Monoliths unlocking new part trees

[solomon]

I, as are probably everyone else, am looking forward to the addition of tech trees in Kerbal Space Program. That got me thinking. Here's my suggestion: (Warning, spoilers ahead)

What if you could use the current 2001 space odyssey-esque monoliths scattered around the Kerbol system to unlock new part trees. I don't mean just singular parts. I mean entire trees of parts. For you to use the monolith, you would have to get a Kerbal to stand next to it, right click the Kerbal, then select a new option: photograph. Your Kerbal would then walk around the monolith , taking pictures of it as he goes. Once you take off again and land back at KSC, then you can recover your flight. That will then add the monolith-specified branch to your tech tree. For instance, one of the monoliths on the moon would unlock the Nuclear Power branch, which includes NERVAs, RTGs, etc., which you would then have to research. Another monolith might contain advanced alloy technologies, which, depending on what level you research it to, would reduce the dry mass of everything by up to 50%. Maybe you could even go to the site of the "Duna code", have your kerbal listen to and decode the SSTV signal, which would unlock major things, such as new planets, maps of existing planets or even new star systems.

Just my idea for the tech trees. Any suggestions, constructive criticism, or death threats are welcome. Well, maybe not the last one. You get the point. Hope you enjoyed my idea.

P.S. Sorry, spoilers didn't work. Anyone know how to do them?

[Scorpi15]

Spoilers are borked atm afaik. But I think taht some of those ideas are too OP, like decoding the SSTV signal unlocking new planets. Anyway how would the game know that the signal was decoded? The only way to decode it is to record the signal and play it back with external programs.

[Outlander4]

How would decoding a signal or finding a strange piece of rock 'unlock' anything? Science is not done that way. Granted, decoding a signal may point us to aliens who sent it, but there will be no aliens in the game.

Let Easter Eggs remain Easter Eggs.

[Skorpion]

How would decoding a signal or finding a strange piece of rock 'unlock' anything? Science is not done that way.

Oh, you naive little thing. You think we designed nuclear rockets through hard work and experimentation? Wake up man! NERVA was "designed" in Area 51!

[solomon]

Spoilers are borked atm afaik. But I think taht some of those ideas are too OP, like decoding the SSTV signal unlocking new planets. Anyway how would the game know that the signal was decoded? The only way to decode it is to record the signal and play it back with external programs.

You would have to bring the recording back to the space center, where it would automatically be decoded there. Remember, the SSTV signal spans like 50 square meters and is just one tiny spot in all of Duna, so it would be pretty tricky to find. I agree that it is a bit OP. The main problem is that once one person posted the location of it, everyone else would know too. Maybe it would be randomly placed along the surface of Duna?

[Skorpion]

You think the problem is that easter eggs are too easy to find? Really? I was thinking this suggestion is a non-starter unless something like ISA MapSat is integrated to help us find the Easter eggs.

[solomon]

How would decoding a signal or finding a strange piece of rock 'unlock' anything? Science is not done that way. Granted, decoding a signal may point us to aliens who sent it, but there will be no aliens in the game.

Let Easter Eggs remain Easter Eggs.

Have you ever read/watched 2001: A Space Odyssey? If you haven't, here's the basics. There is 1 monolith on the earth, and one on the moon, placed by aliens. If you are in the presence of one, then your species evolves. That's how, according to the book/movie, humans evolved from apes. I was thinking that since the monoliths scattered around the Kerbol system look pretty much the same as the ones in 2001:ASO, then they should have more or less the same purpose. The SSTV signals would be decoded to reveal a "star map" or something along those lines. The maps would either be a hi-res topographical map of a planet in the Kerbol system, or they would unlock another star system that you could fly to.

[Nachtwind]

Have you ever read/watched 2001: A Space Odyssey? If you haven't, here's the basics. There is 1 monolith on the earth, and one on the moon, placed by aliens. If you are in the presence of one, then your species evolves. That's how, according to the book/movie, humans evolved from apes. I was thinking that since the monoliths scattered around the Kerbol system look pretty much the same as the ones in 2001:ASO, then they should have more or less the same purpose. The SSTV signals would be decoded to reveal a "star map" or something along those lines. The maps would either be a hi-res topographical map of a planet in the Kerbol system, or they would unlock another star system that you could fly to.

