More bang for your buck - What would you like next for KSP?

[Torham234]

So my question is what do you guys think Squad could add in the future that would flesh out the Career mode as heavily as possible whilst minimizing workload?

Hmmm... mkay, I can play this game:

From Planned features list:

- Spacecraft stats: Total weight, loaded resources (per stage?) This is already done very nicely by Kerbal Engineer redux. I can't see a lot of work implementing this into vanilla.

- Better aerodynamics Copy paste FAR mod, done

- Re-entry heat or damage Copy paste Deadly Reentry mod

[crparris]

I would like to see these things in-game without needing mods:

• biomes for all planets/moons
  
• resource gathering/processing
  
• life support
  
• economy
  
• Mission control to generate missions/scenarios
  

i would consider the game complete with these features

[geb]

...

From Planned features list:

...

I like the way that almost every entry on the planned features list now has a citation needed tag on it.

I don't think we should be trusting it as 100% accurate.

[nholzric]

I don't think that's a great idea. Sorry for not having a reference, but I believe the developers said they didn't want to allow science to be gained by simply time-warping a crazy amount.

That sounds like a better idea. If you can complete one orbit around Kerbin you gain a certain amount of money. You wouldn't gain more for more orbits though, because usually if you can make it once around Kerbin you can also make it around 10 billion times (because there is no orbital decay).

Sounds great!

If life-support requirements are added, that may limit the ability to exploit science by time-warping for crazy long periods of time. Of course probes don't need life support, but since there is already a distinction between science that can be done with and without crew... let probes farm science via timewarp, but they will never be able to get as much science as a ship with a crew, and that needs life-support therefore no timewarp farming. Or something.

[Andrew Hansen]

I like the way that almost every entry on the planned features list now has a citation needed tag on it.

Me too. I think that a more reliable source of information for planned features would be the official Kerbal Space Program website, on the About page:

-A Tycoon-Style Career Mode.

-Take on Contracts to attract interest in your Space Program.

-Manage your crews. Hire astronauts, train them, and make them into heroes.

-Research & Development: Advance the scientific knowledge of Kerbalkind as you progress towards conquering space.

-And a whole lot more!

However, most of that is already implemented in 0.22. I am looking forward to Contracts and more managing of your crews, however. Perhaps that's what's going to actually happen in 0.23.

[SteevyT]

I'd like to see better aerodynamics.

[XVeris]

I had posted this under the suggestions thread, but it didn't get as much attention as I thought it would...

The Ability to Define Future Launch/Transfer as Mission, Mission Pacthes, and More

Objectives that can be squished into a mission you can send out to a craft in orbit/on runway or launchpad, etc, then that crew does it (if a Kerbal crew is used), then when they get recovered from surface of Kerbin, they get Mission Patches, not unlike the patches NASA gives out for, like, the Gemini or Apollo missions. And a few other things I thought of I know they're probably already going to add in some of this stuff eventually, but you never know if there's somethings the Devs didn't think of.

[Oddible]

I want to see money implemented. I know this would be a huge deal as it not only would have to incorporate the consumption of money per part in the VAB as well as roll backs for reverting to the VAB, but also a way to generate income - presumably from science and other missions. The other missions should fill in the gaps that science doesn't incorporate (satellite into geo orbit around Kerbin, space station with these x parts, etc), which would involve a new achievement system to evaluate when these conditions are met.

[Highlad]

I think that although resources would be awesome (and i would love it if they put it in the next update) it will be a while before they implement it. I suppose the next update will include some serious work on career mode. I can imagine currency coming in sometime soon along with a mission planner, perhaps something along the lines of the training scenarios?

My wishlist is long... Im just glad I got the game nice and early, the update system itself mimics the growth of a space agency, I think thats one of the things that really what makes the game so good.

[regex]

Reentry heat and damage, random part failure with a repair mechanic, life support, better aerodynamics, and those performance gains that were talked about would be at the top of my list. Money and resources (busy work) can come later, total non-priority; get the base game as awesome as possible first.

[Torham234]

I like the way that almost every entry on the planned features list now has a citation needed tag on it.

I don't think we should be trusting it as 100% accurate.

Hmm true, but it was a fairly accurate guide in the past. Things that have been implemented in the recent patches were all in that list. For example:

- Repairing: Ability to repair certain things has got citation needed, but we already have the ability to repair broken wheels on rovers, repack parachutes and so on. And I know I have seen some WIP screenshots of a Kerbal toolbox component.

The list may not be the ultimate guide set in stone, but can be at least informative of the sort of features that have been talked about as likely for some newcomers.

Edit: yes, I did see a toolbox

Edited October 23, 2013 by Torham234

[Kerbonautical]

Hmm true, but it was a fairly accurate guide in the past. Things that have been implemented in the recent patches were all in that list. For example:

- Repairing: Ability to repair certain things has got citation needed, but we already have the ability to repair broken wheels on rovers, repack parachutes and so on. And I know I have seen some WIP screenshots of a Kerbal toolbox component.

The list may not be the ultimate guide set in stone, but can be at least informative of the sort of features that have been talked about as likely for some newcomers.

Edit: yes, I did see a toolbox

I really like the idea of the toolbox, I hope they didn't just remove it in favour of reducing necessary parts. It's little touches like these that I would be really interested in seeing implemented by the time of full release. I want to have to think about more than just my rockets Delta V. I'd love to have contingency plans outside of just having and escape pod.

[Xacktar]

I like all of these ideas, but I'd like to add a little more stability for large part-count ships. I have a lot of fun assembly spaceships in orbit, but the lag makes it difficult to make those last few docking procedures.

[Der Kosmos]

More science! Particularly a reason to build a space station.

