Some resource ideas: Mining, construction, economy, life support, and power

[Captain Sierra]

Okay, we know most of this will get implemented into the game eventually. But until then, we can, and will speculate.

The developers have said that resources are too up in the air right now to really set anything down for us so for the purposes of this, let's refer to this chart (I know it's out-dated )

Mining: The chart explains the concept for this quite well and I don't expect that to change super-drastically. I do expect that we will see an asteroid belt (possibly with some limited form of dynamic orbits) that we can mine for Meteoric ore (I'll explain that later on).

Resources: If I need to explain this, wow.

Construction: If you are familiar with the Orbital Construction Redux or Extraplanetary Launch pads, you are familiar with the concept here: Being able to construct craft at locations other than KSC. I do hope Squad does implement something to this extent in the future.

Economy: What are resources good for if you don't use them to build or refuel? Selling of course! When campaign mode is operational, you will need money. You could get that through contracts, outside funding, or, as I and getting at here, selling resources.

Let's get into suggested resource number one.

Meteoric Ore: A very dense material that is extracted from asteroids. When smelted down (and usually mixed (on kerbin at least) with rocket grade aluminum and steel), it makes some strong and light metal, let's call it kerbanite. The kerbanite is 50% stronger and 25% lighter than normal parts, but can only be made through meteoric ore.

How do we get this at KSC, you ask? Simple. At KSC you have a new building, a silo. This silo holds the resources you bring back. You can then do different things with them. You can pay to send them for processing into whatever they refine to. You can sell them raw or in a refined state. You could fuel a ship with them. You could even use them as payload to supply your orbital depot without paying for the fuel. The idea here is that you can still make a decent profit even if you have to outsource the refining. In the case of the ore, it can be sent away and refined into metal, which is further 'refined' or rather fabricated into rocket parts which then can be used to build your ships out of material with 1.5 times the strength and 0.75 times the weight.

I think it is clear how modular fuel tweakables would play in here and make things much more interesting.

Let's go back to construction for a bit. Anyone here who has played with Extraplanetary launchpads has seen how much of a hassle to launch the stock ones are. If and when that becomes stock, what will be your VAB? I remember not that long ago (a year at most) a private space company tested a new inflatable module that started the size of a suitcase and inflated into a full size bedroom (and a master bedroom by space standards). Theoretically, you could make an entire VAB fold up into a pretty small part (I thought something like the centrifuge from the DSM pack). Now think about a base on Lathe!

Life support. Let's face it. Kerbals won't be as invincible as they are now when they actually start needing oxygen . Those are resources too so I do assume that we will be able to exploit that and make long term bases that much easier.

Lastly, time for a curveball. Power transmission. I am referring to the ability to get a lot more power by collecting it via solar close to the sun and then beaming it back towards your craft. To my knowledge, the decay of microwave is a lot less than that of solar. Also, you could then help it out with some transformer/booster/reroute satellites to keep the power up (with a bit if supplemental generation ) and aim it to the dark side of planets. Think remotetech for power. In theory, you could even provide power to Kerbin, fulfilling contracts and earning cash. It would also be great for powering Munbases and other bases where long nights are a common problem without resorting to battery spammage.

I'm willing to hear opinions on my take on all this stuff, clarify stuff at people's request, and otherwise comment. Developers, feel free to share your two cents as well.

Note: I did not share this in an existing resource thread because many of these ideas are different enough from what I have seen to warrant a separate thread.

[leax256]

can't think of something negative.

[AntiProtector]

I can say, one thing... you are KSP maniac!!

it is i can say logical, annd atractive idea.. we need more humanoids to rread this... we will see what they'l say..

i am studying your MAP, for missmaches..

#####EDIT

1.) Intake AiR to compress, then to OXIDIZER? It is more difficult than it looks. There is not only OXIGEN in our KERBIN's athmosphere :) deffend yourself please

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxidizing_agent

Edited August 29, 2013 by AntiProtector

[Captain Sierra]

Read closely at the top. I did not make this chart. It was made by the devs a while back but the old plan for resources basically fell apart. It is all up in the air at the moment and nothing can be made official. That IS outdated.

[Beeman]

People seem to think(the devs themselves as well, I believe) that this flow chart is too complex. It's honestly not and I'd LOVE to see even more complexity added to it. More ores, deep life support like food, water, oxygen, waste, KASPAR style storage modules that you can load and unload into little airlock compartments like a dumbwaiter for fun EVA aspects to resupply missions in addition to like...one or more types of food production for dedicated long-distance missions and bases where resupply missions wouldn't really be feasible. Maybe have food and waste be something you can toggle on and off via an options menu 'cause some people might not want to hassle with resupply missions. Or maybe have a slider which changes the rate at which your kerbonauts use life support resources. Hmm~

I'd also like to see one or two more resources, like maybe a generic precious metals resource called Kerbinum or something that you can mine. It would weigh a lot and if you landed it close to KSC, you could salvage it for moderate profits. Somethin' like that, anyways. Just more resources is good good good.

