Zazwaz117's Campaign

[Zazwaz117]

Introduction

As I’m sure many people can relate to, after playing Kerbal Space Program for a considerable time you get bored. Sure mods and challenges and the like make it interesting again, but after a while even these begin to wear thin. Where do you turn then? Give up on the little green men and return to real life? In my case, I really felt, after having visited most planets and messing about with all kinds of ships that I was missing a certain motivation, i.e. something that kept me wanting to play. For this I went looking for a campaign mode.

I played LordStimpy’s campaign, as well as a few others, for quite some time, and while they are all very well worked out and very enjoyable, after a while these campaigns turned into a grind. As we all know grinding is the biggest fun-killer any gamer can experience.

Eventually, having way too much free time on my hands, I decided to design my own campaign, in the hopes of creating something new, rewarding and challenging and most importantly something that is compatible with every type of mod. The idea I ended up with is not entirely original, but is inspired partly by this guy.

I wanted to create a campaign that feels rewarding, yet doesn’t limit you the way a money-based campaign does. Because of that the whole research idea appealed to me.

 

Starting out

In this campaign the Kerbal Space Program is funded by both the government and the private sector. Money, therefore, is not an issue. What is an issue, however, is knowledge. Knowledge is power, and as Jeb would surely agree, one can never have enough power.

You start out with nothing. Every part needs to be researched. This is where this campaign’s currency comes in. The currency in this campaign is Kerbal Science Points (or KSPs for short). Every part in the VAB/SPH costs something. This is the amount of KSPs that are required to research it. Once the part is researched it is yours to do with as you please (well not entirely, but more on that later).This means that you are not limited to flying/testing missions. You are free to muck about as usual; however you are limited to the parts you have researched.

So the Kerbals need to develop the know-how to get into space. But where does space know-how come from? Why, from space of course!

This is where the Kerbal Space Program ran into its first speed bump. They have no parts and no knowledge to develop them. To tackle this little problem it was decided to gather Kerbin’s top researchers in a room, lock the door and refuse to let them out or feed them until they had come up with some way of getting into space.

As a result of this, you have a starting knowledgebase consisting of 5000 KSPs.

 

Missions

Using what little knowledge the starving scientists gave you you should be able to construct some rudimentary flying vehicles. Whatever you do with these vehicles is entirely up to you, but bear in mind that you won’t be able to build more advanced vehicles until you have the knowledge required to construct them.

To this end you will need to conduct scientific missions. There are 5 basic mission types that will gain you scientific knowledge.

• Impactors

• Satellites

• Ships

• Rovers

• Space Stations

• Bases

Impactors

Impactors are the most basic type of science mission imaginable. Long ago Kerbal scientists learnt that the best way to study something is to smash it very hard into something else and see what happens. After it was discovered that this principle even applies to subatomic particles, Kerbal researchers theorised that there is no reason why it shouldn’t work on planets.

Satellites

Satellites are small, unmanned things orbiting planets and moons. They don’t have much scientific value, as they are mainly used by the Kerbals to phone each other and watch TV. However some maverick scientists have discovered that it may actually be possible to learn something from the data satellites transmit down along with their favourite shows.

Ships

Ships are what the Kerbals use to get from point A to point B in space. They are usually cramped and smell horrible after being inhabited for weeks and therefore Kerbals don’t really feel inclined to do much complicated science stuff in these conditions. However after having been threatened with reduced pay, crew members have grudgingly conceded to carry out the odd experiment.

Rovers

Kerbals are probably the only sentient species to have developed the rocket engine before the wheel. That being said, scientists have found that wheels also have their benefits when it comes to exploring new areas on planets.

Space Stations

Ships where the engines are replaced by living space (and air-conditioning). This provides the Kerbals with a much more ergonomic work environment to conduct research in. The only problem being that it doesn’t go anywhere.

Bases

Space Stations may have the most excellent working conditions for any Kerbal scientist, but they do lack one thing; ground! Who doesn’t want solid ground under their feet while working with volatile chemicals?

Each mission needs to be planned in a mission profile. In this missions profile you must declare the target and in some cases the duration of the mission. The maximum duration for a mission is 10 years. After this time the onboard equipment is considered obsolete along with any research conducted with it. Equipment longevity can be increased with regular mission upgrades (see below).

A mission is considered complete once the vehicle in question has performed the task specified or has been in service for the time specified in the mission profile. After mission completion, the vehicle will have to be decommissioned or upgraded to support future missions. Failure to do so may in some cases result in the creation of space debris with the accompanying penalty.

Note that KSPs are only added to your knowledgebase upon successful completion of a mission.

 

Communications

Have I mentioned that space is big? Well it is. It is also empty of air and therefore there is no sound. This means Kerbal scientists will not be able to shout their scientific findings to one another from the top of a tower as they would back home.

And yet to make all that hard work count, the Kerbals have to find a way of relaying their findings to the folks back home so they can be put to some use. This can be done the old fashioned way by returning home, but this has been found to be time and resource intensive, not to mention dangerous, and therefore not very efficient.

How then does a Kerbal scientist tell the world of his discoveries after shouting “Eureka!� Thankfully the scientists on Kerbin have some ideas for communications antennae waiting for you to research them.

Note that without antennae you will have to return each of your science missions to the KSC in order for the research to count.

There are two types of communications; Long and short range. Short range communications are limited to within a planetary system while long range communications can be broadcast from and to anywhere.

