I Figured Out How To Do Career Mode Properly

[The Jedi Master]

You see, I like having the science flavor text and contracts are nice when I'm stumped for new stuff to do. However, I don't like losing the ability to do missions just 'for fun'--like, going to the Mun just to go to the Mun. What is a Sandbox lover to do?

I was quite sad for a while, then I got it:

1. Do the first few contracts to get a cash flow and some science going. Up until first Mun landing is pretty good.

2. Do missions for science and fun.

3. When you need more money, do a new contract. It helps if you have a permanent science ship (read: station/base) in orbit/on the surface of the place you need science from for data collection contracts.

4. ???

5. PROFIT!

*bows* Thank you, thank you, I understand you all love my genius.

[SkyRender]

Alternatively, just send out comprehensive missions to every planet in the solar system as their launch windows come up. If you lack the tech to do it efficiently, all the more fun!

[Russoft]

I haven't really found career as bad as many are complaining it is. Yes it can be improved, but it's a whole lot of fun figuring out how to complete unusual contracts and recover expensive rocket parts. Yes, there's less room for outlandish expeditions, but that can still be done in science mode or sandbox. One of the best things about the contracts is I have the motivation to start up space stations. Before, I never saw a reason as I usually exhausted the science potential of a particular location very quickly. Now it can be an income source.

[The Destroyer]

Or, play sandbox!

[The Jedi Master]

@The Destroyer, because quote button isn't working: I prefer to have something other than "this is not science" when I pick up a surface sample. Career gives some purpose to the whole shebang.

EDIT: Just noticed that I have 2k posts. Onward to 3k!

Edited July 25, 2014 by The Jedi Master

[MajorThomas]

Fundamentally: Don't waste rockets; try to do two or more contracts in one go. And don't overbuild, save money that way. Adding MOAR BOOSTERS is one way to go; another way is a SMALLER PAYLOAD/SPACECRAFT. Guess which one is cheaper?

[Bloodlance]

doing career mode properly = ALT+F12 => disable quicksave and rollbacks to launch and design screen.

= proper "hard" Career mode

my 2c <3

[Russoft]

doing career mode properly = ALT+F12 => disable quicksave and rollbacks to launch and design screen.

= proper "hard" Career mode

my 2c <3

But... that's too much like real life. I screw up something at work and it takes all day to fix it. I play KSP for enjoyment, not more frustration!

(I do actually think playing "hard" mode would be fun, but not ready to take the plunge)

[I_Killed_Jeb]

You see, I like having the science flavor text and contracts are nice when I'm stumped for new stuff to do. However, I don't like losing the ability to do missions just 'for fun'--like, going to the Mun just to go to the Mun. What is a Sandbox lover to do?

I was quite sad for a while, then I got it:

1. Do the first few contracts to get a cash flow and some science going. Up until first Mun landing is pretty good.

2. Do missions for science and fun.

3. When you need more money, do a new contract. It helps if you have a permanent science ship (read: station/base) in orbit/on the surface of the place you need science from for data collection contracts.

4. ???

5. PROFIT!

*bows* Thank you, thank you, I understand you all love my genius.

delusions of grandeur?

[The Jedi Master]

delusions of grandeur?

Occasionally.

[Caelib]

I've really only been doing the planet/moon-based (scripted) contracts with no expiration. Those are providing plenty of money.

[Mister Kerman]

I like the contracts. Adding a budget to the game doesn't ruin it. I think completing contracts for R&D science points and cash is pretty rewarding. It helps you get science without forcing you to do anything productive. It's challenging completing 5 contracts in one launch.

I'm using the contracts as a cheesy way to get my space program into ship-shape and build funds before I actually really do any missions for myself. I want to launch a couple "Just for fun" satellites, (satellite-TV satellite/spy satellites/weather satellites, etc...) and eventually copy the NASA's Apollo program. Only successful manned Mun landings though; no unmanned test launches or oxygen tank explosions. I have just about everything I need now as far as parts go. I'm just missing rover parts; but Apollo didn't use them until their last few missions anyways so I'll have the science/parts I need probably after 2 lander missions.

All in all, I wouldn't be able to start my career the stylish way I wanted to without having contracts to farm , so I don't mind the contract/ budget system.

[DJEN]

Or, play sandbox!

As a casual sandbox player, I approve of this.

[Ruthgar]

Fundamentally: Don't waste rockets; try to do two or more contracts in one go. And don't overbuild, save money that way. Adding MOAR BOOSTERS is one way to go; another way is a SMALLER PAYLOAD/SPACECRAFT. Guess which one is cheaper?

But I like my mega min/mun lander that costs me 250-275k to launch. Damn thing also makes me about 400-500k just doing a bunch of repeatables in a single mission.

*EDIT* thing also returns about 65-75k in parts

Edited July 27, 2014 by Ruthgar

[Ruthgar]

doing career mode properly = ALT+F12 => disable quicksave and rollbacks to launch and design screen.

