Where will Career Mode start

[bsalis]

Where will Career Mode start? ... since i'm thinking it may not be at KSC. Note that i'm NOT talking about 0.22, but the *finished* game.

Just recently HarvesteR blagged about Biomes. This new feature was partly to deal with being able to access more science on Kerbin early on in the game, since you would have so few parts (and possibly little funding) to go very far.

So I am thinking that early in the game, we may not actually start at KSC. Perhaps it will start at the Island Runway... or maybe another simple airfield complex near more interesting areas for science. You may actually start with parts for only building vehicles (rovers) and aeroplanes. Then only later do you unlock rocket technology.

There is an overhaul of the Island Runway in the works as well it seems. Bac9 put out a picture of the new hangars a while ago. Also note that Cities are on the planned features as well. Maybe you will be able to spawn at many locations.

In RL, NASA started the same way. Beginning with National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). They operated out of places like Edwards Air Force Base...

[Teodzero]

Please no. Building planes is actually harder than building rockets. Both in game and in real life. Forcing players to start with planes is unnecessary frustrating complexity.

[Dizzle]

Planes aren't hard at all with the new SAS (and without Ferram). All you'd really need is a tutorial specifically for building and flying planes, if there isn't one already. Maybe the first vehicle could even be given to you, and the first task is to accomplish a simple mission with it.

That said, I like the idea of the program starting small and working its way up.

[Depth]

This is Kerbal Space Program. I assume that it is the successor to another program, but starting out at as that program seems a bit counter-intuitive.

[Lojik]

I have to agree that starting career with a forced "air" operations will be the wrong way to go, I would love to see it as an extra to the career mode that if done will net extra benefits to your career "stats". I got into KSP because of the space aspect and really have no interest in trying to build or fly an aircraft in the atmosphere, granted that some rockets may require atmospheric maneuvers but the ultimate goal is to get into space and build your program around that.

[Requiem762]

I think that's a cool idea but finished game we will probably start with the stayputnik a few small fuel tanks and the 200 thrust engine.

[Van Disaster]

Yes, I'd imagine suborbital satellites would be the first step. Rockets are easy stuff compared to lifting surfaces...

[Merinsan]

If anything, planes should be further along in the tech tree, much like here on earth. Space planes came after rockets - re-usability is difficult!

[SRV Ron]

Planes, along with high altitude balloons, were in use for the early manned sub orbital flights. Certainly, the X-15 was orbital capable in its later stages, but was cancelled in favor of the Mercury program that used ICBM missiles as launchers. The lions share of the space program were sub orbital rockets that developed into orbital launching of satellites, then probes to beyond.

[geb]

What you could do is to have players start a new career mode campaign with no parts unlocked at all, and your first action is to decide between three starter packs that contain rocket bits, plane bits, or rover bits.

Any of the three packs would let you work on science to unlock more, but would give your early game flavour.

[Mordeth]

Ya, I would be very upset if forced to have to build planes 1st. I bought this based on the name. Kerbal SPACE Program.

[bsalis]

What you could do is to have players start a new career mode campaign with no parts unlocked at all, and your first action is to decide between three starter packs that contain rocket bits, plane bits, or rover bits.

Yeah - or mebe like SimCity. Where you could start at year 1900, 1950 or 2000.

[Requiem762]

I like gebs idea

[Prack]

I would kind of like the idea of being able to choose a starting setup.

With say something like:

Dawn of flight

Orbital Division

Mün Inquisition

Inter planetary exploration

With each level determining your starting point in the tech tree as well as the level of exploration already completed

So, if you were to start with Interplanetary exploration then the local system (Kerbin, Mün, Minimus) will be marked as explored and thus forcing you to actually go out and explore the rest.

On the flip side, starting with the dawn of flight will give you only basic airplane parts but the whole of Kerbin to explore and start advancing on the tech tree.

[Pipcard]

Start off with suborbital sounding rockets.

[Dweller_Benthos]

A funny thought: Career mode starts, the sun comes up, a Kerbal wearing animal skins walks out of a cave. He (she?) sees a funny looking, hot thing in a tree where lightning hit last night. He reaches out to touch it and wonders why it burns. You take it from there. heh

Really, though, I've always thought of the Kerbals as having some kind of cargo cult, where they find someone else's old space junk (found laying alongside the road, anyone?) and try to figure out how it works. So, an exploration mission where they use what they've found to travel around and find more discarded stuff they can use to travel further, find more stuff, etc.

But, I would imagine it will actually start with some fairly limited parts, maybe enough space stuff to get into orbit or do a sub-orbital to another landmass to drop a rover or exploring Kerbal, with radio link back to base. Probably the same for planes if you want to go that route. Maybe a small mining station to deploy somewhere to get raw materials.

[FITorion]

It will start with rockets at KSC.

Planes will be unlocked later with research points and then rovers after that.

It will not follow historical progression. It will follow how KSP was developed and how parts were added to the game over the course of different updates.

[regex]

Last Weekly bac9 was talking about making the KSC "modular", so at some point we may be able to arrange KSC how we like or, even better, choose a location for it on Kerbin.

[rosenkranz]

There are aeroplanes and there are spaceplanes. It's called a SPH for a reason. I don't think we'll start there. Nor do I think we'll start with aeroplanes.

As others have mentioned, I think we'll start in the late 50's era with a budding space program that will branch out into spaceplanes as the tech advances.

Since they're going to make the KSC modular on a hex grid, it would be cool if the KSC actually evolved as your carrier evolves. Say starting with a make-shift R&D and VAB and pad with a simple tracking station. Mission control might be a little bunker as part of the initial tracking station.

Then as science advanced and more funding was available, upgrades to the KSC would unlock more advanced parts and so forth.

[fatfluffycat]

You will start with stones and sticks....

and a SRB

[SkyRender]

I think it's pretty Kerbal to start out with nothing but the least effective rocket parts and do !SCIENCE! all over Kerbin by way of launching semi-ballistic missiles everywhere with science packages and parachutes attached. What do you mean by "just drive out there"? We don't have time for that!

[Scotius]

Actually, KSC as it is now is located in a pretty good spot for early research. There is a handful of biomes nearby: water, shore, grassland, highland, mountains etc. So if there will be no more groundbreaking changes to the scenery, we will be able to do some basic research off the bat.

[Blue]

Starting KSP in career mode in the same sort of capacity that America's or the Soviet Union's earliest rocketry programs might be a good place to start. We don't even have to bring in planes if we don't want to, and such a time could be as early as 1956.

[DChurchill]

Actually, KSC as it is now is located in a pretty good spot for early research. There is a handful of biomes nearby: water, shore, grassland, highland, mountains etc. So if there will be no more groundbreaking changes to the scenery, we will be able to do some basic research off the bat.

I would hope that Kerbin bound biome research would be of dubious use in getting a space program off the ground.

[Javster]

Planes, along with high altitude balloons, were in use for the early manned sub orbital flights. Certainly, the X-15 was orbital capable in its later stages, but was cancelled in favor of the Mercury program that used ICBM missiles as launchers. The lions share of the space program were sub orbital rockets that developed into orbital launching of satellites, then probes to beyond.

ICBM = Inter Continental Ballistic Missile. NEVER write ICBM missile again.