Large antennae are suited for long range and small antennae are suited for short range. However, due to the majority of the Kerbal Space Program’s budget being spent on research, the KSC is not equipped with a long range antenna. Keep this in mind before heading out beyond Minmus.

Rewards

So knowledge is gained by performing science missions. But how much research makes how much knowledge? The table below should help clarify things. Kerbal scientists have assured us that these numbers are based on solid mathematics and are totally not taken out of thin air.

Mission Type......................Reward on Completion

Impactor..........................................250

Satellite...........................................500

Ship................................................500

Rover..............................................600

Space Station.................................1000

Base..............................................1000

Bonuses

As we all know, most major scientific discoveries happen entirely by accident. It is entirely possible for this to happen to your Kerbals as well. For this there are the following reward modifiers:

• Crew Modifier

• Sample Return Bonus

• MET Bonus

• Mission Upgrades

Crew Modifier

In an effort to increase the knowledgebase of the Kerbal Space Program, all astronauts are trained in basic scientific methodology. As a result, any mission with a science officer on board will undoubtedly yield better results. And why not stop with one? Why not man your entire mission with scientists? What could possibly go wrong?

For each Kerbal on your mission, add 0.1 to the reward multiplier. (For example, if you have 3 science officers multiply the mission reward by 1.3)

However, not all astronauts have received the necessary training. There are three exceptions. Jebediah, Bill and Bob Kerman’s education has never gone above “PRESS BIG RED BUTTON TO MAKE STUFF HAPPEN†Therefore the reward modifier does not count for them.

Sample Return Bonus

Once the mission is over that does not mean the research has to stop there. Space is full of interesting stuff, and anything brought back from a mission will surely be beneficial to Kerbal science.

Upon safely returning to Kerbin, after having landed on another planet, add 500 KSPs to your knowledgebase.

MET Bonus

Some missions take longer than others. The longer a mission lasts, the more time the crew have to muck about with their scientific equipment and happen upon something new.

For each year on your mission clock, add 0.3 to your reward multiplier. (For example, after a 5 year mission multiply your mission reward by 2.5)

Mission Upgrades

Who doesn’t like some new shiny technology once in a while? Should you feel that research is progressing sluggishly on one of your missions you can upgrade it by assigning it more scientists or research modules. Apart from increasing the reward gained, research modules will also reset the time your mission has left before becoming obsolete.

For every research module added to your mission, add 0.2 to your reward multiplier.

Research modules must be able to carry at least one Kerbal and must be equipped with at least one scientific item. 

Penalties

Space is certainly an interesting place with a lot of opportunities; however it is also not without danger. In fact, space is in fact the most dangerous environment known to Kerbalkind, even more so than the co-pilot seat in a rocket flown by Jebediah Kerman.

A lot can go wrong in space, and to ensure the safety of future missions the government has ordered the Kerbal Space Program to do all it can to ensure that any accidents will not occur again on future missions. Therefore anything that goes wrong will cost you KSPs to research preventive measures.

However, these penalties only count for scientific missions, as the Kerbal Government turns a blind eye to whatever astronauts do in their free time.

These are the most common problems the Kerbal Space Centre faces and are continuously trying to prevent:

• Crew deaths

o Explosions

o EVA

• Debris

o Land falling

o Space

• Nuclear Incidents

Crew Deaths

While Kerbal astronauts are in no short supply, recruits will be less willing to sign up to fly in rockets that have caused the deaths of their predecessors. Researching newer and better safety measures is hard, so try not to kill too many of your astronauts.

A less common cause of Kerbal death is the cold, hard vacuum of space itself. EVA is often a necessity on missions, and the last thing we want is for your crew to be afraid of donning their spacesuit because it is made of inferior materials.

A Kerbal on EVA is in danger of dying when his jetpack runs out of fuel and there is no ship available for a rescue mission. The suit’s life support system should keep him alive for about a year, but after that it’s game over.

For every Kerbal fatality, subtract 1000 KSPs from your mission reward.

Debris

While being considered more of a nuisance than an actual hazard by all except those unfortunate enough to have it land on their heads, the government has ordered the Kerbal Space Program to do all it can to avoid the creation of land falling debris.

For every piece of debris that crashes into the surface of Kerbin (excluding water and the KSC), subtract 50 KSPs from your mission reward. This includes crashed ships.

Another problem that the usually not-so-farsighted Kerbal government has noticed is the creation of space debris. While not posing much of a threat now, scientist claim that in future too much of this may make space inaccessible to Kerbals for all time. As a result, the government has ordered the prevention of leaving space debris at all costs.

For every piece of debris left floating in space, subtract 10 KSPs from your mission reward.

Nuclear Incidents

It was only a matter of time before the Kerbals discovered nuclear power. The government are very weary of this new technology and are very strict on its use as a result, despite scientists’ continued arguments of “What could possibly go wrong?â€Â

Following assurances that nuclear powered devices will primarily be used in space, far away from any Kerbal civilians, the government has grudgingly allowed their use. However, should something happen, the government will impose a strict ban on the use of the device in question and all the effort that went into its development will now have to be repeated for finding a new name for it.

For every accident involving nuclear materials (including RTGs) the device in question will have to be re-researched.

Final Note

As with proper KSP, there is no win or lose. Even if you exhaust your knowledgebase, you will have plenty of parts to play around with and build it up again. Once you have researched every conceivable part, including mods, you’re basically just back to playing normal sandbox KSP. At this stage I suggest you take a moment to rethink your life.

I hope you enjoy this campaign. Ideas and feedback are always welcome.