0.26 Big Feature Idea - Upgradeable buildings

[TheCanadianVendingMachine]

Imagine the need for art cause of this

Edited September 27, 2014 by TheCanadianVendingMachine

[SkyHook]

Well you go to it before me...this would be an amazing idea!

[Sky_walker]

Aye. That would be nice.

[Whirligig Girl]

I think it's cities.

[Lhathron the Elf]

I think it's cities.

Probably. Just small ones right now, most likely though.

Also, I wonder if the island landing strip can now be repaired and used like the KSC?

[Vanamonde]

This suggestion for the game's development has been moved to Suggestions & Development.

[Andrew Hansen]

I'm pretty convinced this is what 0.26 is about. It makes perfect sense with destructible buildings.

[artwhaley]

I'm hoping it's a lead-in to more realistic damage models for everything? Maybe ship parts could have more statuses besides 'hunky-dory' and 'exploded to death?'

Or, in general, it could be a move towards replaceable models becoming a stock feature - in the same way that a couple of plugins have added this ability? Replacing a standing building with a blown-up one is just one application of the ability to swap a model out mid-game, after all.

[metaphor]

That's probably what's going to happen.

Another possibility would be buildings that are "buildable" on other planets/moons, kinda like the Extraplanetary Launchpads mod.

[Alewx]

Well upgradeable buildings would be nice but what should be the effect of it?

- reduced costs?

- more science?

- just bigger buildings?

And again it would be just something for the carrer players, sandbox would just get a new message "not available in sandbox", and that is not really cool.

[John FX]

Obviously it`s leading to a career mode that starts with a single kerbal (maybe called jeb) in a small wooden shed firing Seperatrons into the air (it`s all there is in the parts list) and you have to build an entire space program from that...

Part of upgrading buildings is making a need to upgrade. There could be a weight limit for the launchpad so it does not matter how much cash you have, you can only launch a craft that weighs so much until you upgrade your launchpad. Maybe that will be something to spend Rep as well as Cash on. VAB upgrades could increase rocket height, better contracts with upgrading the contracts building, more experienced crew if you upgrade your astronaut complex (stats would have to have an effect to make that worth it though) or maybe increase the limit on crew numbers, maybe spaceplane length limits could increase if you upgrade your SPH.

Edited September 29, 2014 by John FX
clarity and speeling

[Unabled]

Obviously it`s leading to a career mode that starts with a single kerbal (maybe called jeb) in a small wooden shed firing Seperatrons into the air (it`s all there is in the parts list) and you have to build an entire space program from that...

Part of upgrading buildings is making a need to upgrade. There could be a weight limit for the launchpad so it does not matter how much cash you have, you can only launch a craft that weighs so much until you upgrade your launchpad. Maybe that will be something to spend Rep as well as Cash on. VAB upgrades could increase rocket height, better contracts with upgrading that building, more experienced crew if you upgrade your astronaut complex (stats would have to have an effect to make that worth it though) or maybe increase the limit on crew numbers, maybe length limits could increase if you upgrade your SPH.

I'm thinking this is where 0.26 is leading, actually building your own space program from the ground up. Start with a shack and from there deciding what you want to build/improve next. Comms, the Crew building/facilities, improved runway, etc. Though I am having a hard time picturing reasons for upgrading these things because as John said, you need some sort of limits on the more primitive buildings so there is a reason to upgrade them.

One thought I had was linking upgraded buildings to unlocking parts. You could go a couple of ways with this...

• Do it like an RTS does: where you need to build/upgrade buildings to even begin researching certain technologies themed with the building's function, but I don't know if I like the sound of that as much for KSP.
  
• Have the upgraded buildings unlock new parts directly related to the building itself.
  

Both of these options would include eliminating the tech tree--

-Using science to unlock parts doesn't always make a whole lot of sense, and the tech tree really doesn't let one really pursue the route (or parts) they want in their career.

Want probes? That is a few nodes down the tree.

Want more science parts? Well, you have to go down this other branch of the tree unlocking stuff you might not want to reach them.

With this you could have a kind of graphical tech tree where you pick exactly what route you would like to go...

-Want to discover and pursue flight before rockets?

Build a plane hangar and then upgrade it to go down that path.

-Want to unlock probes to test launch your rockets instead of starting off

sacrificing

testing with Kerbals?

Build the communications array, and later upgrade that allowing for more advanced probe bodies.

-Want Launch stabiliziers?

Upgrade your launch pad.

-How about those larger rocket parts and engines?

Focus on upgrading the VAB.

etc...

Just sharing the thought I had on this.