Global Competitors

[fommil]

It would be a really amazing addition to the game if some basic competitiveness were introduced with the nations of Kerbin.

e.g. land your satellite in the competing nation and don't get it back until you broker a deal (fly some equipment for them?) to recover vehicles, and even then the scientific value is reduce on recovery.

It would make re-entry more than an afterthought (at least until you implement the burn-up on re-entry physics).

This would also open up the possibility of "spy sat" style contracts and so on in the upcoming release.

Imagine even wow-style "choose your clan" choices at the beginning of the game: completely different tech trees.

Edited July 6, 2014 by fommil
Threads merged

[r4pt0r]

Why? All of Kerbalkind is working together for the greater goal of space exploration.

[fommil]

Because it would make re-entry more than an afterthought.

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

Because it would make re-entry more than an afterthought.

Not without the tools needed to estimate landing points accounting for atmospheric effects.

I'm waiting for the mod teams to create software that allows for precision reentry. In orbiter, I can put an XR-2 down within' a km of a desired location. Best I can get within KSP is... [waves hand] Somewhere in that hemisphere.

[Tarrow]

It would be a really amazing addition to the game if some basic politics were introduced with the nations of Kerbin.

No.

The old adage about not discussing politics (or religion) in unfamiliar company should be held to here I think. There's a good reason that those subjects are generally banned topics on most public forums. Nothing good or productive ever arises from it.

[Panzerbeard]

No.

The old adage about not discussing politics (or religion) in unfamiliar company should be held to here I think. There's a good reason that those subjects are generally banned topics on most public forums. Nothing good or productive ever arises from it.

With respect, discussing politics as a gameplay mechanic and debating real-world politics are two entirely different things, dismissing the suggestion on those grounds seems a bit.. silly, to me.

[technicalfool]

I'm waiting for the mod teams to create software that allows for precision reentry.

*cough*Mechjeb*cough*

No seriously, Mechjeb 2 landing autopilot. For when you've absolutely, positively got to land your lander directly on the dot. Accept no substitute. Unless you're Scott Manley, in which case you're already a machine.

Also, what people above have said. So long as this doesn't veer into real-world politics, and so long as you guys keep it polite, it should all be good.

Edited July 6, 2014 by technicalfool

[fommil]

Not without the tools needed to estimate landing points accounting for atmospheric effects.

What I was thinking was more what hemisphere / continent you land in.... you really don't need precision tools for that.

At the moment, I just basically get into Kerbin orbit and retrograde until I don't have an orbit anymore and then time warp turned up to 11. Without a game mechanic to stop me from being lazy, I never bother with this part of the game.

Plus, if there were "politics" - or competitors - in the game, there could be less science points awarded for being second in the various space races.

[Tw1]

Wasn't politics on the not-to-suggest list? Part cost being higher the further away from KSP (or KSC2) you land, that would be fine, but I think it's better to leave things like politics to peoples imagination. Add in too much in game story aspects, and you limit imagination.

Plus, I think linking the game too closely to Earth's space history is not the best idea.

Plus, how would a russian feel if they're being portrayed as the 'other' once again?

(I do wonder that from time to time.)

[fommil]

Part cost being higher the further away from KSP you land

+1 I agree

Plus, I think linking the game too closely to Earth's space history is not the best idea.

+1 I agree

Edited July 6, 2014 by fommil
Merging double post

[UbioZur]

I'd change the title of the post (if I could)

Edit your post, go on advanced mode and change the title.

And please edit your posts instead of double posting.

[fommil]

Edit your post, go on advanced mode and change the title.

Thanks, I've done that. Clearly the original post was a troll magnet.

And please edit your posts instead of double posting.

Actually I wasn't very pleased with the edit that was bestowed upon me. I had two separate things I wanted to say and intentionally did not want them to be part of the same message. The stackoverflow approach - where authors approve edits - is far less invasive than this. I have since completely rewritten the entire post because I was unhappy with the merged result.

Edited July 6, 2014 by fommil

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

*cough*Mechjeb*cough*

No seriously, Mechjeb 2 landing autopilot. For when you've absolutely, positively got to land your lander directly on the dot. Accept no substitute. Unless you're Scott Manley, in which case you're already a machine.

Also, what people above have said. So long as this doesn't veer into real-world politics, and so long as you guys keep it polite, it should all be good.

Use mech-jeb for surface landings myself... But it doesn't aerobrake very well to begin with, and it aerobrakes even worse with FAR.

Something like Aerobrake MFD that allows you to set up for descent and performs on the fly aerobraking calculations that actually examine vessel geometry and AoA. I'm honestly surprised an add-on strictly FOR aerobraking hasn't been built yet.

[Tarrow]

With respect, discussing politics as a gameplay mechanic and debating real-world politics are two entirely different things, dismissing the suggestion on those grounds seems a bit.. silly, to me.

Hmm, I worded my reply fairly poorly that's for sure. My issue isn't that I can't differentiate between a gameplay mechanic and real-world politics, though it's been my experience that whenever politics is a factor in a game it always results in what would be most politely termed as "issues".

My objections to the idea would probably be better summed as follows. As written in the original post the proposed politics mechanic only provides for penalties, penalties that by their nature (i.e. unexpected bills resulting from not landing near enough to the KSC) would be applied more frequently to inexperienced players. I remember my first 20-30 launches I was just happy to see the ground again, would have slowed things down a lot if I'd been paying penalties for badly chosen landing spaces in addition to the replacement costs of several rockets

[BudgetHedgehog]

Yeah, no. Despite what you might think, even in the real world, if American astronauts landed in Russia or Africa by accident, it's unlikely they'd be held hostage until America does something for them. Everyone works together for the betterment of humanity (or kerbality in this case) and to increase understanding of the universe. To make it otherwise for no real reason doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

[cpast]

Yeah, no. Despite what you might think, even in the real world, if American astronauts landed in Russia or Africa by accident, it's unlikely they'd be held hostage until America does something for them. Everyone works together for the betterment of humanity (or kerbality in this case) and to increase understanding of the universe. To make it otherwise for no real reason doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

There is in fact a treaty to that effect.