A slightly more challenging way to play career mode.

[Gus]

If you know what you're doing, you can race though the technology tree pretty quickly.

Also, we've found that if you transmit data multiple times for the same observation, you can get practically as much science from it as you would have if you returned it to Kerbin.

To slow your progress, limit yourself in these ways:

Allow yourself to transmit data from an observation ONLY ONCE.

Allow yourself to research ONLY ONE (or 2) new tech(s) after each mission.

This will stifle your advancement, but give you many more challenges as you crawl your way through the tech tree.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Gus

[Zorrm]

This is what I've been doing, sort of trying to relish the advancement and requiring myself to tactically choose the next advance in technology.

[AmpsterMan]

I've been playing with a new house rule:

Only 1 fuel tank per engine. Try it, it is very difficult to achieve orbit if you do this.

[jpkerman]

The first tech advance should have a higher science requirement. At least 5-6 flights should be needed to let novice players practice more and experienced players should have to use the basic parts longer. Once the more advanced parts are available most of the starting parts will be forgotten. Already the controlled play testing of the tech tree is falling apart as every mod maker and their fans are adding non stock parts and reordering the tech tree.

[Gus]

I've been playing with a new house rule:

Only 1 fuel tank per engine. Try it, it is very difficult to achieve orbit if you do this.

Ya know, I'm gonna try this out.

It's crazy that we can make orbit first flight. [Edit: Of course Gagarin might take issue with this.]

Maybe fuel tank stacking could become an acquirable technology.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Gus

[AmpsterMan]

Ya know, I'm gonna try this out.

It's crazy that we can make orbit first flight.

Maybe fuel tank stacking could become an acquirable technology.

tbh, I think we should just have another tier of fuel tank. The lifting Engines (LV-30, LV-45, and Mainsail) Seem to be balanced along the lines of providing large TWR for one tank or low TWR higher Delta-v for two tanks. I just wish we had a dedicated lifting stage for the 1.25m rockets (that is something like the mainsail)

[Gus]

tbh, I think we should just have another tier of fuel tank. The lifting Engines (LV-30, LV-45, and Mainsail) Seem to be balanced along the lines of providing large TWR for one tank or low TWR higher Delta-v for two tanks. I just wish we had a dedicated lifting stage for the 1.25m rockets (that is something like the mainsail)

In general, the 2.5 meter parts are 2x2x2= 8 times heavier and more powerful than the 1.25 meter parts. (With many exceptions)

[regex]

A better idea: Reduce the values in ScienceDefs.cfg to one fifth stock. BAM! ****ing SCIENCE!

[Gus]

A better idea: Reduce the values in ScienceDefs.cfg to one fifth stock. BAM! ****ing SCIENCE!

I just glanced at ScienceDefs.cfg. I'm not going to look at it again for quite some time as it contains (as it points out) quite a few spoilers.

Now if someone were to make up such a file, that would be great.

Even better would be a set of files for easy, medium, hard, etc. difficulty levels.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Gus

[AmpsterMan]

In general, the 2.5 meter parts are 2x2x2= 8 times heavier and more powerful than the 1.25 meter parts. (With many exceptions)

I kinda wish they would be more consistent with that too. The larger parts should have the same ISP as their smaller brothers but higher TWR to represent simpler construction techniques.

Maybe I'll do some CFG edits one of these days and test out my thoughts.

[regex]

Even better would be a set of files for easy, medium, hard, etc. difficulty levels.

Here are some configs set to half, third, fifth, and eighth of stock.

E: You could roughly correspond those to Easy, Medium, Difficult, and Hard.

[malkuth]

I'm going to do a shameful plug. If you want a better challenge may I suggest you try out Mission Controller Ext. When you have a budget and money on the line, all of a sudden making those crazy rockets.... Well it's not an option.

[Gus]

Here are some configs set to half, third, fifth, and eighth of stock.

E: You could roughly correspond those to Easy, Medium, Difficult, and Hard.

Gosh, that was quick. Thanks for making these up. I'll test them out.

[regex]

Gosh, that was quick. Thanks for making these up. I'll test them out.

There are literally like 30 values that need to be changed, it's not exactly hard to divide.

[Nao]

Welp i was just about to post mine , Is 1/8 of stock actually playable?

edit... wait the 1/8 file crew raport has 2.5 base and 4 cap ... that's 1/2 not 1/8 somethings not right

edit: sigh i somehow deleted the original file, and looks like KSP can't recreate it on launch (like settings). If it wouldn't be a big problem, could somebody post the default one? If not i'll reinstall the thing later.

edit2 sigh2 ok downloaded the wrong file, its working ok 1/8 is 1/8

Edited October 19, 2013 by Nao

[regex]

Welp i was just about to post mine , Is 1/8 of stock actually playable?

edit... wait the 1/8 file crew raport has 2.5 base and 4 cap ... that's 1/2 not 1/8 somethings not right

edit: sigh i somehow deleted the original file, and looks like KSP can't recreate it on launch (like settings). If it wouldn't be a big problem, could somebody post the default one? If not i'll reinstall the thing later.

edit2 sigh2 ok downloaded the wrong file, its working ok 1/8 is 1/8

I put up a new one that included the default just in case.