= proper "hard" Career mode

my 2c <3

I only do the rollback when something fails/falls off my ship while it's on the launchpad. I use quicksave just because of all the lovely little quirks KSP has, like the one that happened today when I went to get a drink while my Duna lander was on the way out of the system, engines/rcs/sas all off, no timewarp as I did have a maneuver node soon. Get back to my computer a minute later to see all the arms of my lander gyroscoping in opposite directions. 30 seconds of trying to stop the parts spinning later I watched the pieces of the ship rip themselves from the core of it. Then there's the times that my guys get out of the ship and somehow managed to tip it over even when it's sitting stable on flat ground. So yeah, as far as quicksaving goes I just use it as a backup against the random quirks of the game, and as a backup for the periodic saving the game does to the main file (had a few crashes where my quicksave was actually several minutes later (largest was about 30 minute difference) than the auto-save).

Case in point, earlier this week when I had 6 million in my budget, I launched MULTIPLE missions going to well everywhere outside of Kerbin SOI. The total price tag on this venture was around 5.5 million, and I had multiple, MULTIPLE partial failures on the missions where I would lose solar panels, mono tank here or there, even one of the engines on the final part of a transfer vessel. The greatest failure I had was when my manned Duna mission was heading for a rendevous with the transfer/refueling ship. Now, while I calculate and plot all of my intercepts and transfers myself, I do use mechjeb for executing the maneuvers, which allows me to save fuel. And I needed to save fuel on my Duna mission, I had gotten into orbit with just under 400 units of fuel left which resulted in about 150 m/s of delta/v I used 100-110 of it going toward my final rendevous with enough left for the deceleration burn that should park me about 50 meters from the transfer ship. HOWEVER I was doing this on the night side, with no lights, no big deal, done this plenty of times, plus I can see the docking port highlighted I can do this. What I did not take into account was the position the ship was in. Just as MJ was starting the final burn, my landing gear and main clamp-o-tron on the bottom of the lander plowed into the main fuel tank/engine of the transfer ship. Luckily the lander actually has 2 clamp-o-trons and I was able to rendevous with the remaining tanks, dock up, take the fuel from the tanks that no longer had engines to refill the lander, jettison what would unbalance the lander thrust, towed the remaining tank to ike, landed there, took off again, redocked, and started my transfer back to kerbin burn. Now due to the damage my lander had taken (lost a few landing gear, a clamp-o-tron, and some external components on the tanks such as batteries a few rcs props etc...) I had to balance the weight of my ship by keeping some tanks opposite of the damaged side empty. So here I am, using my lander to push some fuel tanks with me back to Kerbin, having to keep my thrust limited to 35-45% or the rcs and reaction wheel would not be able to cope with the imbalance (without 'ballasting' my lander tanks they could only handle 5% thrust) Managed to get this crippled lander back to Kerbin SOI, get into a orbit that would impact minimus later(dumped the spare fuel tanks then) burned at pe to drop ap below Minimus orbit then burned again at ap to encounter kerbin for a polar landing that the ship barely survived (each of the arms of the lander are twisted 10-20 degrees as it was sitting on the ground). The things is, I had done a quicksave just 15 minutes prior to the accident before I lifted from Duna. I could have avoided this entire 'mess' by reloading after destroying my transfer ship. I didn't because this wasn't from a quirk of the game, a problem in one of the mods I use, this was something that I had done, so I lived with that consequence, and managed to get back to kerbin.

SO yeah, I don't disable rollbacks or quicksave, I just don't use them aside from when the game itself messes up. Even when an 800k ship decides to turn itself into a Roman candle 1 second AFTER launch. (thankfully that was my massive unmanned mission to Jool)

[Rus-Evo]

I am enjoying the challenge of doing multiple contracts for each launch. I just choose compatible ones.

[Mister Kerman]

I'm finding out more and more you waste more time trying to make 5-contract-Frankenstein-rockets work, than if you were to just focus on 2 or 3 at a time and knock contracts down thoroughly without splitting your attention too much.

I don't play hardcore mode or anything but I don't think I'm good enough at the game yet. I would just end up losing hair if I tried that. I don't mod games so I don't have all the fancy "practically play the game for you" mods to make it a little bit more forgiving.

Edited July 27, 2014 by Mister Kerman

[Bloodlance]

Ruthgar, ive used around 3.5million now and ive only been on Mun and Minmus

=) and its FUN

hehe

[magnemoe]

I haven't really found career as bad as many are complaining it is. Yes it can be improved, but it's a whole lot of fun figuring out how to complete unusual contracts and recover expensive rocket parts. Yes, there's less room for outlandish expeditions, but that can still be done in science mode or sandbox. One of the best things about the contracts is I have the motivation to start up space stations. Before, I never saw a reason as I usually exhausted the science potential of a particular location very quickly. Now it can be an income source.

Most expensive ship I have launched is 1.5 million and that includes an 750K construction facility who is designed to be overpriced as it can build other ship, room for 20 kerbals and fuel enough to reach everywhere except moho without drop tanks. Yes it needs spare fuel as its also a fuel depot for ship it builds.

Also the core stage was oversize as it will be used as a LKO fuel depot.

[magnemoe]

Or, play sandbox!

I find sandbox boring as you can not do science, better to have a save after you filled out the tree with mun an minmus missions.

No you don't need all the science from the Jool 5 mission either