Allow Kerbal Experience and Skill to be defined in CFGs

[sumghai]

I'd like to propose reworking the Kerbal Experience and Skill feature so that the definitions for what skills/features are unlocked at each XP level are defined in a GameData CFG file, rather than being hardcoded into the game.

This would allow modders and users to tweak and customize their game and scenarios, such as:

• Altering what SAS skills Pilots can unlock at different XP levels
• Raise or lower the level at which all Kerbalnauts get access to personal EVA chutes

Edited August 27, 2018 by sumghai
Spelling mistake: same->game

[klgraham1013]

Allow Kerbals to have parachutes and unlock EVA packs.

[Tonka Crash]

EDIT to add: Aren't the chutes there from the start? I don't know why you would delay their availability.

They are safety equipment that any Kerbonaut should have some familiarity before they ever leave the ground. IRL, I've had to go through egress training to show I could strap on a chute and knew how to pull the release even though I haven't jumped out of a plane in 20 years.

In the game I've used them for a case where I didn't have enough chutes for a successful lander can touchdown so once the chutes I had deployed, everyone bailed out.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Tonka Crash

[klgraham1013]

1 minute ago, Tonka Crash said:

I guess I don't see why you want chutes tied to experience. They are safety equipment that any Kerbonaut should have some familiarity before they ever leave the ground. IRL, I've had to go through egress training to show I could strap on a chute and knew how to pull the release even though I haven't jumped out of a plane in 20 years.

In the game I've used them for a case where I didn't have enough chutes for a successful lander can touchdown so once the chutes I had deployed, everyone bailed out.

Their decision to make chutes an unlockable was bewildering. 

[StrandedonEarth]

They need to go farther than that. They need to use the Astronaut Complex to allow the player to choose what skills the kerbals get when they have the XP to gain a new skill. Although I suppose if skills were .cfg'd, a clever modder could make that happen. And that would be enough.

IMH(umble)O, the current XP/skill system is far too (in fact, entirely) passive. There is so much more that could be done with that. I could flesh it out more, but Squad doesn't seem to care to revamp existing systems, so I won't bother.

IMH(onest)O, skillz/XP/AC is another placeholder system that they intended to expand on later, but became a "complete feature"