For reference, I found 1/5 to be pretty tedious with Yargnit's tree, I've since switched to 1/4. With the stock tree 1/8 may be pretty doable because you get all the science gear pretty early.

[Nao]

Thank's regex!. Much appreciated

I've not played with Yargnit's loader yet so i can't comment on that but i did test playing with science base and cap values equal and it's pretty nice.

Just for reference if somebody wants to try playing with only one 100% transmission giving science per event without spoiling himself with text in the file. Here is the file i'm using on my current save.

The science values are half "cap" values with only exception for surface sample that has base divided by 3 and cap left original.

[soranno]

Without being arbitrarily restrictive I`ve been having difficulty coming up with reasons to limit data transmission. Limiting the scope of missions has been successful I think however, in preventing unexpected surges in science gathering.

Also one that was immediately clear to me, after seeing some craft images the last few days, is that some have no issue loading their ships with 20+ goo containers, and I sometimes can`t count how many science labs etc, and very much getting all the science at once.

I have limited most ships to 2 goo and 1 lab at the moment, with more purpose built ships having a 4:2 ratio. I`m also toying with the idea of restricting labs to only transmitting data and not bringing them back to Kerbin.

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Wow, I'm finding it hard to progress past the 550 science per node mark, can't remember what tier it is.

[AmpsterMan]

I've done something similar as well. Caught like in sandbox, pacing, house rules, and patience are what make the game fun.

[NASAFanboy]

I'm doing something similar.

I've banned myself from doing lunar missions until I unlock a certain engine/pod.etc.etc

I've also restricted myself to Kerbin orbit until I get certain command pods and engines.

[AmpsterMan]

So I think i've decided on my final house rules setup:

-All house rules as before apply

-No serial stacking of fuel tanks (parallel stacking of toroidal is fine)

-No "Science Hogging" IE the equivalent of Airhogging.

This might actually be pretty hard because of my other house rules.

[SRV Ron]

One can advance easily by limiting to single engine, stack of four tanks, and several sub orbital flights to land at various locations on Kerban. Any more risks parachute failure. Stacking SRBs and staging them by blowing them up with overheating should not be an option. With careful planning, enough of the tree will be unlocked to build a proper two stage orbiter or three stage lunar orbiter. Designs should remain simple, no Wackjob style monsters. (Later career budgets would prevent such construction). For balance, two Goo pods can be placed on the capsule of just below it since recovery is needed for full science credit.

For the first test of career, it works quite well although I would have preferred to start the space program out with launching and recovering probes before committing to manned flights.

Edited October 19, 2013 by SRV Ron

[Flock of Panthers]

Could anyone tell me what I need to change to make transmitting experiments from certain parts impossible?

I want to set it up so that Goo/Samples/Science Jr's have to be returned to get anything.

Thank you

[Kromey]

To slow your progress, limit yourself in these ways:

Allow yourself to transmit data from an observation ONLY ONCE.

Allow yourself to research ONLY ONE (or 2) new tech(s) after each mission.

I've already been doing these, although perhaps a slightly modified version of the first: only once per mission. So e.g. a second sub-orbital mission could legitimately transmit a crew report identical to one the first sent, however the same mission can't re-send ("spam", as I think of it) the same report again. I also don't transmit results from Goo or Science Jr., although when I start doing one-way unmanned missions I may allow one such transmission per mission.

Additionally, I'm limiting myself to what I feel is a logical progression for a space program: Did a couple sub-orbital flights to learn the basics of rocketry, then did an orbital mission that re-entered after almost exactly one orbit (Mission Control done screwed up the timing of the re-entry burn, neglecting to account for basic principles such as "Kerbin rotates", and thus landing the capsule far to the west of the KSC rather than aiming right for it as was the intention -- which learning such things is why we take slow and deliberate steps like this!). A few more orbital missions to refine orbital injections (and learn to avoid the highly elliptical and ovoid orbit the first ended up in), then we'll be off to some Munar and the Minmus-ar fly-byes, then tackle some land-and-return missions, etc.

I intend to send unmanned probes to any interplanetary destination I want to head toward, as well, so I won't be leaving Kerbin's local system at least until I've unlocked probe cores, although there will certainly be more than enough to do around here until then, and well beyond I'm sure!

While I'm sure I could have orbited Kerbin and perhaps even gotten (at the least) a free-return trajectory around Mun by Tier 2 (maybe Tier 1, but only with a huge amount of trial-and-error, heavy on the error!!), it's just not a plausible progression for me. Maybe once I "complete" career mode once I'll start a new one and set challenges like that for myself, but for now I'm happy advancing as I am.