So what's the next DLC going to be about?

[Gorman]

As title.

[Cpt Kerbalkrunch]

If I had to guess, I'd say it's going to be about a year from now. 

[Arcadian Del Sol]

Id like to see them explore the career mode and make it more of a sim experience. Maybe have rival space programs you compete with to obtain contracts, governments that would award them for hitting milestones, having to hire, train, and retain your crew, more in-depth financial management where you not only have to fund launches, but have to make R&D choices where the outcomes are not automatic. Right now, you just learn new tech and make those new parts. Something like Xcom 2 did where you can invest time and resources to make things better, create more improvements - like getting a bit more thrust out of engines or better fuel use.

 

For sure i would like to see more options for where you put various station buildings, which buildings you want - maybe make other stations on other continents. etc.

Edited March 13, 2018 by Arcadian Del Sol

[Gargamel]

1 minute ago, Cpt Kerbalkrunch said:

If I had to guess, I'd say it's going to be about a year from now. 

BA-DUM-TSSSS

Ok i lol'd. 

While I think this thread is a bit premature... Squad might appreciate good ideas.

It'd have to be a gameplay mechanic not available with mods. 

And yes, they know a lot pf people want multi player. 

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Stock life support.

Do it.

Edited March 13, 2018 by Rocket In My Pocket

[Daze]

Deep space exploration and "near future" (  Nertea) stuffs

[dlrk]

Hopefully, integrating Procedural Parts, MechJeb and FAR into stock.

[Jestersage]

Integrated SpaceX/Returning, BFR/ITX mods

[Frozen_Heart]

Well if they continue with the history theme the obvious route is parts for Space Stations (ISS), Soyuz, and 1.875m Shuttle SRBs.

[eddiew]

29 minutes ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

Stock life support.

Do it.

Respectfully... no thanks. Life support reduces the number of times you can fail and have a viable rescue mission.

Command pods have very high impact tolerance - they're often the only thing left after a player's first Duna 'landing'. If the kerbals aren't dead and won't die, it is worth rescuing them, and huge fun is to be had from gritting your teeth, swallowing your pride, and doing exactly that. If they aren't dead but will die before rescue could ever arrive, F9 will be used because no, you're not going to lose kerbals to a piloting error or not understanding how thin the Dunan atmosphere is. Imho the penalty for failure must not be so severe that it causes players to reload the game rather than live with their mistakes. Mistakes are beautiful in KSP, but only when you don't lose kerbals  

(Also playing without revert is just silly. There are plenty of times even now that KSP will kill you for reasons that aren't your fault and should not be forced on you as 'canon'. Assuming that most players play with revert, we must not tempt them to use it more than is necessary.)

I accept there is an audience for this kind of thing, but it should remain the domain of mods.

 

My personal guess in relation to the OP; the long awaited 2nd gas giant because good grief we've been held back by those 3 guys with potato PCs long enough. Kopernicus has shown the way on how to unload things when not in view, there is no longer an excuse.

Edited March 14, 2018 by eddiew

[MR L A]

16 minutes ago, dlrk said:

Hopefully, integrating Procedural Parts, MechJeb and FAR into stock.

I'd argue for KER, KAC and even chatterer integration before those three tbh. 

[Clockwork13]

9 minutes ago, MR L A said:

I'd argue for KER, KAC and even chatterer integration before those three tbh. 

KER and KAC would be nice but chatterer isn't really necessary

[MR L A]

7 minutes ago, Clockwork13 said:

KER and KAC would be nice but chatterer isn't really necessary

I agree entirely, I'd just sooner have that than FAR, MJ or procedural parts

[Rocket In My Pocket]

21 minutes ago, eddiew said:

Respectfully... no thanks. Life support reduces the number of times you can fail and have a viable rescue mission.

Well of course it would be optional like most stuff.

You make some good points though, I actually don't use any life support mods myself for the very reasons you've pointed out. Lol.

