In game Progression of KSP 2

[Basesixty]

In the first kerbal game the progression  you would make through the tech tree(finishing the game at minmus) and through exploration(Going to the mun within ten minutes of starting a new game) had an extremely fast pace which seemed almost too fast for me personally. So I wanted to know peoples opinions on if the progression speed should stay the same be slower or be faster for KSP 2 especially with the fact that colonies and interstellar travel will be introduced.

[Pthigrivi]

Great topic. I actually feel exactly the opposite haha. Or rather I agree but I see it differently. To my mind the pacing from Kerbin to the Mun is about right, after which it comes to a grinding halt. I say that because by progression I don't just mean the tech-tree, but the entire structure of the game. From this standpoint 2-3 missions to reach orbit followed by 2-3 missions to land on Minmus and/or the Mun, 2-3 missions to set up your first station, etc, really isn't bad, and players should have access to a good portion of the existing tech-tree to do that. There is nothing however after that point that impels players to start sending interplanetary probes and crewed missions and so they spend another dozen or two missions tediously farming around Kerbin and its moons until the tech tree is done, and of those that even reach that point half of them never leave. Given all of the cool stuff KSP2 has in scope it really can't allow that post-mun-mission bog-down to happen. 

 I spent a minute this spring estimating the number of distinct missions it should probably take to get out and build a few colonies and tech up to your first interstellar vessel:
 

Just some quick estimates: I think in principle it should be possible for a semi-experienced player to go interstellar within 100-150 hours of gameplay, or 4h/ week for 6-9 months (for reference it takes around 200h to get to level 100 in Skyrim.) Others may vary but I find I average about 2h/ mission all-in between planning, design, testing, and flight-time. That’s just 50-75 missions. How might that budget out?

1 survey probe per body: 16 missions
2 initial landings on 8 bodies (probe and/or crewed): 16 missions
2 prospecting missions on 4 bodies: 8 missions
3 asteroid/comet missions
3 colony set up missions on 2 bodies: 6 missions
4 logistics missions on 2 bodies (satellites, milk-run establishment): 8 missions
3 additional exploration/science missions on 2 bodies: 6 missions
2 interstellar probes

Total: 65 missions
 

That, plus down-time spent managing tech development, crews, colony building, and managing economies and resources probably brings you close to that 140-150h mark. Keep in mind these are just guesstimated averages, some missions will be much faster or longer than 2h and different players might spend more time on a few bodies rather than trying to visit all 16. You'll notice this isn't really that many missions to play with, but I think its about right considering this is just to get to the point where you've completed enough of the tech tree to build your first interplanetary colony ship. If you make it drastically more time consuming than that or bog players down with tedious tasks you aren't going to get most players to even start colonies, let alone explore other star systems. 

Given that kind of pacing I really don't think you want more than 5-6 initial launches to get to orbit and reach Minmus and the Mun, and you definitely don't want a dozen repetitive biome hops around them. Those first 6 missions should furnish you with everything you need to go interplanetary and start prospecting and building your first rudimentary stations and outposts. The fortunate thing is KSP2's tech tree is going to be much deeper, so you absolutely can dole out 3/4 of the existing parts within the Kerbin system. After that though I think its important that Kerbin and its moons are mostly mined out for tech rewards so players can't just putter around and have to make some leaps to keep moving. 
 

[maxadmiral]

I absolutely love the progression in RO/RP-1, but it might be too hardcore/tedious for many players.

[Dientus]

Thats were the options and sliders come in. Not to mention sandbox.

 

As initial, stock settings, I think a more realistic and logical approach should be taken. After that, changing options and/add mods to taste.

 

@Pthigrivi  I think what you have is realistic eenough the way it's stated

Edited July 30, 2021 by Dientus
addition and changes meh mobile

[Black Dog]

During science career, I usually set the slider to 20% Science rewards.  Sometimes even 10% and adding a flat 20-50 point to get you started.  This means the progression curve is much flatter and you have to build some rugged rockets to achieve your goals.

 

[Pthigrivi]

1 hour ago, Black Dog said:

During science career, I usually set the slider to 20% Science rewards.  Sometimes even 10% and adding a flat 20-50 point to get you started.  This means the progression curve is much flatter and you have to build some rugged rockets to achieve your goals.

 

Thats funny I set it to 120-150% because I want to get right to it. How many missions do you fly before you send a probe to Duna?

Edited July 30, 2021 by Pthigrivi

[Black Dog]

Don't send any unmanned probes. It's always Kerbals with USI Life Support to add to the difficulty.

So it's usually 2-3 missions on and around Kerbin, then flying around mun/minmus and leaving Kerbin SOI to get Kerbol science before attempting the first lander on Mun/Minmus.

After that it's Duna/Eve Flybys befor landing on one of the moons