where next?

[Turvok]

So I feel I have a good grasp on ksp now. I've built a station in sandbox.

In career I've been to the Mun, minmus, Jool, landed on 3 of its moons, landed on Duna and Ike. Done a fly by of eve. (and a crash, and a stranded kerbal)

My question is should I attempt next? Mostly I've done all the easy planets that allow me to aerobrake on arrival. I'm thinking either eeloo or dres, maybe moho. Which is the most interesting? I'm personally thinking about eeloo as I heard kerbol looks small out there.. Any tips on slowing down when I get there? Are 2 lv-ns enough for a 30 ton lander.? Main objective here is science so I can hopefully finish up my tech tree. Also mainly looking at manned missions. Plant a flag get a surface sample and a photograph etc.

Turvok

[Tortoise]

Land on eve

[Turvok]

Lol done it.. Can't say gotten back OFF just yet though. Lol I was sort of working on it but when I realized the monstrosity needed I said said screw it and and decided to try something easier.

Plus I'm mostly playing in career mode and don't have I-beams or the plates yet to use them for the structural support I think I need. (I used that technique in sandbox before career came out to get a few of my stations into orbit.

Maybe should try a couple of the bigger mods like the one that adds fuel and stuff. Or maybe the life support one.

I for one am really looking forward to multi-player. I go in spurts where I play 50 or 60 hrs each update and take a break for a bit.

[allmhuran]

There's a HUGE canyon on Dres that is kinda fun to fly through (or jump over in a rover). Don't worry about having trouble finding it, it's the enormous scar just south of the equator: http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/File:TinyDres.png

[Red Iron Crown]

Rescuing the kerbal you stranded on Eve would be a good option. Doesn't have to be a monstrosity. Just put your ascent vehicle down somewhere with a high elevation and drop a rover close to your kerbal so he can drive to it.

[cantab]

A couple of less obvious options: solar impact and solar escape. Solar impact especially requires a load of delta-V, though the requirement can be reduced a fair amount with a good choice of trajectory. (Ie you can do better than a simple direct Kerbin-Sun transfer).

[Turvok]

I like the dres idea. Maybe a all Rover too. Might try eeloo as as well. Red thanks for the link. I thought you needed closer to 12,000 dv to get off eve? I haven't really made figured out precision landings. Maybe I I should work on this and hit a few of the Easter eggs. (Mun and I think Duna has one too?)

[Red Iron Crown]

12km/s is only necessary for an ascent from sea level, you can get up there for around 8.5km/s if you land at high altitude. Still not trivial, but less intimidating.

There are some Easter eggs on Kerbin, too. Might be fun to build a plane and see what you can find.

[Turvok]

The only one I know of is the old kerbal space center. Not sure if there are others? I tried a few times flying around kerbin but got bored pretty fast lol.

[Red Iron Crown]

There are others.

[technicalfool]

Moho. All the "advantages" of Eeloo (no atmosphere, massive dV requirements to get there and slow down, low G once you get there), but the transfer windows occur a little more often, and the journey doesn't mean growing a beard while watching your craft inch toward the outer Kerbolar system at max time warp.

Edited May 24, 2014 by technicalfool

[G'th]

Build a space station in low Kerbol orbit. Just going places is for chumps.

[technicalfool]

The only one I know of is the old kerbal space center. Not sure if there are others? I tried a few times flying around kerbin but got bored pretty fast lol.

Make a rover and pootle around the launch area for a bit. There's an anomaly REALLY close by. Very, uhm, "monolithic".

Oh, and of course the island runway, just East of KSC, a short hop over the water.

As for any others, well, that would be spoiling things!

[Pecan]

The only one I know of is the old kerbal space center. Not sure if there are others? I tried a few times flying around kerbin but got bored pretty fast lol.

In that case you may enjoy a campaign with more structure and purpose than career currently provides: install the SCANSat mod, launch satellites to map all the planets and moons (starting with Kerbin, obviously), then go and find out what the 'anomalies' the satellites find actually are.

(or just look at Kerbal maps for their locations).

[Turvok]

Scansat sounds interesting. As for G'ths suggestion I've already built several stations. Mostly back in 0.19 or so. I'm not terribly creative so kind of run out of ideas quick. 4 or 5 parts (10-50 each) main reason I did that was to learn docking. The first few attempts took 7 and 8 hrs and all I kept doing was missing lol. (plus I was using wrong parts the first time) I got it enough now that I've done it without rcs. Just main engines.

I have noticed how long it takes to get to Jool. Is eeloo that much worse? Maybe try moho.

[Turvok]

Also main purpose of of this thread was for ideas of where to go get science. I know you can get a lot more science close to home but I'm not overly impressed landing on the Mun 7 more times In different biomedical. I've been to the Mun 15 times already.

I think the exploration is part of what is making me interested in somewhere already been.

[G'th]

Could always build a colony somewhere.

But if you're looking for science, not much to do except going for different biomes or just plain visiting whatever planets/moons you haven't been to yet.

There really needs to be more ways to collect science. Hopefully .24 helps that a bit.

[cantab]

Well, .23.5 did introduce a new science experiment: asteroid surface samples.

And they're subject to situation like anything else, so you'll get new results when you make an SOI change.

The conclusion is simple: grab a rock and take it on a tour of the system!

[Pecan]

Scansat sounds interesting...

It is :-) A nice little mod that won't make you change your gameplay but gives you another reason for going places - and for using unmanned probes, although you could sit crewed ships around each body to map it.

Career mode is going to be a lot more interesting (we and Squad all hope!) in 0.24 but at the moment, once you've learnt the basics - as you're landing on other bodies and docking then you have - there really isn't any point in grinding science just to unlock the tech-tree. Mods like SCANSat, RT2, Kethane and some others give you a whole new set of reasons to go places and do things. Kethane gives you a good reason for bases and, to a lesser extent, space stations. RT2 introduces communications satellites but makes things harder because everything has to maintain a link back to base. Both Kethane and, especially, RT2 will mean you change the way you play though (which for most people is the point of using them, of course).

If you are interested in using SCANSat to structure a campaign, let me plug Exploring The System - A design tutorial campaign which I'm writing. It's long, only half finished and will get longer later ^^. My intention is to, eventually, make it 'the missing campaign manual'.

[Turvok]

RT2 sounds like a royal PITA. I've read about it and kethane. Before. Isn't there a mod for realistic life support? I remember seeing one that made you worry about waste and co2 scrubbing etc.

I haven't been to any asteroids. I kind of ignored them since they came out. Be a quick trip to get to one. Although I don't think I have the claw researched yet. I suppose if if don't I could just try to Eva to one.

[Pecan]

There are a few life-support mods, some harder and some easier to use. Probably the most widely-used is TAC LS, although I have seen comments that apart from adding scrubbers and recyclers you can then just leave it to look after itself. I haven't tried it, or any other LS mod, yet but do intend to in my next campaign.

RT2 is ... interesting ... I like it but, yes, it does give you a whole new set of design considerations to include and not really any reason to go anywhere. It's only really a bit tricky getting your initial comms satellites in orbit (and even that isn't actually HARD). Once you have the initial infrastructure the coverage and auto-aiming of satellites makes it easy to administer and expand. Oh - but read the start and end of the mod thread - RT2 does work in 0.23.5 but the 'official' release has issues, check carefully what you need to install.