Career mode is awesome and what I would like tweaked.

[CiberX15]

First off, I have been waiting desperately for career mode since I bought the game and since that time I have logged 266 hours in KSP (probably 100 more of offline time). Squad, you did not disappoint. Even though this is just the first rendition of just one part of career mode, you nailed it. I can't wait to see what you implement next.

With that out of the way there are three connected points I want to touch on. One, my standard pipeline is, send ship to destination, run test, send data, repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat...

I don't mind the time and electrical energy it takes to do this, in fact I like it. What I want to see removed is the tedium of repeatedly clicking back and fourth between the experiment and the transmission dish. What I would recommend is continuous experimentation. Internally all you would have to do is cause an experiment to repeat if its data is collected. From the players point of view this would leave the dish open and transmit data every time an experiment finishes. The existing power requirements for sending data would still force the player to either stop the experiments or wait for a charge to build back up. All this does is remove the tedium from the experience.

Secondly and on a similar note, I would like to be able to bring back more than one soil sample per mission/pod. This could be done by either adding additional storage space to the capsules, or even adding a storage container part that would add additional weight to a craft but allow it to carry more samples. In either case if you are not already I would recommend making the samples have a certain amount of weight, not much, but enough that if a player decides to dig a crater and put it in their space ship they probably won't be able to take of as easily.

Finally I would recommend some form of resource trickle from manned labs. Adding something like the Hitchhiker that gains science at a slow but steady rate depending on electrical energy, placement around or on a celestial body, and how many kerbals are inside of it "doing science." The resource trickle might only be something like + 15 science per real life hour (I say real life to avoid exploiting time compression). Science would be stored until sent via existing transition system, encouraging players to come back to their stations every now and then. In this way players could have a significant reason to put space stations up and build maned bases on planetary bodies in the same way that the current science tree gave players a significant reason to actually build probes. This has already been implemented in a mod here: ( http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/43839-0-21-KSP-Interstellar-%28Now-with-Heat-Radiators%21%29-Version-0-6-%28Beta%29 ) but it would be nice to see this as a stock feature.

Anyways, that's my take and suggestions on the new update. Thank you so much Squad for an excellent game, and I cant wait to see more

p.s. My first campaign has been going for 3 in game years and Jeb and the rest of the original flight crew are still alive! I must be doing something wrong!

[Nobody]

Sample and data storage pods with the ability to transfer contents would be a great feature. Soil samples defiantly need to add some weight.

As to the problem in your first campaign. I suggest more boosters and less struts.

[Spica]

I would say a sort of hard drive needs to be added to store data, and as Nobody said, a sort of sample-return container for those unmanned landers, as well as a sample-collection arm.

Spica

[CiberX15]

Sample and data storage pods with the ability to transfer contents would be a great feature.

Yeah, data storage would be great too. It would allow you to do long term missions with lander and probes without the ability to send data wirelessly. In this case players would need to bring back the whole capsule/data storage. Might replace the first antenna early game.

a sort of sample-return container for those unmanned landers, as well as a sample-collection arm.

Interesting, however that might mitigate the need for maned missions altogether. As it is now collecting soil samples is what encourages players to actually land kerbals on other planetary bodies.

Edited October 20, 2013 by CiberX15

[Mitchz95]

Yeah, a cargo bay for storing experiments is a must.

[Blaster]

I would say a sort of hard drive needs to be added to store data, and as Nobody said, a sort of sample-return container for those unmanned landers, as well as a sample-collection arm.

Spica

How about a tape drive?

[JuJuVyez]

I second all of the ideas in this thread. For Career Mode I have some ideas of my own to add. They center more on crew development, financing etc:

Kerbal Experience

Having your Kerbals gain experience for each mission flown (and survived) could reward with a bonus to Science, and adds the risk of losing experienced Kerbals in accidents. Experience gains could also unlock special abilities or specialties. Maybe an EVA repair skill for damaged solar panels etc. Or a scientist skill to boost science. Piloting skill to make for easier steering of bigger, heavier ships in space. I'm sure there's lots of ideas that could be thought of under this heading. Oh, and on the flipside, more experienced Kerbals would demand higher salaries.

