3 launches!

[Crowdpleaser]

Sounds good and a little bit dangerous. Delicious

[xtremeqg]

I'm pretty sure it's possible. I've received +1500 science from single missions with a large science craft (8x goo container, 8x experiment bay, loads of sensors). From what I understood in the video back then you were able to store one result for each "biome" on a single module. This is no longer the case (I tried) but with sufficient modules you can recover result for several planets (high orbit + low orbit) on a single launch (don't forget the Sun!). I've currently got a craft going from Kerbin, slingshot around the Mun, passed Eve and headed for Dres (and probably further) with enough dV to land at several of them for soil samples. Doing the crew report, goo, bay, EVA, soil and sensors... that's a LOT of science. The second flight could be Jool and all of it's moons.

[KerbMav]

I think that they are making a mistake making it too easy to get through the tech tree so fast. Maybe it will settle out when economics are added in.

If this was civ it would be like whipping through the entire tech tree before 1 AD and saying that's okay since they are expert players. If a player can go through it that fast it's pointless to even have career more. Perhaps a difficulty level needs to be added.

I typed quite a bit ... then misclicked and lost it ... to sum up:

Parts that would make it easier to reach more ambitious goals are deep in the tree, as well as parts making easier surveys of Kerbins different biomes on the surface (by plane) available.

Squad should avoid a common MMO mistake: Awarding the player with a broadsword of greater mountain goat slaying after a lengthy quest chain involving lots of mountain goat killing - and then sending him away from the mountains to fight tar mosquitos in the swamp.

Meaning: When it finally becomes less tidious to reach a distant planet, there should be still a reason to do so to get more science.

I would like to know what other players think about somewhat splitting the tree into rockets, planes and rovers?

Which might only be a crazy thought of a midaged brain.

Edith tells me, that it is actually called Kerbal SPACE Program, so yeah, forget my ramblings - or put it into a modded tree, but it doesnt seem right for a space exploration game after all.

Edited October 21, 2013 by KerbMav

[Kasuha]

Parts that would make it easier to reach more ambitious goals are deep in the tree, as well as parts making easier surveys of Kerbins different biomes on the surface (by plane) available.

Squad should avoid a common MMO mistake: Awarding the player with a broadsword of greater mountain goat slaying after a lengthy quest chain involving lots of mountain goat killing - and then sending him away from the mountains to fight tar mosquitos in the swamp.

Meaning: When it finally becomes less tidious to reach a distant planet, there should be still a reason to do so to get more science.

I would like to know what other players think about somewhat splitting the tree into rockets, planes and rovers?

Which might only be a crazy thought of a midaged brain.

What I see is rather giving the player all rare stuff in the game when he's only half the maximum level and teling him it's up to him if he wants to fight more stuff or not but there won't be any further awards.

Instead of tech tree there should be a science tree, imo. Part rewards for doing research, yes, but tied to what you research. You get Skipper engine if you do enough research on Minmus, for instance. Researching Kerbin would give you aircraft parts, mostly. But most importantly, the tree is not done until you performed every possible research on every body in the system.

[lajoswinkler]

It's probably possible. After 3 launches to build a large tug in Kerbin's orbit supplied with lots of probes, start visiting the planets and on each one you dump a probe. Grind, grind, grind and you've got yourself an unlocked tech tree.

I wouldn't say it's much fun, at least not for me. The most similar mission I would do is when I go to Jool. I already once carried several probes, one for every planetary body.

[-RanZ-]

After playing KSP this weekend I am sure it is possible. I sent a kerbal to the Jool system and got like 4000 science points and didnt even get to all the moons

[allmhuran]

I got 1662 science from my first mission. This is enough to unlock all of the first 4 tiers, and nuclear engines. With the remainder, it's enough to either unlock docking ports, or unlock the larger batteries and solar panels. I went with the latter, since science cannot be transferred between pods.

With these parts I've build an interplanetary craft with many thousands of m/s of delta V, 4 lander probes, and one main lander. It should be enough to do a grand tour. The probes are for Moho, Eve, Tylo and Jool, which are too expensive (or impossible) to land and then take off again. So I won't get surface samples from those, and I won't be able to actually return the goo and bays to Kerbin, but I have plenty of power to do multiple transmissions.

Based on what I've seen, I expect my science haul to be several tens of thousands. A probe into Jool's atmosphere alone is worth something like 2500. So yes, 2 launches is cake. 1 launch, however, is impossible.

[TUFOM]

I got only few hundred science from jool's atmosphere... asap to do another one with all science equipped.

(tech tree is already filled but I like doing science anyway)

[JeanHavoc]

So what exactly is the point of filling out the entire tech tree in three missions? If the lot of you are in such a hurry to get to sandbox mode, why not, you know, play sandbox mode? Don't get me wrong, I'm impressed that people have figured all this out and can exploit the system to such an extent, but why bother? I've never put a rocket on the pad and spammed every possible permutation of science to collect the maximum number of points, why should I? Nor do I set up Mun Missions to touch every biome and score every point possible in one go - again, what's the incentive? I like working up the tech tree, I like having to fly missions without access to every part I like to use. I mean it's made me more competent in designing rockets by doing more with less, so why are so many people subverting this and then patting themselves on the back for it. I genuinely don't see the benefit here.

[SkyRender]

So what exactly is the point of filling out the entire tech tree in three missions? If the lot of you are in such a hurry to get to sandbox mode, why not, you know, play sandbox mode? Don't get me wrong, I'm impressed that people have figured all this out and can exploit the system to such an extent, but why bother? I've never put a rocket on the pad and spammed every possible permutation of science to collect the maximum number of points, why should I? Nor do I set up Mun Missions to touch every biome and score every point possible in one go - again, what's the incentive? I like working up the tech tree, I like having to fly missions without access to every part I like to use. I mean it's made me more competent in designing rockets by doing more with less, so why are so many people subverting this and then patting themselves on the back for it. I genuinely don't see the benefit here.

It's not about the benefit, it's about the challenge of finding ways to do it. I myself just finished up a three-mission tech tree maxing via the Mun and Minmus, never once flying outside Kerbin's SoI. We do it not because we want to unlock the tech tree, but because unlocking the tech tree gives us a focus for us to challenge ourselves.

[-RanZ-]

It's not about the benefit, it's about the challenge of finding ways to do it. I myself just finished up a three-mission tech tree maxing via the Mun and Minmus, never once flying outside Kerbin's SoI. We do it not because we want to unlock the tech tree, but because unlocking the tech tree gives us a focus for us to challenge ourselves.

exactly, it's a challenge! Challenges make this game less mundane, I am actually looking forward to more career mode improvements.