Surface item collection for resources/bonuses?

[TLTay]

In the recent developer insights video, it looks like we will be harvesting surface scatter/ore chunks/items for resources from around planets and bringing them back to base for conversion into usable resources. I'm not sure if I'm right, but maybe Nate/devs can confirm or deny?

Could this be expanded on to give bonuses for completing challenges on Kerbin like:

Collect (hard to find and one of a kind) metallic asteroid fragment from highest peak for 1% reduction in dry mass to all components for duration of the save.

Or maybe Move Giant heavy boulder from x to KSC for research and gain 5% joint strength, or move huge flat object through dense atmosphere from a to b to gain 2% reduction in wind resistance. 

Just rare, hard to find, easteregg like bonuses for completing unlisted challenges by discovering them as anomalies or something?

Or even placing things, like place grotesquely heavy Jeb statue to give a 10% boost to courage and stupidity to Kerbals within 20km in line of sight.

Or other exciting bonuses like, build a catapult to launch a Kerbal x Km for a boost in thrust within 50 meters of the launch pad for duration of save. (This one might be too much because completely unrealistic and gamey)

Just some thoughts I had. 

 

[PlutoISaPlanet]

I would like this, it should be in the game considering how valuable Lunar and Martian rocks are to science.

[Meecrob]

Hard no from me. KSP is based on science. X amount of fuel, Y mass and Z thrust should always give the same results. The thing that draws me to this game is being given a set environment and a set group of parts and having to engineer a vehicle to get around those limitations, just like real life. The type of bonuses you describe seem like something to add to an arcade game with an online High Score Board and dwindling player base to entice players to go back and grind to be #1.

Additionally, if these bonuses were implemented, it would kill the community being able to give tips to other players because nobody would be playing the same game as one another; One player's Mainsail will NOT perform the same as another player's.

[TLTay]

2 hours ago, Meecrob said:

Hard no from me. KSP is based on science. X amount of fuel, Y mass and Z thrust should always give the same results. The thing that draws me to this game is being given a set environment and a set group of parts and having to engineer a vehicle to get around those limitations, just like real life. The type of bonuses you describe seem like something to add to an arcade game with an online High Score Board and dwindling player base to entice players to go back and grind to be #1.

Additionally, if these bonuses were implemented, it would kill the community being able to give tips to other players because nobody would be playing the same game as one another; One player's Mainsail will NOT perform the same as another player's.

I was thinking of this more as a way to incentivize exploration, create new engineering challenges, and add to the science system. Everybody plays KSP differently, so getting a scientific/engineering benefit from a unique sample or from experience doing a new task might not fit well with your playstyle. I always thought it was weird that with all the times my Kerbals built and launched X part, they never got better at making it lighter or stronger or more efficient, like they managed to make it perfect on the first go. Then, I tend to play a heavily modded, grindy kind of career mode that most people may not like.

I'm quite curious as to how the team will utilize the (apparent) new surface item collection mechanic to create interesting exploration and gameplay experiences.

[KerikBalm]

4 hours ago, TLTay said:

I'm quite curious as to how the team will utilize the (apparent) new surface item collection mechanic to create interesting exploration and gameplay experiences.

 

On 7/17/2020 at 1:19 AM, TLTay said:

In the recent developer insights video, it looks like we will be harvesting surface scatter/ore chunks/items for resources from around planets and bringing them back to base for conversion into usable resources. 

Source for this/link with the specific time?

[DunaManiac]

I doubt that the crane in the video is anything but purely aesthetic, perhaps part of the building animation for another module.

[DStaal]

On 7/18/2020 at 11:07 PM, TLTay said:

I was thinking of this more as a way to incentivize exploration, create new engineering challenges, and add to the science system. Everybody plays KSP differently, so getting a scientific/engineering benefit from a unique sample or from experience doing a new task might not fit well with your playstyle. I always thought it was weird that with all the times my Kerbals built and launched X part, they never got better at making it lighter or stronger or more efficient, like they managed to make it perfect on the first go. Then, I tend to play a heavily modded, grindy kind of career mode that most people may not like.

I'm quite curious as to how the team will utilize the (apparent) new surface item collection mechanic to create interesting exploration and gameplay experiences.

Sometimes they do - and sometimes they design a new part. 

If anything like this were implemented, it would have to be somewhat realistic and related to what you did.  So: Collect and analyze a sample of an unusual rock for a boost to drill efficiency in that biome, etc.

[K^2]

I think I'd like these sort of things to be part of contract system, or whatever's going to replace it. So rather than arbitrarily gathering/placing junk, it'd be interesting to see a contract to collect rocks near X or place an item at Y.

[shdwlrd]

I can see this for resource collection. For parts though, there will need some type of upgrade path. Like what @Meecrob said, without standard stats, it would limit how the community can help each other. Also it would make sharing crafts a pain with arbitrarily bonuses taked on. Eg. A craft could be good with the bonuses added to them, but be horrible with the stock stats.

[KerikBalm]

18 hours ago, DunaManiac said:

I doubt that the crane in the video is anything but purely aesthetic, perhaps part of the building animation for another module.

I was thinking it might be an animation from some sort of ore processing/refinery module. It clearly doesn't look like its going to be picking up stuff from the ground, given its design and how far above the ground those colony modules are.

Given that they abstract supply routes, after you've done a flight between places (or something like that, Nate Simpson merely commented on someone's guess, saying that the guess was pretty close), maybe there will be similar abstraction for mining, and you need to deploy some sort of mining trucks/rovers for a colony to start the mining process?

Perhaps you can have a rover garage, and the better your rover has been shown (by you) to perform, the higher the resource flow?

We can engage in all sorts of speculation about mining with colonies, but I'm fairly certain that the OP's speculation is not backed up by any evidence in that video clip