I was sorta hoping Squad could find some magic balance where they could include life support without making it too harsh, and without putting you in a "lose-lose" scenario. Like having Kerbals "hibernate" and become useless when they run out of supplies, but still capable of being rescued for an indefinite amount of time. Or perhaps having supplies is a boon to the crew in some way? A "buff?" And going without reverts them to default.

[Gargamel]

All of those are good ideas, but all of them are done with mods.

While some players will welcome those additions to the stock game, the sales won't be there.  There will not be enough incentive for SQUAD et al, to invest resources into designing a for profit DLC if the vast majority of players will just use the free mods that give the same experience. 

As I said, any DLC will have to be some game mechanic or experience not available as a mod.

To incorporate a certain mod into stock might be a great idea, it will never sell as a DLC.  If they release it as a normal content update, then it will most likely still cost more than the regular development.  Most of the mods are under a NC (non commercial) license.  Unless the mod creator decides to change it, and that would most likely mean either buying the mod code from the creator, or hiring them as a dev.  And those both cost money, unrecoverable from any increased sales as above.    And also, another modder may release a similar mod for free. 

Edited March 14, 2018 by Gargamel

[g00bd0g]

How 'bout "For Science!". Featuring more science stuff and maybe some further planets requiring even more extreme designs and new parts. Integrated KER, KAC, and Transfer Window Planner.

[Gorman]

Yeah it's tricky because I agree with Gargamel, they have to come up with something which can not be easily given by a mod. Only thing I can think of is to make mining for rare minerals a thing. So for example, certain high tech parts require minerals only to be found on another planet, so you have to get there and set up a mining operation. Bring back the minerals to a new building in the launch complex, say call it the factory, where you can build the high tech parts. As part of this, maybe they could bundle in the Kolonisation mods along with KIS/KAS. I think having these mods be supported in the main game is going to be worth. I would pay an extra $15 for all of that, no problem.

[Gargamel]

14 minutes ago, Gorman said:

Yeah it's tricky because I agree with Gargamel, they have to come up with something which can not be easily given by a mod. Only thing I can think of is to make mining for rare minerals a thing. So for example, certain high tech parts require minerals only to be found on another planet, so you have to get there and set up a mining operation. Bring back the minerals to a new building in the launch complex, say call it the factory, where you can build the high tech parts. As part of this, maybe they could bundle in the Kolonisation mods along with KIS/KAS. I think having these mods be supported in the main game is going to be worth. I would pay an extra $15 for all of that, no problem.

Even though other mineral mining mods exist, I think that's a good start.

I think they need to couple that with some advanced building and launch mechanics.

Yes there is the extra solar luanchpads mod (I think that's the name), but if we also add in stock Space Elevators and sky hooks, then were onto something.   Both of those have been suggested as mods before, but everything I've heard said it's undoable as a mod.  If this DLC was Making History, the next one could be Seeing the Future (or something).  Make it so it takes a look at a lot of the near sci-fi/futurist ideas that are out there, and add them as stock parts, but ones that aren't doable as mods. 

[mattinoz]

13 minutes ago, Gorman said:

Yeah it's tricky because I agree with Gargamel, they have to come up with something which can not be easily given by a mod. Only thing I can think of is to make mining for rare minerals a thing. So for example, certain high tech parts require minerals only to be found on another planet, so you have to get there and set up a mining operation. Bring back the minerals to a new building in the launch complex, say call it the factory, where you can build the high tech parts. As part of this, maybe they could bundle in the Kolonisation mods along with KIS/KAS. I think having these mods be supported in the main game is going to be worth. I would pay an extra $15 for all of that, no problem.

I'd love to see a trade mechanic in the career game to bring it in to a tycoon style game. So DLC set around current and near future space commercialization as a theme with competing entities chasing work and going after prizes like rare kerbin minerals in space. That to me would be a great next step.

