Exploring Kerbin Mod Project

[darthcloakedguy]

Good morning everyone.

I'm a longtime player and fan of Kerbal Space Program (even if I've been far more active in the Discord than this forum), and have long admired the work that Squad has done to make this wonderful game, and been astonished by the powerful and incredible efforts of modders to make this game truly beautiful. There are mods that do just about everything, from airplanes, to mecha, to other star systems.

There's one thing that feels left out of all this. One thing that should be important, but feels perpetually neglected.

The planet Kerbin.

I feel like this is a mistake. Kerbin is the Earth-equivalent of the Kerbol system. I feel that it should be the very first place of exploration, as the Kerbal species makes its first baby-steps towards the Mun. Right now, though, there just isn't much to explore that isn't a stone's throw from the Kerbal Space Center. I'd like to fix that.

This mod project has the following goals:

One: More and more regional Kerbin biomes. This should encourage exploration far from the KSC, flying to other continents and the far side of Kerbin. Why fly far away if there isn't science to be done out there? A grasslands biome is the same in every part of Kerbin, but can it be said that the African savannah, the Midwestern prairie, and the Kazakh steppe are truly all the same? Is a tropical rainforest in Thailand the same as in Brazil, or the Congo? Of course not.

Two: Cities and city microbiomes scattered across Kerbin. Right now, Kerbin, the only planet on which life is known to exist, feels fairly dead. The Kerbal Space Center, the island airfield, and a few launch pads scattered across the planet are the only signs of intelligent life-- or, well, whatever Kerbals are. I'd like to see more in the way of wild flora, habitation, and obstacles that reward precision in landing as well as in launching.

Three: More interesting landmarks to discover and visit, with associated microbiomes like the KSC has. Easter eggs scattered across the planet, with science rewards for finding them. Maybe with a somewhat randomized exact location so that some searching and aerial recon is required, to make aircraft even more useful. Kerbin feels boring-- and I don't think it should!

Four: Underwater biomes and science below Kerbin's oceans and other planets with water in the Kerbol system. Wouldn't it be an interesting project to launch a submarine to explore the depths of Laythe to do science at the bottom of its oceans? Wouldn't it be exciting to discover and do science in a barrier reef, or a mid-ocean rift, or a deep ocean trench?

Five: An optional, slightly reworked tech tree that locks rocketry behind science requirements in Science and Career mode, and makes allowances for early aviation, to further encourage exploration of Kerbin before venturing to the Mun.

Six: Compatibility with Sandbox, Science Mode, Career Mode, and other mods, especially ScanSAT, submarine part mods, and Firespitter.

If you've read all of this so far, thank you. I really appreciate your interest. I can't do this alone; while I brim with enthusiasm, I lack the know-how to make a mod on my own. If anyone is available to be a mentor, a tutor, please contact me; I would be in your absolute debt for any teaching you could provide.