Give out contracts?

[NASAFanboy]

Is there any word on whether or not you could contract out work to another space agency or company? For example, you could have another agency take over logistic operations for your bases while you partake in a large expedition to Eeloo, or contract another agency to build your satellite constellation while you focus on other jobs or missions.

[Worst at Video Games NA]

It seems interesting in certain contexts, but paying another company to build a rocket for you seems like it's taking out one of the major draws of the game.

Just my two cents.

[makinyashikino]

Maybe a mod, maybe near end-game.

A potential idea would be when the implement multiplayer, you could pay other players to do missions for you, such as satellite delivery and whatnot, kind of like how NASA does more big boy science, while they let the newer SpaceX handle the more dull, satellite launch missions for now. Well, I mean NASA's "Big Boy Science" department hasn't done that much recently, Curiosity was cool and all, along with Cassini-Huguyns. Don't let your space program fall into a rut!

[Tortoise]

First people want mods to fly their own rockets for them, now they want mods to build their rockets for them.

[timsfitz]

First people want mods to fly their own rockets for them, now they want mods to build their rockets for them.

Yeah it's getting out of hand.

[G'th]

^ That actually gives a me a neat idea where you could be contracted to be the mission controller for a pre-built mission. Basically it'd be scenarios integrated into the contract system. That'd be neat and if varied enough it could be a refreshing thing to do after binging on explosions.

[Guest]

[Deleted by user]

Edited November 25, 2019 by Guest

[Epthelyn]

First people want mods to fly their own rockets for them, now they want mods to build their rockets for them.

Then let them. MechJeb is optional, as would be that particular mod.

As it is, there's a difference between contracting a company to do work and contracting a company to build rockets; you could provide them with a working satellite and launcher and have them build you a satellite network for X funds.

I'm not even sure having the game build rockets is a feasible idea anyway. AI for rocket construction would be no simple task.

[Oafman]

First people want mods to fly their own rockets for them, now they want mods to build their rockets for them.

Some people want to be astronauts, piloting ships by hand.

Others prefer a more managerial role.

Each to their own.

[HavinAlmassi]

You're thinking of Kerbal Space Program Manager.

[Sky_walker]

Nothing good comes from criticizing a playstyle for a singleplayer game; not for you, the victim, or anybody really.

I think having a reasonable objection to this idea is fine, but your bias is not such.

lol.

Thanks for a laugh.

[rkman]

Yeah it's getting out of hand.

What is getting out of hand is people with specific ideas about how others should play the game, derailing threads by venting their opinion at just about every opportunity.

[Wallace]

Guy's I've invented a cool mod that not only flys your rockets for you, and builds them, but all designs them and plans everything for you, you literally don't have to do anything at all.

I call it 'watching a video of someone else play'.

[Dizzle]

Lots of people here missing the point. Personally, I'd find it really useful to outsource all the busywork while I work on things that actually interest me, which I believe is what the OP is saying.

[Sigma117]

I think everyone is getting worked up over nothing. OP said build a satellite network, not the satellites themselves...

[sewerbird]

Actually has a good bit of merit for a given scope, I think: I mostly would envision Kerbin SoI tasks like transporting command pods from the ocean back to KSC for higher recovery, 'heavy lifter' contracts where you give them a payload to boost into LKO (perhaps an expensive way to circumvent part counts lost to a heavy lift vehicle?), contracting out a proven SSTO pilot to orbit... that sort of thing. I'm not sure it should be a core game feature, but would certainly be a nifty mod idea: kind of like expensive near-kerbin hyperedit?

[Wooks]

How to implement this idea:

1.- You NEED to build your ship, test it, fly it, complete a tour with it, aquire science, land it, recover it, 100% success rate in all the possible aspects.

2.- Once you managed to perfect every little aspect, THEN you can contract someone else to do it.

Do your homework, get your free time afterwards.

[themongoose]

I think it would be a good idea for the future, but you should only be able to contract-out something which you have demonstrated and proven you can do yourself.

I.e. in order to "buy" a delivery of a certain cargo to orbit, you have to have previously orbitted a vessel of at least the same mass before.

That way it would at least be possible to remove some of the tedious re-supply missions for bases and remote vessels.

[DeafFrog]

I vote if KSP wasn't the only Space Program, so for example you get KSP (NASA) and Russia. You can then have diplomacy with Russia where if they get pissed they might blast your stuff out of orbit and if you become friends you can sanction an ISS with them or joint missions with them like a moon landing, so if you do it with Russia you get half science and funds but you get double rep and some diplomacy points.

Perhaps they could also be working on science and missions at the same time, so you will encounter some of their satellites, if they do a science objective before you get half science and if they already have something researched it becomes cheaper for you to research. It could also be possible to steal their satellites and gain any tech placed on the satellite that you don't have, and they will do the same to you.

[metaphor]

I think it would be an interesting idea.

A slightly different idea: have companies build payloads for you (like satellites or probes), and then you have to build a rocket to launch them and get them to a specific place.

[HavinAlmassi]

Guy's I've invented a cool mod that not only flys your rockets for you, and builds them, but all designs them and plans everything for you, you literally don't have to do anything at all.

I call it 'watching a video of someone else play'.

Rick-Rolled!

[gmiddlemass]

It would be quite interesting to be able to give out challenges between a group of friends in the form of a contract, almost like making a bet. Completing the contract would require the other players to transfer funds into your "account" from their own in game funds. Hopefully something along these lines will be included in the eventual multiplayer version of the game enabling friends to play together while not neccisarily being online at the same time,

[Sigma117]

I think it would be an interesting idea.

A slightly different idea: have companies build payloads for you (like satellites or probes), and then you have to build a rocket to launch them and get them to a specific place.

If Squad haven't thought of this, they need informing. I love the idea of having that kind of mission, though it will undoubtedly become easy once you have a few reliable launchers. The biggest downside to it would be a potential limit to the amount of supplied payloads.

[undercoveryankee]

Being able to launch a satellite once and then spend funds to tell a mod to "Launch five more of these" would make RemoteTech players very happy.

The other likely use for being able to pay for a job you've already done once is refueling space stations. We've had the Davon Supply mod for a while, but it has a fairly large dedicated part and makes you deliver more fuel than you probably want to do in one launch to activate it. With funds being added, you can be balanced without the big dedicated part and with less up front work, just by saying an automated delivery will deliver the amounts that you delivered in one launch and cost what your launch cost.