unique mysteries from each world to make science more interactive

[vger]

I've given this a lot of thought lately. I've noticed that as time has gone on and I've gained more technology, my rockets have more and more become 'all-purpose.' The challenges of visiting more distant worlds become simple and the only remaining choices I need to make are atmosphere vs. vacuum. Anything else I seem to be able to handle whether or not I have previous intel on the body in question.

Furthermore, many will argue that if it weren't for the need to bring back surface samples, both manned landings and rovers would be completely meaningless.

Based on this, it seems that 90% of the challenges presented in KSP is "getting there and getting back." But the challenge of BEING THERE is severely lacking and is often very mundane.

So what I thought is, "What if each world had a finite amount of science to provide, but a specific mystery or problem needed to be unlocked in order to harness its true scientific potential? To me, this would make KSP much more "game-like" without taking away too much from its sandbox nature. The R&D lab could even be expanded to aid you in solving these problems.

Here is one example that came to mind for a possible scenario. (Note: I'm not suggesting monoliths be used for enhanced gameplay functions, but it was the first thing that popped into my head).

1. You make your first attempt to land a probe on a distant world. The landing proceeds fine momentarily but there is an anomalous reading on one or more instruments. In the lower atmosphere, all contact with the probe is lost.

2. A visit to the science archives reveals that the problem seem to point to interference emanating from somewhere on the planet. Dr. Wernher Von Kerman suggests that some kind of radio signal may be responsible for the interference. Pinpointing its source would be a good idea.

3. R&D develops a specific device suited to the task. If you were to place three probes with this device into orbit, you could triangulate the source of the signal.

4. After triangulation is completed, a manned mission must be launched to land at the determined source (since the signal botches automated probes). Landing landing near the source, a brief time of scouring the surface via rovers of 'jump' landers would pinpoint an anomaly.

5. Clicking on it and performing research, would yield the 'serious' amount of science you could gain from that planet. You also might find a way to disable the signal so that probes could have unfettered access.

Again, this is just an example, and not necessarily one that would need to be used. It's just there to give an idea of the immense scope of scenarios that could be created for all the worlds in the star system. Each world could actually present completely unique challenges not only for getting there, but what to do once you get there. We could, for instance, have to establish a long-term base on a planet to take long-term readings from a planet's different seasons. Or keep a probe in orbit, scanning the surface for thermal changes in an attempt to pin-point the location of a volcano before it erupts (thereby enabling us to collect a lava sample).

It might be exaggerated, but it feels more in line with the diversity of methods that NASA/JPL/etc uses to tackle certain problems. Clearly, landing on Europa would be much different from landing on Mars, and some of the research we would do there would be quite different.

It would even be possible to use this concept to provide some kind of end-game event, that can only happen after each world's mystery is solved (such as the discovery of a massive rogue planet far beyond Eeloo's orbit).

Edited April 10, 2014 by vger

[Frank_G]

I would really like seeing random anomalies for career and sandbox mode. This brings some sort of scenario editor in mind.... And the possibility to share missions and mysteries on kerbal spaceport... Has tons of potential!

[vger]

I would really like seeing random anomalies for career and sandbox mode. This brings some sort of scenario editor in mind.... And the possibility to share missions and mysteries on kerbal spaceport... Has tons of potential!

A "mission builder" app sounds like a marvelous idea. I would like to still see it be more dynamic than having to get a generic soil sample from a specific place though. We need things that really make the approach to exploring different worlds vastly different, to keep the challenge fresh and make it exciting to ask "just what is out there that we haven't found yet?" and then go to find out.

How about a planet with actual seasons, where something special can only be found at the proper time? Or a world with secrets at the bottom of its ocean (yeah, we'd need submersibles). Perhaps an atmosphere that doesn't work and play well with a certain type of rocket, meaning that those parts can't be used there? Planets with caverns that go deep underground? Things like this probably couldn't be done through a mission building program that was meant for general public use.