I'm glad contracts are a near-future addition

[CosmicScientist]

Ever since the early implementation of Career mode, I hadn't picked up that side of the game because it just appeared to be in a stage of limited sandbox eventually turning into full sandbox for a reward from visiting different places.

Now however I'm looking forward to playing it after hearing the plans for contracts and how they'll fit with your current progress in Career mode.

Thank you Squad for working on this, I'm very happy to know there will be more reason to head off to each celestial body and do specific things rather than to just pop by in the (hopefully!) next update.

[Fox967]

I'm the same in regards to contracts, can't wait! Gunna be fun to have goals to achieve. Im also looking forward to money / costs and having to balance it all out. :3

( Strangely enough, im the opposite when it comes to Career mode, ever since it was made available, i havent even stepped into sandbox, even though i find it annoying when i find i have yet to unlock the part i really need. )

[coreross]

I didn't like career mode, I always envisioned career having a budget.

But now I love it, because it feels epic to get to someplace when really you don't have the tech to do it. Its like sandbox but with limitations.

Im really excited to start a new career when they continue to add different dynamics to it like contracts.

[Geschosskopf]

I, too, am looking forward to a formalized contract system in 0.24. As it stands now, it's pointless putting a contract out on Jeb because no matter how horribly he apparently dies, he keeps showing back up again a few days later. So I'm hoping an 0.24 contract will make him stay dead .

[KerbMav]

Are they really introducing the budget already? The way I read it only contracts were coming for starters and more in the next update(s) after .24?

[Guest]

I'm just happy that the implementation so far sounds better than some crappy faux-story mission system that railroads players into a certain achievement path. Sounds more like "I'm going to do a mission to Duna, what contracts can I do there?" which retains the sandbox feeling of the game.

[Thiel]

Are they really introducing the budget already? The way I read it only contracts were coming for starters and more in the next update(s) after .24?

Well, Harvester mentioned that there'd be a penalty for failing and a reward for succeeding which, to me at least, implies some sort of economic system since that's the only way I can see that they could do it.

[JimmyAgent007]

I hope the have stat tracking, like how much a rocket costs while you are building it as well as how much your space program has cost so far with a good breakdown. Just for fun tho, nothing so complex that you need to be an accountant to understand just want to know how much Jeb has gotten blown up and so on.

[DMagic]

I, too, am looking forward to a formalized contract system in 0.24. As it stands now, it's pointless putting a contract out on Jeb because no matter how horribly he apparently dies, he keeps showing back up again a few days later. So I'm hoping an 0.24 contract will make him stay dead .

Just imagine the possibilities if we are able to make user generated contracts. You could specify where and how you want the deed done.

[CosmicScientist]

Are they really introducing the budget already? The way I read it only contracts were coming for starters and more in the next update(s) after .24?

Well, Harvester mentioned that there'd be a penalty for failing and a reward for succeeding which, to me at least, implies some sort of economic system since that's the only way I can see that they could do it.

They didn't appear to confirm anything with implementing a budget just yet. All I listened to with the interview was that contracts set up like quests will be available.

The Tuesday devnotes from here http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/68489-Devnote-Tuesdays-The-0-24-Update-Goals-Edition only state how these contracts will be implemented hopefully in 0.24 and onwards, nothing on budget inside the game.

Edit, might as well include the specific bit in a quote:

Contracts

The first iteration of the contracts mechanic is coming up. At the Mission Control Facility, you’ll be able to take on contracts from a list of offers. Each contract will give you a set of objectives to fulfill, possibly with added requirements, and a deadline. These contracts are going to be dynamically generated off a number of different basic mission templates, and filled out with detail based on how far you’ve advanced in your Career. A feature this large is most likely not going to be complete in a single update, but we feel like we’re off to a very good start with our initial plan.

Edited February 12, 2014 by CosmicScientist

[problemecium]

I dunno about perma-killing the "main" Kerbals, but perhaps we could have a setting in the "Start New" menu to turn off immortal Kerbals if we want to go hardcore.

[WafflesToo]

I'm just happy that the implementation so far sounds better than some crappy faux-story mission system that railroads players into a certain achievement path. Sounds more like "I'm going to do a mission to Duna, what contracts can I do there?" which retains the sandbox feeling of the game.

