Need Mission Suggestions

[Anglave]

Ok, I played quite a bit in 0.15 - 0.17 era and I love the game. I play almost entirely stock (Plus Engineer Redux)

I had put the game aside for a while and focused on other interests. It seemed that every update was breaking my saves or introducing half-working features, and I decided to take a break while development stabilized.

I came back recently and decided to check out career mode. It's obviously not finished, but I've enjoyed unlocking the tech tree; it seems a useful way to limit the overwhelming variety of parts that would otherwise be presented to a new player.

Anyway, since picking the game up again I've done a land and return on Mun, Minimus, Duna (and Ike), Laythe, and Tylo. I've put a rover on Eve. I've done orbital docking and refueling.

Recently I've iterated nine major designs with hundreds of incremental variants, in an attempt to perfect a stock Eve lander / return to orbit craft. I've spent weeks of my evenings refining different designs. I've now got a design that I'm confident will work: 13,000 m/s atmospheric ÃŽâ€v, every stage has >1.3 TWR on Eve, it has enough control authority and stability, enough chutes to land safely, and its sturdy enough to take chute deployment as well as landing forces.

The problem is, it's over the "chug" threshold. I can load the craft and launch it to orbit, but playing the game while piloting it is an exercise in patience and frustration. Launching it to LKO, refueling it, flying it to Eve, refueling it, landing it, and then attempting to pilot it back to orbit would be academic at this point; I'm confident it can be done, and suddenly I'm no longer motivated to go through the motions. I loved the design phase, but piloting this beast isn't rewarding.

So what I'm looking for is suggestions for other challenging missions. Hopefully some that are difficult, but can be achieved with fewer than 1k parts.

After landing on and returning from Tylo and Eve, using stock parts and manual piloting, what's left to achieve?

Edited February 13, 2014 by Anglave

[EndOfTheEarth]

Find new ways to land. I recently flew a mission to Gilly that had a whole RCS subsystem so that I could land the vehicle horizonally instead of vertically. Alternately, take up the old game of seeing the heaviest thing you can land in a particular place in one package.

[SofusRud]

do an SSTO launched ion probe to Moho orbit.

[SkyHook]

Try mods. If you refuse to try mods, then the game will quickly run out of steam and things to do. Mods add functionality, and aesthetic bearability. The best thing you can do it build bases while squad works on content.

[SuperBigD60]

I'm working on a mission to put a north and south pole (flag) on every applicable body.

I might not get my kerbals back after the second tylo landing. and I'll definitely need two separate landers for eve.

[Mr.Rocket]

Just try this and see what you get! http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/44375-Mission-Roulette

[Tank Buddy]

Try developing Ion Powered landers for Gilly, Pol, and Bop. Have to landed planes/SSTOs on Laythe? Maybe try to make a cargo carrying SSTO.

[theend3r]

I was in a similar situation and I decided to make large refuelling stations across the system and use mostly SSTOs. Best decision ever.

[Anglave]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

I'm off to my V-Day date, but I plan to check in on this thread occasionally and perhaps even report my progress.

[maccollo]

If you want something that is challenging your ability to plan ahead then try this:

Use a single launch to land a kerbal on all planets and moons in the Kerbol system using stock parts.

Edited February 14, 2014 by maccollo