A change of plans when playing career mode...

[Piggius_Max]

I've noticed I've changed playstyle now that career mode is out; I'm designing ships the same way I design creatures in Spore, adapting the same craft as parts become available. This isn't a bad thing, but I find it interesting...

What habits have you changed now the limitations of career mode have been applied?

[Requiem762]

Making rockets in strange ways and discovering very erm unconventional uses for parts

[Starwhip]

I haven't downloaded 0.22 yet, but I can envision the rockets becoming smaller and more efficient, using just the right amount of fuel with less struts/control surfaces. Also probably making them more realistic, with safety mechanisms to keep the crew safe.

[BlazeFallow]

I've only played a little bit of the Career mode thus far, but I can definitely see where you're coming from there. My play style in career mode has been similar to the rest of my playing. That being that I either find a challenge I want to take part in on these boards, or I issue one to myself, and I build a craft around those specifications. I specifically try NOT to use the same craft every time. The subassembly is a serious boon here because then I can design mini-crafts to attach as additional payloads for missions.

[montyben101]

I find i actually use parts i never used before! XD

[Depth]

I was ecstatic when I got a mun flyby with free return trajectory. I didn't even know if I had enough fuel.

It's like a new game now.

[Kerbart]

It forces you to explore more; I never realize how beautiful rendered Kerbin was! Now I'm epploring the highlands and tundras. In the name of science!

[AmpsterMan]

I've ben designing ships acording to "projects"

My first few launches were part of the "Project Kerbin" wherein I tried to achieve stable Orbit.

My next one is probably going to be a Stayputnik probe to Mun and probably rover.

[sickboy]

I learned to be a lot more fuel-efficient, and this morning i can say that for the first time i managed to get to another planet's SOI and return to Kerbin!

I took the Duna X-Plorer I, with Jeb on board and visited Duna's high orbit, low orbit along with Ike's high orbit and low orbit in the name of science!

I never done that before so the fact that i've done it with limited parts feels like quite an achievement for me!

[Rainbow-Dashie]

For me its more of taking the limited parts I have and seeing what I can do with it...

So i have a booster, a strut and a fuel tank... Lets mash something together and hope it flys!

[DevoidLight]

I find i actually use parts i never used before! XD

This. It's interesting learning to make do with what I have, rather than 'Orange tank, mainsail, asparagus' for everything.

[Godot]

Normally, in Sandbox mode in previous versions I would only return the capsule to Kerbin with (aside from the parachute) not many added parts.

With Career mode in 0.22 I have made the habit to try to return as many scientific experiments as possible (to avoid losses due to transmission).

Has let my newest return capsule (that underwent extensive testing on Kerbin) to become a lander all by itself

(able to return 3 material experiment results and 4 goo experiment results and featuring enough battery power + solar cells for all uses, as well as enough chutes and separation boostrs to ensure the safety of the Kerbonaut)

[BlakJak70]

I really like how career mode has changed the way I play. Before I would just piece together whatever I felt like at the time. Now in career mode I find myself really thinking more about what I'm building since the parts I have access too is limited. I'm really enjoying it.

[Shadoworgon]

Normally, in Sandbox mode in previous versions I would only return the capsule to Kerbin with (aside from the parachute) not many added parts.

With Career mode in 0.22 I have made the habit to try to return as many scientific experiments as possible (to avoid losses due to transmission).

ive been doing the same thing as you lol because the transmission loss is way to high in my opinion.

btw love your lander design there, might have to borrow some of those ideas lol

[Seret]

What habits have you changed now the limitations of career mode have been applied?

I'm actually designing manned ships. I generally don't bother in sandbox. Manned ships are less capable and more risky if something goes wrong in sandbox. In career it's the other way around, probes are of very limited use.

