The Kerbal Space Program

[EmperorJon]

The Kerbal Space Program

Have you got what it takes to be a Space Program Tycoon?

(As a forenote, the Kerbal currency unit will be called a 'kerbit' from now on, this challenge is designed for stock KSP parts only, and the values are seriously made up. If it takes off, I\'ll do some real work to get a balanced challenge V2.)

Tech Tree

Stock Pod, LFT and LFE, Stack Decoupler, AV-T1 winglet and Chute researched by default.

Researching the Radial Decoupler costs 2000 kerbits.

Researching the Strut Connector costs 2000 kerbits.

Researching the SRB costs 2500 kerbits.

Researching stock SAS costs 3000 kerbits.

Researching the TriCoupler costs 3000 kerbits.

Researching the RCS thruster and tank costs 4000 kerbits.

Researching AV-R8 winglet costs 4500 kerbits and requires ASAS.

Researching ASAS costs 5000 kerbits and requires SAS.

Researching LV-T45 costs 5000 kerbits and requires ASAS.

Unoccupied flights can be flown once all SAS, ASAS, and other control technologies are researched. The ship must have an ASAS to fly unoccupied. Any flights with passengers require a live crewfor safety!

Money

All parts cost their values seen in the VAB per each part.

Yes, you have to pay for the Pod too...

You start with a government funding of 10000 kerbits.

You gain money through completing objectives.

At the end of a mission, the cost of all parts either a. attached to the landed ship or b. jetissoned with chutes set to open (and holding a sensible mass) are refunded IN FULL. Fuel tanks are now also worth full. The fuel cost is insignificant.

This money is either poured back into your account, or used directly if you\'re launching the same ship again, for example.

If your Kerbonaughts die, you\'ll need to train new ones, at a cost of 3000 kerbits each! (So 9000)

Objectives/Missions

Each successful government mission increases govermental funding by 5%.

So after 1 success you get 10500, the next will give you 11025, etc.

After any 'accident' mission, governmental funding drops by 10%.

After any 'failed' mission, governmental funding drops by 25%.

After any 'unsuccessful' mission, governmental funding drops by 5%.

(The above happens even if it was a corp. mission. Disasters look bad!)

Accidents are any mission where something goes significantly wrong; parts fall off, overheat, jettisoned boosters hit the VAB, etc.

Failed missions are when the kerbonaughts die.

Unsuccessful missions are ones which failed to meet the chosen/given objectives.

(I\'ll have to rethink the mission types when I have access to KSP again, there\'s going to have to be a lot of crossover.)

Government Targets - Can only be met once.

Reach 40km.

Leave Kerbin\'s atmosphere.

Enter any orbit around Kerbin.

Enter a highly circular (ap/per difference of 1km) orbit.

Drop a satellite in the above orbit. (If successful, opens up corporate missions)

Get into a highly circular orbit around the Mun.

Drop a satellite in the above orbit.

Land on the Mun! (Must have crew onboard)

Corporate Missions - Can be done many times.

Set up a geosynchronous weather satellite for KerbalStateTV.

- TV satellite for KerBall Sports.

-

WIP

I will also create a spreadsheet like template for uploading and comparing your program!

[Zool]

This could be fun, I would suggest that empty tanks be worth much more than the fuel they carry, this is both more accurate, and since bringing parts back without destroying them will be quite difficult, it\'s a better incentive to try for it. I would ignore any remaining fuel, just say the cost of the fuel is insignificant, it will just make accounting more difficult.

[Jack Slinger]

Nice Idea,

Hopefully harvester will eventually include a research and cost system, but this could be very fun in the mean time.

I might think about making a quick program on vb to handle some of the accounting for me that would be good.

[EmperorJon]

Going to be doing some work on this tomorrow. Doing a bit of a test run now to see how feasible the current budgetting is. Don\'t want it to be too easy or too hard.

