Gameplay integration of science parts (including new parts)

[Semmel]

This post is similar to this: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/78161-Some-ideas-for-additional-science-parts I made a new thread for this because the idea is not so much for new parts, but for their integration into the gameplay. I think its not enough to have more ways of generating science points. Collecting science should impact the gameplay much more than it currently does. At moment science is just used to unlock the tech tree. It has much more potential than that.

When you start a game, you know almost nothing about the kerbol system. All you know is their orbits and their masses and a rough image, like a very low resolution texture. Everything else you have to find out.

Science for information, visible in the tracking station:

*Optical telescope (facing outwards) in orbit:

- Necessary to determine atmospheric heights of celestial bodies

- Necessary to track asteroids

- Can find asteroids near Kerbin, but only facing away from the sun

*Infrared survay telescope in orbit:

- See asteroids at a larger distance, but only facing away from the sun

- Determine average surface temperatures of celestial bodies

- Requires cooling (which means it needs to be serviced from time to time)

Note: if you want to see asteroids inwards of Kerbin orbit, bring the infrared telescope in a closer orbit.

* Optical Imager telescope (facing inwards, smaller, lighter than the outwards telescopes) in orbit:

- Makes you see the surface in more detail in the map view (current view)

- Necessary to define biomes (excluding Kerbin, including the mun, minmus and everything else)

* Radar telescope in Orbit

- Necessary to know surface height map of a celestial body

* Gas Spectrometer instrument:

- Composition of the atmosphere of celestial bodies

* Sample Spectrometer instrument:

- Composition of the surface features of celestial bodies (requires Kerbels to put the dirt into the instrument).

- surface sample return mission gives the same information

Instrumentation on the probe:

* Accelerometer:

- to have the acceleration reading next to the nav-ball

- determine surface gravity (for asteroids basically, even though they dont have that implemented at the moment)

- Enables bad SAS that can react on strong rotations

* Star tracker:

- to know the orientation (nav-ball), heading ... basically the nav-ball functionality

- Enables good SAS that can hold the orientation very well (otherwise, how would the SAS know the heading?)

* Radar:

- Needs to face the body in question

- to have the height information of your probe (the number at the top of your screen)

- relative velocity to target and distance to target (for docking)

- surface speed reading

* Barometer:

- height information alternative source for bodies with atmosphere (smaller and lighter than the radar, does not need to face ground)

* Thermometer:

- To know the temperature during reentry

- Determine surface temperature in absence of an infrared telescope

* Transponder:

- For tracking in the tracking station without a space telescope

* Computer core:

- determining change of SOI in the map view and for nearest approach nodes inflight, only in combination with the radar instrument

* GPS network on a planet:

- replaces navigation instruments in orbit and on the surface

- requires GPS receiver

- a functioning network around Kerbin generates a constant flux of money

Edited April 30, 2014 by Semmel
kerban -> kerbin

[Sirrobert]

What is it with all that 'Kerban' I see popping up everywhere?

There is nothing in this game that is called kerban. The planet is called KerbIn. Where the hell do you people get kerban from? (and no it's not a typo, those letters are on the other side of the keyboard).

As to your suggestion:

Alot of the 'probe' things you suggest are required for the basic functioning of rockets. Taking them away from the base probes and forcing players to add them as extra parts is just stupid busywork.

Star tracker required for the navball? You can't fly a spaceship without navball. (also, they use a gyroscope for that, not a star tracker. You can't even see any stars if you are on the dayside of a planet).

Computer core: Wut? Why the hell would that not be included in a probe body. A probe body IS a computer

[Tex]

Where the hell do you people get kerban from?

Now, now, calm down.

The integration of the science parts in such a way seems very interesting, and would certainly be a game-changing (no pun intended) element to have in KSP. However, from a neutral standpoint, it would also serve to add a degree of complexity to an already complex and dynamic game. I'd love to see it, seeing as I've been around the Kerbin system a while, but it might throw off new players trying to learn the game.