If that's how contracts wind up working I'll be the happies mission commander ever. I'm looking in fear that the contact system will be a disguised railroad story mode. :fear:

[Guest]

If that's how contracts wind up working I'll be the happies mission commander ever. I'm looking in fear that the contact system will be a disguised railroad story mode. :fear:

The latest interview with Harvester seemed to indicate that contracts would be more like "side quests" that you might do while doing what you actually want to do.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/content/254-Squadcast

[Jank]

I'm having a really hard time envisioning how resource costing will improve the game.

It's challenging enough when you don't have to pay for the parts you earned by unlocking them in career mode.

What's next, lobbying Kongress for funding?

[Boris_T_Roach]

Maybe it will have a reputation rating in it too

Successfully launch Bill, Bob and Jeb on a mission to resupply a space station gets you plus points and a bigger budget, have your latest mun mission use lithobraking near the old landing field due a a design cockup gets you minus points and a smaller budget

Too many minus points and you get "you've been fired' notice

Boris

[WafflesToo]

I'm having a really hard time envisioning how resource costing will improve the game.

It's challenging enough when you don't have to pay for the parts you earned by unlocking them in career mode.

What's next, lobbying Kongress for funding?

I felt the same way about the science tree, it felt like it just got in the way of what I wanted to be doing. But after a few times trying it out I found I liked the added dimension. Dealing with funding will probably be the same, irritating at first but gradually becoming rewarding once we get the hang of it.

So long as I get to tell KSP what and how missions are run I will remain optimistic. The instant they pull the "you just land on Mun before we let you fly to Minmus" nonsense my torch and pitchfork will be out.

[Ariadne]

KSP may become really cool economic strategy: researching, earning money, hiring/firing workers, interview, treaties with providers of parts.

[Superfluous J]

If that's how contracts wind up working I'll be the happies mission commander ever. I'm looking in fear that the contact system will be a disguised railroad story mode. :fear:

That's really weird. From the moment I heard contracts/missions would be in the game, I never once thought that the people who created the sandbox and current career modes would try to railroad us into some set story line.

[Rassa Farlander]

I dunno about perma-killing the "main" Kerbals, but perhaps we could have a setting in the "Start New" menu to turn off immortal Kerbals if we want to go hardcore.

This should be possible as there is a line relating to it in the saves folder and in the persistence file for your saves:

DIFFICULTY

{

MissingCrewsRespawn = True

AllowStockVessels = False

}

Thats from my career save, turn it from True to False and you can have you hardcore setting

Im also looking forward to the Contracts. When they get to the budgeting aspect of things I'd love to see some stats tracking as someone mentioned above, with total cost of what you have used in the career itself and specific rockets. I would like to see more stat tracking like this in general, a lot of it is already in the persistence file so all it would need is some sort of GUI and coding that can look in the right place. I like the idea of the upcoming NASA thing being more of an official mod rather than a game update in itself

Edited February 12, 2014 by Rassa Farlander

[Merinsan]

So long as I get to tell KSP what and how missions are run I will remain optimistic. The instant they pull the "you just land on Mun before we let you fly to Minmus" nonsense my torch and pitchfork will be out.

If they ever do that, I'll build a rocket that can land on Minmus first, then visit the Mun on the way back. As far as I can tell though, this is not the direction they want to go - even the career mode is going to stay sandboxy, just with resource restrictions.

I'm looking forward to contracts, having reasons to do things. I'm hoping that some of the contracts will include putting space stations and bases in places, so we have a reason to do so!

[arq]

Awhile back, Squad said that eventually Career Mode would involve 3 currencies: Science, Money, and Reputation. They said there would be some ways of converting one into another, and that each would have its own uses.

This seems like the second pillar, after we got Science in 0.22/0.23. Because there has been no mention yet I don't expect to see money in 0.24, but perhaps the foundations of the reputation system will be put in place.

[SkyRender]

I personally look forward to seeing how I will be finding ways to break the contract system. It's quite enjoyable, and it gives the developers useful feedback on what the system's potential downfalls are as a kicker.

[KerbMav]

There is always sandbox, everything is subject to change/balancing - so remain calm.

And I actually would be happy to find a mod/scenario one day that has a story driven line of missions.

[Polstar]

I've seen many fantastic solutions in this game, will be good to see how that creativity is used to do things economically when a budget is involved.