[Jack Slinger]

How about making the cost of research a percentage of the cost to the part to build and e.g 50% or 200% or something then modded parts will be possible to use more easily. It would just be a matter of adding a sensible price to the part in the files.

[Eddy]

This is awesome, I can\'t wait for the spreadsheet as I have a hard time keeping tack of things manually. The spreadsheet should help loads.

[Amoral]

Year 1:

Balance: 10000

Mission 1

An Alpha rocket lifts the command pod up to 78km before returning safely to earth. The command pod and Parachute are recovered.

Goals met:

Reach 40km

Leave Kerbin\'s Atmosphere

Mission Budget - $2925

$422 Mk16 Parachute

$1600 Command Pod Mk 1

$975 TR-18A Stack Decoupler

$1100 2x FLT-2500 Fueltanks

$850 LV-t30 Liquid Fuel Engine

----

$4947 Alpha Rocket

$2022 Recovered Materials

----

$2925 Mission Cost

$7075 Remaining Balance

Mission 2

A Beta Rocket carries the command pod into orbit. The initial burn gets an Apokee of 80km. A second burn at apokee circularizes the orbit. After some time warp a retrograde burn deorbits the vehicle. Separation of the command pod occurs in the upper atmosphere. The command pod and parachute are recovered.

Mission Budget $4025

$422 Mk16 Parachute

$1600 Command Pod

$975 TR-18A Stack Decoupler

$2200 2x FLT-2500 Fueltanks

$850 LV-t30 Liquid Fuel Engine

----

$6047 Beta Rocket

$2022 Recovered Materials

----

$4025 Mission Cost

$3050 Remaining Balance

Goals Met:

Enter Orbit

Enter Circular Orbit

4 goals met, New Budget: $12155

Year 2

Year 2 Opening Balance: 15205

Research - $9000

SRB

Radial Decoupler

AV-R8 Winglet

Mission 3

A Beta II rocket carries 3 Kerbals to within 1km of the moon. Ground control is concerned that not enough fuel remains to enter orbit and return safely, and so the mission is aborted. The Kerbals slingshot past the moon, and get a free return right into Kearth\'s atmosphere. The command pod has enough spead to plow through the atmosphere and make one more orbit, but the second time it hits the atmosphere it comes back to Kearth.

This is my first unsucessful mission.

Mision Budget - $4025

----

$422 Mk16 Parachute

$1600 Command Pod

$975 TR-18A Stack Decoupler

$2200 2x FLT-2500 Fueltanks

$850 LV-t30 Liquid Fuel Engine

$3825 3x TT-38K Radial Decoupler

$1350 3x RT-10 Solid Rocket Booster

$1266 3x Mk16 Parachute

----

$12488 Beta II Rocket

$8463 Recovered Costs

----

$4025 Mission Costs

$2180 - Remaining Balance

1 Unsuccessful Mission. New budget $11547

Year 3

Year 3 Opening Balance: $14011

And so on...

[Tim_Barrett]

I wonder how money will be weighed against modded parts... Will that be pre-set by some sort of algorithim measuring all of the parts parameters?

[Guest Flixxbeatz]

stock only? :-[

[technoguy33]

GAWD, I can\'t wait for the full KSP to come out!

[Gojira]

Add Silisko Edition parts that have been rebalanced for stock?

c:

[blurrr 2]

Having severe cash penalties for failure is realistic, but not fun. It gets rid of the 'strap crap together and blow it up' feel of KSP, and otherwise makes Jebediah sad.

I want to suggest a three-mode system:

Sandbox mode: infinite parts. This could be used to learn the game for new players, or to test and design rockets for forum challenges

Casual mode: a list of missions to be completed in order, each with a set budget limit

Hardcore mode: the above system, with yearly budgets, etc.

[technoguy33]

That\'s a brilliant idea! ;D

[Guest ThatCrazyPilot]

[Niarro]

Signing up! X3

[NovaSilisko]

Add Silisko Edition parts that have been rebalanced for stock?

c:

Yes please. I need to find how balanced they are cost-wise!