End "explore" contracts at "plant a flag"

[eddiew]

By which I mean to suggest that anything that is not flyby, gather science, orbit, land on, or plant a flag on is not really "exploration". Some of the most galling offenders are:

• rendezvous two vessels
• dock two vessels
• transfer crew between vessels
• return from

...which have nothing to do with exploration. The first three are dull and mundane tasks dressed up as purposeful. If you're going to return, you'll return. If you're naturally sending a multi-part vessel, you'll do some docking. If you're just doing a one-launch mission, none of these things may happen.

I would also suggest that once a player has achieved orbit around a body, then all moons of that body become viable options for the explore contract generator, and one other un-visited planet where available. This would result in the target of the explore contracts actually changing, since there would be a significant pool to draw from. As it stands, it's all too easy to get stuck with "return from orbit of Laythe" while your probe is happily touring all the Joolian moons. I'd sure have thought the news networks would be interested in sponsoring a landing on Pol or Bop, but apparently the only thing they want is a piece of the probe that orbited Laythe.

[Corona688]

You could read that contract as "jump through these hoops then go home".  You can also read it as steps  3, 5, 7, and 9 of an Apollo-style landing.  Or "leave something neat in orbit on the way home".  You are not limited to doing just what the contract pays you to.  Think adventurously and selfishly.  What can you do with the money they're willing to pay?

Station contracts are especially awesome like that.  You can send any pile of anything as long as it has 1000 fuel, 6 kerbals, and 9 science instruments.

As for opening up other bodies for exploration, that actually used to be a problem.  The contract generator does not understand that some destinations are harder than others.

Edited November 28, 2017 by Corona688