Test To Unlock Parts!

[Sasuga]

I'm playing the career mode on a custom, very hard difficulty, and am getting missions to test parts. A thought just struck me.

What if, instead of unlocking parts through purely science points and money, but unlocking them through a testing process.

The parts would become available as they do now for missions, however the missions will be non-optional (which by the way, is like I believe the milestones should be. I've been begging for milestones to be standard missions that aren't accepted, but given, ever since the new mission system was added).

Taking the parts outside of a broad testing area would cause the experiment to fail, and perhaps the part to fail.

So, if the mission requires that a part be tested between 10,000 and 20,000, but the part it taking up to 70,000 instead, the part could simply stop working, "fail," as it had not been properly tested and thus had failures shaking and fixed out of it.

 

I of course recommend this only as an optional play mode, not something to be forced upon everyone.

 

And before people recommend I just don't unlock a part until I've tested it now: 1. I'm already doing that. And 2, I'm not guaranteed to get all tests. Like, test at this altitude, then the next, then the next, and at splashdown, etc. I feel each part should go through a standard series of tests in this play-style, which one is not guaranteed to get, as best I can tell, in the current style.

[Sasuga]

Perhaps players could choose from the science tree what part they'd like to begin testing on next. Then, do the series of tests required to unlock it before it becomes standard-available. And while the testing process should be somewhat standard and predictable, each part's testing could be slightly different based on its purpose and specialization.

 

I noticed SpaceX in real life tested their heat shielding with just a tiny, handful of heat-shield-cells on one of their regular resupply of the ISS launches. Hauling parts into space and back can be a pain, but its what the missions already ask us to do, and its what we'd be signing up for if we choose this play-style.

Another idea would be parts-failures. Perhaps, all parts could have a failure rate, and the more they're tested and used, the more the failure rate could be decreased. So, the more we use a part, the more its perfected.

[linuxgurugamer]

Take a look at Scrapyard and Oh Scrap, may already do what you are looking for

[Wjolcz]

I already avoid the testing contracts. If it was optional then I don't care.

[Corax]

I 'm always looking out for test contracts for interesting parts beyond what my current tech allows; that way I can "test" them to my heart's content without actually having to unlock the science node... just remember to finish it before the deadline expires ; )

[Superfluous J]

I almost finished a contract pack that allowed (forced, actually) you to unlock parts via contracts.

I stopped quite close to the finish line because of how horrendously bad it was during testing. All I wanted to know was if the balance was about right, and what I found out was I never ever want to play any mode even remotely similar to that.

[Wjolcz]

I modded the game so I can use money (without science) to unlock parts and it's the pnly way I'm going to play KSP from now on.