KSC upgrades in science mode

[KawaiiLucy]

Hello all!

I've tried career mode quite extensively, and enjoyed having some restrictions. However, while it is fun to have to manage funds in the early game, it gets really difficult to strike the balance with advanced parts, like the engines from far future tech, which are extremely expensive. One of the aspects that appealed to me, was that you had to upgrade your KSC in order to progress. You can tweak it with custom barn kit in career to adjust the buildings costs etc., but is there a mod / would it be feasible to replicate this in science mode? Like as in also start from a lv1 KSC and then spend science points to upgrade each building, with increased costs each time.

[Cruesoe]

Now this I would enjoy. I like career and some of its limits but after you have done the contacts a thousand times it gets stale.

I'd rather impose my own limits based on the archivements of science mode.

I sadly do not know if it's possible.

 

 

[Noah Foloni]

I've thought about this before, glad I'm not the only one.

Edited September 9, 2021 by DaBakonAder
t y p o s

[theJesuit]

@KawaiiLucy, @Cruesoe, @DaBakonAder

I have had a quick think this morning when i saw this post.

First I wondered if Custom Barn Kit had this option? However this isn't updated maybe and I couldn't find documentation to see if it was possible.

Second I can't remember if Kerbal Construction Time has something LIKE this.

Then I thought about what the issues are... and whether they could be mitigated with .cfg MM patches without a .dll mod.

For the most part Funds are used to purchase parts and fuel.  Also to upgrade/ fix the buildings and purchase kerbals.

Building upgrades and cost of kerbals are tied to failure rate penalty? In the save settings.  I'm not sure it is possible to MM patch these costs.

Contracts are there to support this 'economy' by providing funds (and a small science boost). Rep relstes only to when contracts come up? But I've always ignored rep.

It is possible to remove stock contracts with MM patching... so I suggest this:

MM patch to remove all contracts EXCEPT for world firsts.

MM patch to adjust world first payouts that would match upgrading facilities based on say, orbit is enough to upgrade Launchpad, Mun flyby for VAB, Minmus flyby for Tracking, landing on both for R&D.  

The other consideration would be Strategies.  Potentially to get more funds you would have to convert Science to Funds, so limiting your Science collection overall to get enough for the Tracking Centre upgrade or purchase that 9th kerbal.

This would make more sense canonically with say Extraplanetary Launchpads which costs nothing with mining and time to create any parts that you then recover for profit.  

[KawaiiLucy]

5 minutes ago, theJesuit said:

First I wondered if Custom Barn Kit had this option?

That was my first thought, but you can ony change values, not currencies; at least in the default cfg.

 

6 minutes ago, theJesuit said:

MM patch to adjust world first payouts that would match upgrading facilities based on say, orbit is enough to upgrade Launchpad, Mun flyby for VAB, Minmus flyby for Tracking, landing on both for R&D. 

This does make sense from a milestone perspective, but wouldn't allow for more flexibility, i.e. if you were to use system rescales (talking out of own interest here ^^), then you might not have enough capacity to reach orbit with just 18t rockets. Maybe you could mitigate that issue by modifying the max weight values. In the end it wouldn't be the linear progression path, where you upgrade where/when you need it...

[theJesuit]

10 minutes ago, KawaiiLucy said:

This does make sense from a milestone perspective, but wouldn't allow for more flexibility, i.e. if you were to use system rescales (talking out of own interest here ^^), then you might not have enough capacity to reach orbit with just 18t rockets.

That is where i think Strategies may come in handy along with a rebalance of reward Funds for the milestones... 

Oh boy... now I want to make a SIMPLEX Science Career mod.  I'd need a good name though.

Maybe SIMPLEX Vocations?

I'd need to compete SIMPLEX Colonies though.  If fudns are an issue I want to have colonies that can spawn more kerbals.

[theJesuit]

I'll just leave this here.

[theJesuit]

Released!

 

[theJesuit]

I'd be grateful for some feedback on balance, amd whether introducing cost of fuel would be a help or hindrance?  I haven't gameplayed it enough to see if the purchasing of fuel is going to be more of a hindrance.

[theJesuit]

Final release. Feature complete.

Happy to take suggestions.