[khyron42]

I've tended to play every new version from a fresh start and work from simpler ships up to more complex ones, so the only differences in career: some of the parts I considered "simple" aren't until later, and I'm actually getting to do science and feel rewarded for exploring. I'm loving it! Just left my first Mun lander in orbit because I had to go to work, landing it tonight. Saving up those EVA reports from over the various Mun terrains for return to Kerbin and wishing I'd rigged the goo canisters to survive return to surface!

[Wijbrandus]

I learned to build a space plane just by unlocking the landing struts. I thought I could skid them down the runway until my rocket engine and delta wings generated lift.

It didn't work.

--- Moment of silence for an expoded Jeb ---

[SteevyT]

I found a way to make radial decouplers using the beams and stack decouplers since there aren't any radial decouplers for a while.

[Moonfrog]

Without a mod to tell me the Delta V of any of the stages of my craft, I can't even get to the Mun anymore. Every craft I make veers off always to one side. Personally I think some people who say its easy are cheating by building a ship in sandbox then just copying it over to career. So little information given to you about how to build a successful rocket, I can't see how anyone can think its easy.

[AceofPengwins]

Without a mod to tell me the Delta V of any of the stages of my craft, I can't even get to the Mun anymore. Every craft I make veers off always to one side. Personally I think some people who say its easy are cheating by building a ship in sandbox then just copying it over to career. So little information given to you about how to build a successful rocket, I can't see how anyone can think its easy.

I've sort of alternated between using Engineer/Mechjeb for dV, and not doing so, so I'm not finding it too hard to estimate except that the lack of asparagus means I tend to underestimate.

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

Making rockets in strange ways and discovering very erm unconventional uses for parts

Exactly. I had never thought of using using 2 Girders to form a Radial Decoupler

[Grei]

Aside from having unlocked wings and flight without wheels (which makes it near impossible to make a reusable plane--still tinkering with options), it hasn't been too bad. I think a few things should be earlier/cheaper (batteries, wheels (or at least add skids), etc.) but it has stretched my building skills a bit. Haven't lost a Kerbal yet on a mission, even managed to get a probe (crash) landed on Mun that wasn't designed for that for a little extra science.

Biggest headache is there should be a note in the part descriptions that indicate that the part has some science value. Nosecones are the biggest item that comes to mind as they were a part that were mainly used for cosmetics before this. Also some indicator (perhaps unlocked) that you can use to tell what biome you're over so you know whether to run an experiment or not. I can't recall how many attempts it took for me to get off the Shores near the Space Center and finally into the Highlands, even though the terrain had been rising up from the Shores for a good 5 km.

All in all, this has been interesting though. Maybe once I learn every science part, I might be able to squeeze more science out of each launch and start over on a more smooth progression.

[aven17]

Baby-steps. I feel to maximize science recovered everything has to be done in baby-steps: launchpad mission, airborne mission, mid-atmosphere mission, upper atmosphere, sub-orbital Kerbin, Kerbin orbit, Kerbin biome missions, Kerbin high orbit, Mun SOI flyby, orbital Mun, landed Mun. Granted you don't have to baby-step it, but it does make the Mun landing easier when you have lights, landing struts and a ladder. And it does force you to add a docking port to your satellites, considering the far off possibility that one day you may go try to recover that satellite that did multiple gravity assists to end up Jool orbit. That's gotta be worth some good science.

[ludsoe]

Without a mod to tell me the Delta V of any of the stages of my craft, I can't even get to the Mun anymore. Every craft I make veers off always to one side. Personally I think some people who say its easy are cheating by building a ship in sandbox then just copying it over to career. So little information given to you about how to build a successful rocket, I can't see how anyone can think its easy.

Ive already been to other planets with no mods, no sandbox prebuild testing.... I think im doing pretty good and it is indeed easy.

[Odo]

Ive already been to other planets with no mods, no sandbox prebuild testing.... I think im doing pretty good and it is indeed easy.

^This

People who rely on Mechjeb too much arent going to have a good time.

Its pretty easy. Id say just as easy as sandbox, except when you accomplish something, theres more pride in it

Edited October 17, 2013 by Odo