Everytime after an update, I go through this cycle.

[Epthelyn]

OP:

You're not alone, and it's a major reason why I've never really bothered to do anything more ambitious than go to the moon(s). Every time I start getting ready to do more, here comes another update to nuke everything back to zero.

I can only start from scratch so many times before giving up.

It probably doesn't help that I am, at heart, a writer. I want to tell stories - detailed, lavishly illustrated documentaries - of my space program, like Brotoro and others.

Problems: One, no one but me actually seems to care.

And two, every time, just when I'm getting to the 'good part', it's "now start over. And make it different, yet the same, and still interesting."

I want there to be just one story, from start to finish. And I'm starting to think I'm going to have to wait another two or three years before I can begin it.

(not that anyone will care then, either.)

You're going to have to wait a long time if Squad are ever to implement an actual storyline, but that doesn't mean you can't carry out your own and it certainly doesn't mean nobody will care; plenty of people care about the mission reports section of the forum, albeit a minority compared to General Discussion and Challenges.

[Deadweasel]

OP:

You're not alone, and it's a major reason why I've never really bothered to do anything more ambitious than go to the moon(s). Every time I start getting ready to do more, here comes another update to nuke everything back to zero.

I can only start from scratch so many times before giving up.

It probably doesn't help that I am, at heart, a writer. I want to tell stories - detailed, lavishly illustrated documentaries - of my space program, like Brotoro and others.

Problems: One, no one but me actually seems to care.

And two, every time, just when I'm getting to the 'good part', it's "now start over. And make it different, yet the same, and still interesting."

I want there to be just one story, from start to finish. And I'm starting to think I'm going to have to wait another two or three years before I can begin it.

(not that anyone will care then, either.)

Heh, I'm right there with you. I have all these huge, grandiose ideas that the game tweezes out of me so easily. Sadly there's a huge visual component that I want to pass on as well, which is all well and good right up until the story starts turning to focus on individuals instead of big, grand events. At that point I lose out entirely on the ability to present any kind of imagery, because there's nothing even remotely close to it in the game. It becomes increasingly character-driven, and now I'm stuck, unable to continue because a good part of the appeal of writing things based on this game is the hope that it'll inspire somebody else's imagination for the game as well.

That said, I'm still pushing myself forward with it, imagery be damned. I can figure that out later and go back to add it as I go along. Sure, maybe not too many in the grand scheme of it all will actually care enough to look, but at the end of the day, why are you writing in the first place? To flesh out an inspiration in your own mind, or to garner a huge fanbase?

I post up my writing for the same reason we all post up interesting screenies: if even one person agrees that it's really neat, that is all the justification needed to validate the impulse that spawned it in the first place, even if that person is yourself.

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

With my, ummm, different 'mental structure' (aspergers) this is my Same cycle, but mine is more of a toggle, obsess with KSP, pay no attention to it.

[Caelib]

I go through a similar cycle, but I start a fresh/new game every update anyway. I think starting fresh is the most fun. I've played through Career Mode twice already -- once with a lot of "transmission" and the second time with almost none ... all recovery.

[JumpsterG]

I find that I have an obsessive personality. I'll latch onto one or two games at a time, and will be playing it months after my friends have moved on to something else. KSP is the latest and I suspect will be a particularly long-lived one (Going strong since April!). Once I've burned out on a game, or a sufficiently shiny new one comes along, I'll shelf it for a few months, only to get hooked all over again when someone reminds me of it. Updates do not affect me, only time.

[BubbaWilkins]

Have you planted a flag at every anomally? And returned all those Kerbals back to Kerbin?

I've spent months, literal months, just designing and flying different aircraft around Kerbin. Exploring the Mun took me a full month of missions.

[aven17]

I think this a common occurrence in many alpha games. You are given these snapshots of a game in progress that you can play with, but in the end it isn't the complete experience and you are left saying, "now what?". The burnout points you hit are the holes still needing to be filled. Fortunately, the KSP modding community has done a tremendous job patching some of these holes.

[-RanZ-]

Resources would be sweet, that would be a huge time-sink setting up bases on every planetary body, not to mention a challenge getting infrastructure and logistics setup to get equipment everywhere

[allmhuran]

I go through the exact same cycle.

0.22 has been the first update to keep me locked in for a while because it introduced a new challenge for experienced players: Maximizing science with minimum launches. But with that out of the way I'm back to having nothing really to do, and am desperately needing some kind of goal or ongoing, persistent challenge. When the only challenge is "go places" and you've already been to all the places....

[lazarus1024]

You need to put more boosters...

On a serious note, it just seems to be what happens with anything when one gets too obssessed. Try taking it slower or play with mods.

Otherwise, variety is the spice of life. Play other games/ do ogher stuff.

That is one perk with my life. I don't have nearly the free time I'd like, so I get limited to one or two game nights a week (I have 3 kids under 6). So, maybe 5hrs a week or so I get to play. That means between updates I have maybe 30-40hrs to invest in the game.

Not nearly enough to "do everything". I think the furthest I pushed my world was in .19, as I played pretty much continuously from .17-.19 since no saves broke. After that I tossed it every new update, whether it broke a save or not. Just because.

I was getting a bit in to the same groove of, well I've done EVERYTHING now, and an update is going to break my save. The new stuff is cool, but I have to start from scratch and I just invest 200hrs in my save!!!

Now I don't spend much time building anything with any presistance. I focus simply on goals, like getting to Duna and back, or touring all of Jools moons, or landing on the Mun, traveling at least 40km in a rover and returning to my lander and then back to Kerbin.

That sort of thing. I don't generally build space stations much, though with .23 I probably will again now that they'll serve a bit more of a purpose.

Stations and bases are fun, but they just take sooo much time and effort that when a save breaker comes along, I feel a little heart broken. So I just don't do that anymore. At least not until things have settled down and updates don't often break saves. That or the content DEMANDS you build things with a little more persistance, like resources.

Even then, I'll probably keep it light on stations and bases unless or until we get to a point where updates don't break saves anymore. Something tells me that probably isn't going to be until we are near release. So, maybe some day if/when the game goes full release I'll really start investing a lot of blood, sweat, kerbals and hours in to making bases and big stations again.

Until then I'll enjoy the heck out of the game doing more limited stuff that doesn't require building up much infrastructure to accomplish it.

PS On that note, I do hope to some degree with career that after .23 and after money is introduced, I assume in .24? that things can quiet down to an extent with career, that might break it anyway. Not that I don't want it continuously improved, its more just that with Career there is an enforced unfolding, where as with sandbox, save break, just jump right back in with the MOAR BOOSTERS space boots and go. If you have to reboot career mode every single time for update after update, it probably will get a little tiring after awhile to have to keep reseting.

I know its alpha, I just hope that even with rebalancing and stuff down the road, career saves aren't necessarily broken. I can see a deffinite break/reset button required when the game hits beta and when the game hits open release. I just hope there isn't one with every alpha release.

Edited November 8, 2013 by lazarus1024

[Kosmic Debris]

My cycle is pretty different.

1. Look over new parts and build silly things.

2. Re-create my "standard" rockets.

3. Launch a LKO station, a small LMO station and a bunch of fuel.

4. Manually land on the Mun just to prove I still can.

5. Go exploring.

As always, I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to help build an epic game. :-)

[DeathFromBelow]

I don't have a set pattern. KSP is one of those rare games with incredible replay value as long as you take a break now and then. I did take a long break after .21 came out.

I try to role-play a 'realistic' sandbox game. I've started a new game with each version and each time has been more enjoyable as my skills have improved. I still have lots of places to visit and things to try.