A 2m science Sr module that needs crew and power to operate, and creates large amounts of science over a long period of time. You put it in orbit, and leave it there for days or years and it slowly racks up science. This would happen even when the spacecraft is on rails so you could be doing other things while it works.

I could see how this would be a problem (getting free science for basically sitting in LEO) but right now there is no real reason to build a KSS which makes me sad. Perhaps this idea might be best for once resources are implemented so the Kerbals have to be resupplied with snacks regularly to keep making science. So the player either has to launch one impractically large rocket, or make at least one resupply mission.

Another idea would be a vanilla version of the ISA mapsat. Generating science for making maps (the total science would be based on the total percentage of surface mapped and there would be no extra science for re-mapping the same areas. Like the Science Sr this would work even when the spacecraft is on rails so you could do other things while the mapsat sits in a polar orbit.

[Idobox]

Life support can be implemented quite easily, by adding specific resources (O2, snacks, whatever), and completely transform the way the game is played. Adding a few parts that work as tanks for the extra-resources makes the gameplay even deeper.

Slow science could work pretty much the same way science works right now. Send an instrument in orbit, each time you use it, you get less science. The only difference is that you have to let the experience run for hours to get the science. Since it can deliver only a limited amount of science, it's not overpowered.

I would like to see experiments that very heavy, or require stupid amounts of electricity, for the challenge. Very power hungry equipment would give a reason to build stations and bases: if you have several instruments that require the equivalent of several gigantor arrays in power, it makes a lot of sense to build a station with lots of solar arrays and dock an instrument for a while rather than building separate probes/satellites.

[Hodo]

In .23 what I want, would love and like to see is...

64bit operating system support. I am tired of being limited by the 3.4GB Ram that my computer has more than double of.

[KSK]

I'm another one for introducing actual bucks to give the best bang for your buck. I don't suppose for a moment that its going to be easy to do but (IMO) it's the last 'foundation piece' for career mode. All the other cool stuff like stations-with-a-purpose, resources, off-world bases and manufacturing (speculating a bit here) etc. can then build on that foundation. Most of them make much more sense once you have money implemented as it gives you an actual reason to do them. At the end of the day, most of the stuff you'll be launching into space will either be for science, for cash or quite often both.

I can see a typical career mode game eventually being a game of three phases. Phase 1 - you get your cash mainly through missions and use it to climb the tech tree. Think of this as your space program being funded through the public purse for the prestige of all kerbalkind. Phase 2 - things start to get a bit more commercial. You start getting some of your cash from providing orbital facilities, maybe offering a bit of tourism (needs a three-kerbal capsule at the least) and doing more ambitious science missions - presumably for other science institutes around Kerbin. At this point you're finishing up the tech tree. Phase 3 - no limits providing you can work out a way of paying for it. Spaceplanes, ISRU or just clever use of big dumb boosters with minimal part count - its up to you.

Phases 1 and 2 would be implemented to start with and then any new and cool stuff gets rolled into phase 3.

Edited October 23, 2013 by KSK

[Der Kosmos]

More interesting surface features on Kerban. Namely procedural cities and forests. With proper use of instancing it should be possible to build large randomly generated cities without too much of a performance hit. Procedural cities could be made a lot more efficiently than building them by hand in Kerbtown.

[PDCWolf]

-Part description overhaul to remove the LOLSOKERBAL placeholders

-New engine effects (shock diamonds please)

-Fix the freaking seat

-Eva chutes and other stuff usable while on EVA

-Spaceplane parts art pass to remove placeholders

-Fix the match and heat effects to make them related to speed and not to altitude

-Reentry heat

-Better aerodynamics

-Relays

-Economy and reputation

-Space center management

-Better atmospheric effects (atmo haze and atmo extinction for example)

-Resources

In that order

[fatfluffycat]

-Part description overhaul to remove the LOLSOKERBAL placeholders

What is wrong with them? They fit the game well....?

[rodion_herrera]

My wishlist.

1. Realistic re-entry physics and effects (I know about the mod "Deadly Re-entry", but I want it as part of the release)

2. True ascent aerodynamics (i.e. no more funky looking rovers on top of a rocket--fairings will matter)

3. Economy/Currency (which means yes, I would want resources soon, as well)...like, my idea with "This engine is cheaper than that one, but this is less reliable than the more expensive "brand""...

I also have this little personal wish which I know is pretty frivolous, but I like to see it. I remember in micromanagement games that, while I'm busy working on something, news flashes pop up, informing me of some tech developed by a rival, or our own R&D labs. It would be nice say, if you just arrived on the Mun that some news flash pops up on screen saying that the engineers back in Kerbin have just discovered how to make nuke engines (well of course, this would mean that, when you select its development in the tech tree, the science points won't take effect immediately...but then I like delayed gratification). It would recreate historical moments like, when Apollo 16 was on the moon, Young and Duke received news from Houston that the US Congress just approved the building of the space shuttle, or something similar.

Edited October 23, 2013 by rodion_herrera

[SargeRho]

Kethane to become stock.

[borisvolodnikov]

Number 1 feature request from me at this stage: add the currency to career mode to make it an actual career mode, rather than guided sandbox (not to say that I'm not having fun with SCIENCE! we just need more substance now to make it a true "game" rather than a interplanetary train set).

[Galileo Kerbonaut]

Resources is number one on my wishlist. After that it's economy. Also it would be nice if Kerbonauts would cost a lot of money and take considerable time to train so they would be more precious.

[PDCWolf]

What is wrong with them? They fit the game well....?

They are placeholders and were made explicitly in a joke way, can't really remember by who. The entire "kerbals are bad engineers and make rockets from duct tape" and the entire orktech stuff came from the community.

They don't fit the game, they fit the community members' failures at making rockets.