[StrandedonEarth]

1 hour ago, Clockwork13 said:

chatterer isn't really necessary

No, but it helps with immersion.

Having the functions of desired mods (KAC, KER, TWP, NB-DAI are what I really want, KAS/KIS is a fun addition) as DLC's can work if bundled with a new mechanic that  mods can't or haven't yet done.

What I would like to see is a revamped Astronaut Complex. The current leveling system is entirely too minimal for my taste as it is totally passive, with the player not having any choice over the progression. I would much rather have a skill tree so I can pick and choose what skills my kerbals have. There can still be the same classes, but let me pick what skill they train up when they have enough XP. Maybe I'll train one 'geer to repack chutes and another to repair stuff, or give Bill the buff to operating mining equipment. Maybe train Jeb to hold the 'grades in space while Val can learn to hold the horizons while piloting planes, or do the astrogating (maneuver nodes). Maybe I want Bob to clean experiments but give Sigly a buff for MPL research. For an obscene amount of XP, Bill could even start learning pilot skills, or *gasp* calculate the dV remaining!

[RatchetinSpace]

2 hours ago, Frozen_Heart said:

Well if they continue with the history theme the obvious route is parts for Space Stations (ISS), Soyuz, and 1.875m Shuttle SRBs.

I like this. Let them add some robotic parts as well to simulate the vast number of robotic missions that explored the solar system after the apollo era, inflatable airbags, drills, shovels, cameras, etc. I'd like to see a shuttle robotic arm as well.

[theJesuit]

I agrew that many things could be done with mods, the contract system effectively created the ability to design missions and contract configurator added to this.  I think life support, KCT as well as a 'sim mode' to play against other space programmes where certain parts are only available to launch from certain sites.

Peace

[eddiew]

10 hours ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

I was sorta hoping Squad could find some magic balance where they could include life support without making it too harsh, and without putting you in a "lose-lose" scenario. Like having Kerbals "hibernate" and become useless when they run out of supplies, but still capable of being rescued for an indefinite amount of time. Or perhaps having supplies is a boon to the crew in some way? A "buff?" And going without reverts them to default.

Actually I think RoverDude's USI Life Support has an option to have kerbals just "refuse to work" when they run out of food. They won't EVA, they won't do SAS things or work labs or drills, but they don't die. The only way to get them moving again is to attach a canister of supplies to their ship - or tow it home.

Which is much better, imho, as it leads to learning to live with mistakes   On the other hand... is it just extra weight? LS pretty much sums up to "you need to add x kg per kerbal per day of the mission". Not sure what the gameplay gains from this are...

[steve_v]

Ideally: Performance improvements, multiplayer, life support, more things to do on planet/moon surfaces.
Realistically: More stuff I don't really care about.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

23 minutes ago, eddiew said:

Actually I think RoverDude's USI Life Support has an option to have kerbals just "refuse to work" when they run out of food. They won't EVA, they won't do SAS things or work labs or drills, but they don't die. The only way to get them moving again is to attach a canister of supplies to their ship - or tow it home.

Which is much better, imho, as it leads to learning to live with mistakes   On the other hand... is it just extra weight? LS pretty much sums up to "you need to add x kg per kerbal per day of the mission". Not sure what the gameplay gains from this are...

It's funny because I made the same argument to someone else about life support lol, that it's just extra dead weight. Yet here I am arguing the opposite lol.

Well really, I'm not arguing; just saying, it could be tweaked. I mean how much percentage of the weight of like Apollo or the Shuttle is human supplies like oxygen, food, water? What percentage, anyone know? I wouldn't think it's that much right? 5% maybe? I feel like most of the existing mods go overboard on the weight gain from LF supplies, another reason I don't use one.

I will concede that perhaps stock LF isn't a "big" enough feature for an entire expansion, but it could be packaged in with thematic other stuff, like expanded base building and such. (I know, I know; mods. If we let that stop us though, there isn't anything left to add lol.)