What is the point of planetary bases

[boxman]

Firstly I'm not criticising planetary bases. I'm just curious as to what the point of making them is, I always hear people talking about them. I imagine it would be enjoyable building them and flying them there but what then? what is there to do when they're built. Of course they will serve a purpose with the introduction of career mode with mining, remote launch pads etc. Can someone enlighten me.

And what purpose does sending satellites into orbit, landing on other planets or building a spacestation do??

This game as it is now is all about imagination...

[Scottiths]

For sexy screen shots! You can't beat a kerbin rise though a mun arch.

[Scottiths]

For the record, landing on the moon for real didn't accomplish much besides saying we could do it.

[RatBeer]

For the record, landing on the moon for real didn't accomplish much besides saying we could do it.

I think they went to take samples too

[PwnedDuck]

Well, the idea is to have boots on the ground on as many bodies as possible, for when we get mining.

[Benie]

I personally got bored with the Mun. And these new craters aren't really going to make me want to go there (except maybe "Weee!! Look at how much air my rover can go with these cra-- OSH-!!! *destroyed rover, dead Kerbal*"). I want to have a reason for going there, not saying "yay, we did it!... now what?... Uhhh... go around on the rover? We did that 20 times today. Broke a wheel on the 15th."

That's one curse I feel about freeroaming games. Once you "defeat the final boss" (the "final boss" being landing), what's next?

This is why I got bored with Minecraft.

[Benie]

-- Dangit, forum! Look what your lagging has done, I doubleposted--

[Kimberly]

Well eventually, we'll be able to do science and maybe build up some infrastructure, so we can advance kerbal civilization.

[zarakon]

What is the point of anything in this game?

Making cool things like planetary bases IS the point

[Van Disaster]

And it's also training you for when there is an ingame reason.

Kethane mod is also a good ingame reason. If only I could finally build a FAR compatible launcher for heavy rovers...

[astropapi1]

Think about it, KSP in it's current state is like life itself.

There's no "Career" or "Story" mode. There's just this thing called "Space", an you're free to do whatever you want with it.

[SargeRho]

I use my bases for role-playing science and for mining kethane.

[FITorion]

It's a sandbox. Everything we do from start to finish is "because we can". There is no goal. There is no use. There is no purpose. All these things you make for yourself. No one can tell you what purpose you should have. It's none of anyone else's business why you do what you do.

[Merinsan]

This question often gets asked, and my response is always the same.

Why bother playing the game?

The game itself has no purpose, no end goal.

There is no point building/launching a rocket even, so you build bases because you can, and it's something more that you can do.

[Benie]

Well, the "purpose" for the reason I play it (even though it brings me so much grief/rage when things don't work for me 100% of the time), is I'm stuck with this game.

Can't play my other games until I get a new computer. I.. "half-fried" my motherboard. I'm lucky it still works.

[koshelenkovv]

Firstly I'm not criticising planetary bases. I'm just curious as to what the point of making them is, I always hear people talking about them. I imagine it would be enjoyable building them and flying them there but what then? what is there to do when they're built. Of course they will serve a purpose with the introduction of career mode with mining, remote launch pads etc. Can someone enlighten me.

Just for fun.

Really, all this game is just for fun - there is no any goals or achievments other than you make for yourself.

It's all like Minecraft.

[Lazro]

The whole point of this game is asking yourself "can I do this?" And when you can finally say "I can!", the feeling you get is the entire point of Kerbal Space Program.

[OopsThatNotWork]

Mostly because making a really elaborate one is a challenge. Ive been building a base on Minimus for a few weeks now (playing off and on, not constantly) and im still working on it. Getting all different sized equipment all to one site (try landing all your stuff within 2 km or less) and then relocating it somehow so that it "looks nice" (or has function, mine is a kethane mining HQ). Being able to create something that took some effort is my answer to your question.

[skyace65]

for when you build a rocket that accidentally can't bring Kerbals home. "that was intentional! I was just uh...making a base! yeah that's it! I'm just making a base...."

I think they will have more importance in career mode though for certain challenges and stuff. and if the game ever gets to the point where we have an expansion for colonization it will probably be the starting point for a colony.

[alaskafish]

Remember... in KSP you make your own goals. If you want to experience the challenge of getting a nice and/or cool base to a different planet, you make a base, or build a space station... etc.

[Johnno]

For the record, landing on the moon for real didn't accomplish much besides saying we could do it.

Guess it depends on how you define 'accomplish much'. Google 'apollo spinoff technologies' or 'apollo spinoff inventions'. Perhaps read up on the chronology of spaceflight as well. Of course you can go "well yeah but even without apollo we would've eventually gotten to where we are", but you might as well just admit that Apollo was a big part in spaceflight and the history of mankind.

[Lanfranc]

We build planetary bases and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

[SuperWeegee4000]

So if you're bored, you can switch to the base and have your Kerbals jump around.

[glacierre]

Guess it depends on how you define 'accomplish much'. Google 'apollo spinoff technologies' or 'apollo spinoff inventions'. Perhaps read up on the chronology of spaceflight as well. Of course you can go "well yeah but even without apollo we would've eventually gotten to where we are", but you might as well just admit that Apollo was a big part in spaceflight and the history of mankind.

Yes, but technically you could build the apollo program, not launch it (or it could have exploded on the launchpad) and still all the derivative knowledge would be kept.

The main gain (and aim) from the program and the human landings was political, which is the prominent reason why more than 30 years have passed without another landing.

[Rizzupl]

What is the point of your life? Honestly, tell me? You can't give a straight answer as you create those points yourself.