Need Your Help: Campaigns for Newbies! Wiki Campaigns

[inigma]

Ok so I've been secretly working on developing a campaign series for new players to pick up new ideas and apply them along the way:

The Kerbal Space Program

http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Campaigns

not endorsed by Squad, but certainly on their radar for ideas. Could you help me fill in the blanks, add missions, etc? I think I've developed almost everything up to the Mun Race so far.

9/4/13 Update: Revisiting this old thread that started the whole Wiki Campaigns. Feel free to let me know if you've played them. I just want to know if anyone's actually doing them or getting ideas based off of them (in other words, was my time drafting these well spent?)

Edited September 4, 2013 by inigma

[gerryrbd]

Well you could take some cues from Mission Controller. Do they have to be based on real/historic missions or are you thinking about a big tutorial-like campaign?

[mellojoe]

One of the things that has really tickled me about this game is the endless variety. Two of the challenges should be: 1) minimalist and 2) Rube Goldberg Approved.

The minimalist would obviously be a target minimum number of components to achieve orbit and return. Something like a small engine, small pod, and a small fuel tank. Just to show that sometimes less is more. And that huge, enourmous craft (while fun) are not always necessary.

The Rube Goldberg Approved would obviously be the monstrosity: 40T payload strapped to as many rockets and boosters as you can achieve. Something like a part count starting at 100 and going up. Again, just to demonstrate that sometimes more IS more. Look at what can be achieved. From humble craft to over-the-top behemouths, anything is possible.

[inigma]

Well you could take some cues from Mission Controller. Do they have to be based on real/historic missions or are you thinking about a big tutorial-like campaign?

They are near historical, major milestone missions, not tutorials, but certainly providing tips and links to tutorials to accomplish the missions and campaigns. The point is to give players a goal, and if they need help the mission contains tips and links if they dont want to figure it out entirely on their own.

[regex]

I've been using your campaign page as a sort of guideline for a logical progression of launches and missions (and to accumulate space-stuff), and I really appreciate the effort so far. IMO, you don't really need to write much further than the Apollo (and maybe the early rover/probe) missions because by that point a player should, and probably will, be setting their own goals within the sandbox.

What those pages could really use (and what I can probably help with next week) is Wikipedia links to the various programs and missions, a la maro's Ancient Launchers thread, and additional links to information such as what geostationary orbit is for Kerbin. It is also my opinion that some of the "rules" are completely unnecessary for sandbox play; you could easily shorten mission descriptions to "Orbit one Kerbal 11 times at 80km altitude" (for example). Of course, that comes from my view of the campaign page as more of a guideline.

[gerryrbd]

Good idea! Though if it's for new players, I'd suggest focusing primarily on player skill progression (instead of a "historical" progression), while providing a relevant setting and real world info for each mission. That way you'd make sure they gradually learn how to play and dont get frustrated by its initial difficulty (I was..!), and capture their attention with historical facts and goals if they're interested to know more.

So setting a roadmap like:

- Get probe to lko

- Get manned capsule to specific lko

- Get probe to moons orbit

- Set foot on mun

- Rendez vous, polar orbits, other planets...

etc., each one named after a real world mission and accompanied by info/facts/examples. Its a lot of work, now that I think about it.!

[inigma]

I've been using your campaign page as a sort of guideline for a logical progression of launches and missions (and to accumulate space-stuff), and I really appreciate the effort so far. IMO, you don't really need to write much further than the Apollo (and maybe the early rover/probe) missions because by that point a player should, and probably will, be setting their own goals within the sandbox.

What those pages could really use (and what I can probably help with next week) is Wikipedia links to the various programs and missions, a la maro's Ancient Launchers thread, and additional links to information such as what geostationary orbit is for Kerbin. It is also my opinion that some of the "rules" are completely unnecessary for sandbox play; you could easily shorten mission descriptions to "Orbit one Kerbal 11 times at 80km altitude" (for example). Of course, that comes from my view of the campaign page as more of a guideline.

Simple is best, I agree, though my plan is to help draft the campaigns up to the modern age. Each campaign stands alone but the idea is to order them historically first and then order by difficulty.