Actually the first monolith (TMA-0) on earth ded somehow help the apes evolve into humans.. yet TMA-1 was something different altogether.

As it is pretty much massless it also has a very strong magnetic field (hence tycho MAGNETIC anomaly). After being dug up it sent a signal to TMA-2 which is at Lagrange between Jupiter and Io (read "on Iapetus" for the book version).

TMA-2 has no such magnetic field and a mass that makes it just as dense as air. Furthermore TMA-2 is more like a swiss army knife than a transmitter (like the on one the moon). It could "absorb?" HAL and Bowman and could multiply itself like a von Neumann device (and transform Jupiter into Lucifer). After that job was finished it dropped to Europe and spawned a new round of evolution there..

It is not exactly known, but expected that TMA-2 also did transmit signals to the unknown civilisation that started the whole Monolith "program"...

I think that sums it up ^^

[Beeman]

I'd be totally okay with munoliths or other hidden things like them helping you with research. Even if you just got some extra science points for doing experiments near one, it'd be cool. They can still have actual easter eggs that don't really do anything for you, like the mark one pod or the lunar lander statue on mun...or the big, dead kraken XD

Either way, finding not-so-secret things in craters or under weird land formations or whatever and actually gaining something from your discovery besides a screenshot to show people would actually provide a really good feeling as a gamer. It'd be like "yeah I found this thing randomly AND it gave me a BUNCH of science! Aw yeah~".

Scott Manley mentioned in a video once that it'd be cool for whenever they come up with FTL/warp technology(for traveling to the other solar systems in some distant future update) to find parts of like a stargate and assemble it...or just bring the parts back to KSC for storage 'till you got 'em all. I'd be totally down for that type of thing.

It's just fun to find things...and when you gain something for your space program from finding those things, it's just a good feeling. They can add visible and invisible things like this, too. Munoliths or other strange objects to do science on or near...or like gravitational anomalies or weird land formations(like the mun arch). Just a good suggestion. Thumbs all the way up

[Outlander4]

Have you ever read/watched 2001: A Space Odyssey?

I did, that's why I entered the conversation. I don't really have a habit of talking about things I don't know.

Clark just loved to hand-wave things. In other words - it's not science! You can't just hook up some strange artefact into your wonder machine and get yourself a meaningful result. Imagine medieval alchemist getting his hands on the modern-age chemical batteries. Will he figure out what they do? Will he be able to built something that uses them? The same with Clark's monoliths - I can't remember humans used any of them to fulfil their own goals.

There is no actual evidence that monoliths found across the kerbolar system are similar in function to those in 2001: Space Odyssey. They may be just giant ice-cream machines for all we know. And they are not similar - they have a giant logo on them, which further supports the giant ice-cream machines theory.

Regarding CCTV signal - the beauty of KSP right now is that you can go places without actually knowing anything about them. That's the joy of true exploration. It's like real life - you don't need to 'unlock' stuff, you just look at it through the telescope and say: 'Yeah, let's go there'. So this CCTV signal may serve only as a key, as a direction where to go, which star you should visit. Even this is an outrageous speculation, it's impossible to use this signal without external applications.

It's sad to see people who don't know much about science try to influence the development. I'd say - let developers make science in KSP work in a realistic yet fun way, and everyone will benefit from it - hardcore players will get their realism, and more casual players will learn about scientific process in the same way they've learned about orbital mechanics. It made KSP special, so why not stick with it? That's a cry from the heart, so I'm sorry if I hurt anyone.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Outlander4

[betaking]

I'm against "unlocking" parts, I see it as being too limiting.

I would quite like an in-game proceedural system from which parts could be built however. With the "unlockables" being either new materials(lighter, stronger, but potentially more expensive, ect.) or the small sort of parts (not fuel tanks, or entire engines, but for example; a turbopump, or a guidence system, ect.)

I even have ideas on how to make interiors for said parts.