Funding

The Kerbal nation could provide funding to the program (to add money management to the game, so the part costs mean more to us and force us to make decisions in what we send into space). Successful missions can lead to increased budgets, with bonuses awarded for reaching certain milestones, like first Kerbal in space, first Kerbal to complete an orbit, first Kerbal on the Mun etc. Re-usable and recoverable rocket designs would save the program money. Money could be raised by making broadcasts from space. Broadcasting from a more amazing location would raise more money. There's a flipside to this too, if your program is dangerous, you'll have to keep paying for Kerbal funerals and training replacements.

Kerbal Provisions

Have provisions as something to be added to the ship to support the crew on their mission. A Kerbin orbital flight and re-entry can easily be achieved in a short amount of time, so only 1-3 days of supplies need be carried. A longer mission to the Mun however might require more supplies. If your mission takes too long, the crew will be lost because they run out of supplies. Also, supplies can be transported up to space stations to keep them in operation. (I also suggest that after you successfully dock an unmanned resupply ship to the space station, you should get an option to automate that supply run.) An end-game supply solution could be some kind of Star Trek style replicator that runs on electric energy, therefore allowing for almost unlimited range missions or planetary bases. Supplies could be included on all manned pods, with external packs to be added to extend mission time.

Department Heads

Instead of retiring Kerbals (as has been suggested in another thread) you could appoint them to important positions in the space program. Such positions could be Head of Training, Assembly Manager, Mission Control Commander, Logistics Manager, Public Relations etc. Appointing experience Kerbals to these positions could provide extra rewards/discounts/boosts to the program.

Kerbal Record Books

The game could record the Kerbals that make significant achievements. Those milestones I mentioned earlier, each one could be recorded in game and could be viewed in a hall of fame at your Astronaut Building. It would be cool to be able to look up the name of the first Kerbal you had that landed on the Mun (and lived) and to see who's flown the fastest or furthest. And a fallen heroes memorial for those unfortunate Kerbals who landed like a lawn-dart.

I think that should do for now. These were the suggestions I thought of while playing the Career Mode. I felt like they could be easily and reasonably included in the game. Some of the ideas that would make things harder, like supplies, should be able to be switched off for those who prefer to play with easier difficulty levels. Funding could vary by difficulty too.

[CiberX15]

Funding

The Kerbal nation could provide funding to the program (to add money management to the game, so the part costs mean more to us and force us to make decisions in what we send into space). Successful missions can lead to increased budgets, with bonuses awarded for reaching certain milestones, like first Kerbal in space, first Kerbal to complete an orbit, first Kerbal on the Mun etc. Re-usable and recoverable rocket designs would save the program money. Money could be raised by making broadcasts from space. Broadcasting from a more amazing location would raise more money. There's a flipside to this too, if your program is dangerous, you'll have to keep paying for Kerbal funerals and training replacements.

Kerbal Provisions

Have provisions as something to be added to the ship to support the crew on their mission. A Kerbin orbital flight and re-entry can easily be achieved in a short amount of time, so only 1-3 days of supplies need be carried. A longer mission to the Mun however might require more supplies. If your mission takes too long, the crew will be lost because they run out of supplies. Also, supplies can be transported up to space stations to keep them in operation. (I also suggest that after you successfully dock an unmanned resupply ship to the space station, you should get an option to automate that supply run.) An end-game supply solution could be some kind of Star Trek style replicator that runs on electric energy, therefore allowing for almost unlimited range missions or planetary bases. Supplies could be included on all manned pods, with external packs to be added to extend mission time.

Well as I understand it, funding is already planed in some form or another.

So far as provisions go though, I am not fond of the idea. It sounds cool on paper, but I have tried several mods that do this and it always just comes out being annoying. Just like when you forget to turn your solar panels on and your probe dies, your kerbal pilots could just up and die on you and leave missions that took real life hours wasted. I think that would just make the game too difficult to be stock game-play. At most I would say a hard mode that could be turned on and off, but that might require a lot of work and new parts for a feature that many players would not use.