[inigma]

Ok, now I'm looking for feedback. Who here has actually tried playing out these Campaigns? Have you found them challenging? Progressive? Logical? Have you learned anything by doing them that you normally wouldn't have? Would you suggest any changes? I've been reviewing the whole series for .21 and I'm now at the point of a manned Minmus landing. I draft these as I play them knowing that they work. I also developed SSTOs in preparation for the next unwritten campaign: Shuttle Program.

SSI was developed as a result below in my sig.

[keleige]

inigma:

Signed up for an account just now to post this message. I cut my teeth on KSP using your campaigns... after the first few (hundred???) rockets crashed and burned I figured I needed a orderly way to progress through learning new skills. So I made myself do _every, single, mission_. Kerbinai 8 was the worst, but the feeling of accomplishment when I finally docked can't be beat So yea: good job! thank you for writing it.

[JumpsterG]

Dude, I'm glad you wrote them! I found those campaign missions hiding in the wiki a while back and it jumpstarted my KSP experience. I have many screenshots taken while accomplishing these missions. I very much enjoyed the semi-tutorial aspect of the missions, as well as for having flavorful descriptions and simple, but fun, engineering requirements. It also gets bonus points for being both stock and mod friendly, by not requiring any mods but easily benefiting from them.

A great example of a mission I enjoyed was the mapping satellite (GeoSat from the Age of Satellites). Requiring a mapping satellite to have a rover body integrated in the design was an incredibly simple requirement that created the need to engineer around a non-standard shape, and made me feel like I was adding the part for a purpose, rather than just asthetics or a place to put stuff. Making the mission objective to put it into a specific polar orbit demonstrates how to gain total planetary coverage with 1 satellite. My use the ISA Mapsat mod successfully for the first time made that mission stand out even more.

I remember getting impatient a few times, but I'm glad I stuck it out and did every mission that was available (and took cues from the unfinished campaigns on where to go next). I may go through it again, now that you've reminded me of it, and look for ways you might improve or extend it now that I have played for a few months and have a handle on things.

Thanks for your work!

[Holo]

Do you want any volunteers to write some of the missions? Because I'd love to do something like this.

[asmi]

I wonder why everybody seem to think that first rockets used solid fuel... All early rockets (V-2, R family, Redstone) used liquid fuel - solids came much later.

Edited September 5, 2013 by asmi

[ArmchairGravy]

I have worked through the campaign up to the satellites. I think it's a good progression. I learned that the first 2-stage rocket will achieve Kerbal escape, which surprised me greatly. I'm working on my geosynchronous satellites now. Thanks for putting the missions together as they do a great job of teaching the fundamentals while still being fun and challenging!

[Holo]

I wonder why everybody seem to think that first rockets used solid fuel... All early rockets (V-2, R family, Redstone) used liquid fuel - solids came much later.

The Chinese were using solid fuel rockets 700 years before anyone had heard of the V-2.

[inigma]

keleige,

I'm touched, and very thankful for your feedback! I hope to put out a few more drafts shortly, tweak a few here and there and more. They've been a learning process for me too. I still haven't put my interplanetary probes into space yet. I'm working on that, in addition to completing the Kerbals in Space campaign.

[inigma]

Thank you JumpsterG! Age of Satellites was one of my most tough campaigns to put together and get right. I learned the most with that campaign. Everything else has been a cakewalk technically in comparison.

[inigma]

Holo, I would love volunteers to write up missions. In fact the whole campaign series exists for anyone to draft missions and create new campaigns as they see fit. I never intended it to be just my thing, but a community thing. Everyone has great ideas! As long as your mission(s) fit the general theme and description format of other missions, and supports the campaign its under, go for it! Keep the format, make your missions unique, and you should be good. If I edit, it will be to keep the presentation to the general format and flow, but that should be it.

[inigma]

asmi,

Holo said it. The Chinese (Kerbese in the campaigns) built solid rockets first. That's why the whole series starts with them. Also they are the easiest rockets to make in KSP.

[inigma]

Thanks ArmchairGravy! I'm learning a lot by putting them up. I've thought about perhaps posting a campaign award for each campaign which can be posted in your sigs if people want.