Make the Kerbals themselves *do* something

[ncw33]

I feel this is a big missed opportunity for gameplay fun!

In KSP1: I cared about my Kerbals - Jeb, Bill, Bob. When I set off on a mission, I used the Kerbal picker to make sure they were on board. I couldn't let them die!

This was a result of several things:

• Kerbals had experience. I took all 4 hero Kerbals, to get full XP (landed/flyby etc all bodies). I even took one on the Gilly "thread the needle" expedition (Gilly flyby, without passing through orbit of Eve)!
• Their career report in the Astonaut center mattered.
• Hiring new Kerbals was expensive - so I took an interest in their names and abilities.
• They had varied roles (pilot/scientist/engineer).

In KSP2: I've completed the tech tree with hardly any manned missions at all ☹

• The Kerbals are completely interchangeable.
• The list is cluttered with tons of Kerbals who come and go, and I don't know or care who they are (why wouldn't I always fly with Jeb & Val holding hands - they are brother and sister after all).
• There's no tracking of their career.
• Missions have no effect on the Kerbals (apart from death). You have no incentive to take them anywhere.

I leave it completely up to Intercept to think what to do! I'm not expecting you to bring back an XP requirement to unlock SAS modes (that was painful). But the world should have some effect on the Kerbals, to make us care.

[pg17]

I share your feeling!

I really hope the colony update will improve the need to have manned missions, but I somehow doubt it will resolves the "Kerbals being interchangeable" issue...

[DailyFrankPeter]

How about giving them a bio with thumbnails + stats like number of hours flown? Seems like that could even be autogenerated.

E.g. 
Jebediah Kerman

missions:
Mun Lander1
Mun Lander1 (1)
Mun Lander1 (2)
Mun Lander1 (2) final
Mun Lander1 (2) final _another go
(+pics)

hours flown: 15000000
of which in time dilation: 14999998

KSP1 veteran


P.S. Come to think of it, maybe there should be a option to not group/stack repetitive missions. 
P.S.2. These days, with gen AI, one could even feasibly think of autogenerating mission badges for the bio.

Edited January 19, 2024 by DailyFrankPeter

[DailyFrankPeter]

On 1/15/2024 at 1:09 AM, ncw33 said:

• Missions have no effect on the Kerbals (apart from death). You have no incentive to take them anywhere.

Don't you miss out of 'crew report' science items if you don't take them? 

Also I imagine colonies will change this particular fact completely. 

Edited January 19, 2024 by DailyFrankPeter