Science that inherently takes time... and that's okay.

[Whirligig Girl]

In real life, there are things that take time to do not because of processing time, but because it inherently takes time to do.

I propose a magnetometer boom instrument that measures the magnetic field around Kerbin as you pass through the radiation belts, as well as a one-shot experiment. This would require the ability to get into an orbit that moves up and falls back down. To unlock all data for this experiment, you must go on an orbit that goes as high as the SOI will reach, and falls back down to the near edge of the atmosphere. There would be diminishing returns as you find that the radiation belts have a pattern that is predictable, but you still have science just by confirming the hypothesis that the pattern continues.

Also, growth experiments of plants in space or bacteria cultures in different conditions.

'The argument against this is that "If you have time limits and you give the player the keys to the TARDIS, what's the point?" The thing is that it would force progression into orbiting stations rather than quick flybys. If you want to observe how plants grow in the radiation of Low Sun Orbit, you have to keep a station there, meaning a roughly circular orbit, making it a bigger challenge than a low periapsis and a not-low apoapsis.

Of course, to keep the player from just making a probe that magically does all the work, the ship should require a manned Science Lab for these station experiments to work.

Another thing that takes time to do and it's okay that it does would be Painting The Map.

Of course, to keep it from being tedious, these things would have to be done while 1: Time Accelerating, and 2: switched to other vessels.

Found this from the June 3rd Devnotes discussion

Very interesting. I'd like to hope something else could perhaps be second most common- Experiment contracts.

Investigating any major space mission should give ideas. For example, Cassini did a relativity experiment when it was opposite the Earth in solar orbit. Apollo-Soyuz had Apollo block the sun in a way the corona could be observed. Things that aren't so simple have as a button on a science part, or a science situation. Naturally, this would work a lot better once we have a few more basic space instruments- spectrometers, drills, etc

Relevant here, same idea I'm going for, even with different implementation idea.

Edited June 4, 2014 by GregroxMun

[robopilot99]

This is a good idea. I often hear people talk about people wanting space stations to produce science but I like the way you are mentioning. Add some expirements that give a steady (but slowly diminishing) supply of science when attached to a craft with a science lab.

[allmhuran]

Yeah, there was/is another recently created thread on this, but I'll mention my point again here...

In career mode, being able to timewarp through long duration experiments (like scanning the surface of a planet/moon) shouldn't create any problems with "game balance", because if you timewarp through several months other things are also going to occur... for example, if there's a daily maintenance cost to your space program, you will go broke unless you are launching other missions and earning other rewards while your satellite scans. Or your reputation will decay. Or you'll miss contract opportunities and launch windows. Or any number of other mechanics that might end up being part of career mode.

As you noted, the key requirement for all of this is to be able to let a craft do its thing while you're off doing something else.

Edited June 4, 2014 by allmhuran

[Whirligig Girl]

-Deleted-!

[Whirligig Girl]

Yeah, there was/is another recently created thread on this, but I'll mention my point again here...

In career mode, being able to timewarp through long duration experiments (like scanning the surface of a planet/moon) shouldn't create any problems with "game balance", because if you timewarp through several months other things are also going to occur... for example, if there's a daily maintenance cost to your space program, you will go broke unless you are launching other missions and earning other rewards while your satellite scans. Or your reputation will decay. Or you'll miss contract opportunities and launch windows. Or any number of other mechanics that might end up being part of career mode.

As you noted, the key requirement for all of this is to be able to let a craft do its thing while you're off doing something else.

Yes. Here, have all of my This.

[LethalDose]

Yep, I like this idea. I hope the devs consider implementing this sometime.

Another way "science over time" could be interesting would be to send probes to a planet's surface with a Sci-over-time experiment, so kerbal astronauts can come and collect the experiment later. It would also add some utility to rovers (getting from landing to instrument).

This would be similar to Apollo 12 astronauts collecting bits from Surveyor 3 for study.

[Kegereneku]

I agree with this suggestion, I did a thread myself to discuss that "doing X over time" isn't meaningless at all if a game have a timewarp system.

Of course, for all this to work best you would need a way for ship to do things while unfocused.

Which indeed would seem to be a computing challenge at high speed.

[monstah]

Ever used SCANSat? It's an awesome mod, and it gathers science as it maps the body. It has off-ship scanning, so you can have a constellation scanning a planet efficiently, or many planets simultaneously, and science gain is gradual over the percentage scanned.

It's not science over time, but rather over space. I dig the idea of science over time too, but you could get some programming inspiration from SCANSat. Plus, I think your Van Allen Belt probes work better with this paradigm (the other experiments would work over time fine).

-edit: link

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/80369-0-23-5-SCANsat-v6-0-Real-Scanning-Real-Science-at-Warp-Speed!-May-17

Edited June 6, 2014 by monstah
link

[Ferroflame]

I think this is a really great idea! If the devs don't implement it in the next update, they should really try to get it in the next one!

Another great science-over-time idea would be to add (automated?) orbital telescopes of various sorts to scan the solar system and/or the rest of the stars to generate science. Also, if they wanted to implement some sort of "fog of war" (fog of science?) feature it could be used as a way of detecting and tracking other spacial bodies in the solar system, and possibly other systems if they added that as well. I think it'd be cooler if I were to "discover" another gas giant beyond Jool and explore there, ya know?

[Northstar1989]

In real life, there are things that take time to do not because of processing time, but because it inherently takes time to do.

I propose a magnetometer boom instrument that measures the magnetic field around Kerbin as you pass through the radiation belts, as well as a one-shot experiment. This would require the ability to get into an orbit that moves up and falls back down. To unlock all data for this experiment, you must go on an orbit that goes as high as the SOI will reach, and falls back down to the near edge of the atmosphere. There would be diminishing returns as you find that the radiation belts have a pattern that is predictable, but you still have science just by confirming the hypothesis that the pattern continues.

Also, growth experiments of plants in space or bacteria cultures in different conditions.

'The argument against this is that "If you have time limits and you give the player the keys to the TARDIS, what's the point?" The thing is that it would force progression into orbiting stations rather than quick flybys. If you want to observe how plants grow in the radiation of Low Sun Orbit, you have to keep a station there, meaning a roughly circular orbit, making it a bigger challenge than a low periapsis and a not-low apoapsis.

Of course, to keep the player from just making a probe that magically does all the work, the ship should require a manned Science Lab for these station experiments to work.

Another thing that takes time to do and it's okay that it does would be Painting The Map.

Of course, to keep it from being tedious, these things would have to be done while 1: Time Accelerating, and 2: switched to other vessels.

Found this from the June 3rd Devnotes discussion

Relevant here, same idea I'm going for, even with different implementation idea.

Not a bad idea- but the dev's seem to have their own priorities that don't include this. Still, someday perhaps...

Regards,

Northstar