The problem with that complexity is solely involved in dumping too many things on the player all at once. If they started with just a couple resources, getting you used to them and how they work together in your rockets and such, then introduced a couple more...and finally started teaching you how to mine them(perhaps one surface type at a time), then it's a very gradual type of thing. That's how we learn anything, gradually. It's only when someone piles too much on you at once that you get overwhelmed, which is partly why they're working on career mode now, for people like me who're a little too thick to figure out what's good in that ever growing list of parts.

[Bilfr3d]

I do like the idea of all this, but isn't every single one of these ideas on the what not to suggest list? Just saying

[Beeman]

It's not a suggestion, it's a speculative discussion ;P

[Dangerous_Beans]

"Meteoric Ore: A very dense material that is extracted from asteroids. When smelted down (and usually mixed (on kerbin at least) with rocket grade aluminum and steel), it makes some strong and light metal, let's call it kerbanite. The kerbanite is 50% stronger and 25% lighter than normal parts, but can only be made through meteoric ore.

How do we get this at KSC, you ask? Simple. At KSC you have a new building, a silo. This silo holds the resources you bring back. You can then do different things with them. You can pay to send them for processing into whatever they refine to. You can sell them raw or in a refined state. You could fuel a ship with them. You could even use them as payload to supply your orbital depot without paying for the fuel. The idea here is that you can still make a decent profit even if you have to outsource the refining. In the case of the ore, it can be sent away and refined into metal, which is further 'refined' or rather fabricated into rocket parts which then can be used to build your ships out of material with 1.5 times the strength and 0.75 times the weight."

this bugs me.

the stuff in space is the same stuff here, though the frequency that it occurs may vary. so if there is Meteoric Ore in space, then it's down here and we can use it to build stuff.

now this seems like an method to make building stuff in orbit attractive; one, by building it up there you can get better things; and two, it gives you something you can take down to the planet to sell.

you can accomplish number two by having thing that are expensive to make on kerbin, but are cheaper to make in orbit/space. things involving vacuum or micro-gravity spring to mind .

a better way to achieve number one is to have us able to vary the strength of our ships. currently all sections of my interplanetary spaceship have to be able to deal with ~2gs of acceleration, because everything has to be launched from Kerbin, however if i could build it in space then some or all sections of it can be build to only withstand 0.5g, and therefore be built significantly lighter (therefore with less engines, and needing less fuel, so even lighter). so you can get "better" ships by building them in space.

of course a ship built to withstand 0.3gs in a vacuum will crumple if you try to land it, but that is no more an issue than the fact a Zeppelin will crumple on the bottom of the ocean.

most importantly, it gives you more options for explosions

[leax256]

I do like the idea of all this, but isn't every single one of these ideas on the what not to suggest list? Just saying

we can talk about it so long as the tag disscussion is there, not suggestion, and were are talking, not arguring.

[Harguinxx]

love the idea of complex resources diagram, but what's the point of going to space to take them???? I mean I'm sure that would be easier to the player to take resources at his home planet...

[Captain Sierra]

The idea of that (and of the meteoric ore) is basically that you can't get it on Kerbin. Kerbin resources are already exploited by the native population and thus do you no good. To actually profit, you have to go to other worlds.

[Beeman]

Not to mention the fact that if you refuel on a planet with low gravity or a much less dense atmosphere than that of Kerbin, you'd be able to get much farther with that same amount of fuel. That's partly why people like Kethane so much. Other than that, It just gives you something to do in space...there's always room for more things to do in space in KSP and if it seems like they'll overwhelm us with too much complexity, thin it out via the tech tree and give us missions that explain the mechanics so long as they're not too tedious or are skippable.

More depth to gameplay is always welcome, I say. Bring it on

[Captain Sierra]

One thing the Devs want (and we should not forget) is that resource mining is meant to be optional. There are meant to be enough high paying missions so that you can sustain your space program on science alone. Fun as establishing an interplanetary mining empire may be, lots of folks don't want to do that.

[Bessy]

I personally can't wait for that flow chart to be come reality I dare bet a lot of the ppl who play ksp have plated the x games from egosoft and eve online and that flow chart is simple in comparison to building stuff in those games and u can just make it the same as they do earn respect of other companies and just buy the parts or u can mine collect everything urself and build it all