig)

[DeltaDizzy]

#ShamelessPlug

Also, you can build a Space Station, or another Spece Station

#ShamelessPlug(x2)

Edited May 31, 2017 by DeltaDizzy

[ElJugador]

Manned mission to Dres or Moho, if you haven't been there already

[Bilfr3d]

1 hour ago, kerbinorbiter said:

Install KScale64 and my new mod KScale64 overhaul which creates configs for it (its in addon Dec or just click in my sig)

55 minutes ago, DeltaDizzy said:

#ShamelessPlug

Also, you can build a Space Station, or another Spece Station

#ShamelessPlug(x2)

So many plugs as I've mentioned before, I generally stay vanilla for the most part, unless it's an informative mod, graphics mod, or some kind of career-enhancing mod. OH, and also military mods - which I use in sandbox. Like BDArmoury

 

54 minutes ago, ElJugador said:

Manned mission to Dres or Moho, if you haven't been there already

No, I've never been there. I haven't even been in a flyby of those systems.

[DeltaDizzy]

Understood. I'm more of an aesthetics guy if I do say so myself, as well as a 100% pacifist. So SVE, scatterer, KER, the basics.

Edited June 1, 2017 by DeltaDizzy

[NSEP]

How about making a little glider for Laythe or Eve? Great way to find a landing spot and collect science! These things are also fun to build and test.