Competitive AI - Compete for Contracts, Reputation and more! [Career/Survival Mode?]

[Governor]

Hey guys and gals!

So lately I've been thinking about what more could be added to the game, now that it's in it's later stages of development. I've begun to feel,

and I acknowledge that not everyone will agree, that there is huge potential for KSP's career mode. As we all know, the aim of career mode

is to build and grow your very own space company. This in itself is a challenge I know! But after extended play, and once a nice company is

established, it can become a tad easy and repetitive at times. But wait! I know what you're gonna say!

"You need to set yourself harder challenges Governor!"

I know! And that's what gave me this awesome idea.

As the title suggests, and I hope this hasn't already been suggested (couldn't find it on the lists), my hope is to see competitive AI

that are competing with you for contracts, reputation, highly regarded kerbal's etc.

Now before you say anything! They don't necessarily have to be visible in-game, perhaps just records of their fulfilled contracts, and

contracts their pursuing. If they complete a contract before you, it disappears and your funds that you spent towards achieving it are spent,

all for nothing!

There could also be a leader-board of some kind that shows the top AI companies and where you rank against them in reputation, net worth etc.

Their difficulty would also be scale-able when setting a new career save, where you could edit other characteristics that the AI's may have to

bare. Set their company flag, choose their starting funds, decrease their starting funds to give yourself an early start , limit their contract returns etc.

You might set it so that no other AI companies can be established once the game has begun--and as such your new objective is to be

the last company standing! Survival of the fittest!

These is all just ideas, most of which I'm just coming up with on the fly. But I think this could really add a more competitive edge to the game,

something I believe it could really benefit additionally from.

Tell me your thoughts, and again, if I have mistakenly repeated a suggestion you have my apologies! Just so excited about this idea!

Governor

Edited October 10, 2014 by Governor
Grammar Changes.

[Sirrobert]

The point of the game is to build a space program. It's NOT to manage a business.

And regardless of that, as a human, you win by default. There may be some autopilot that can fly a program alone (you can let Mechjeb do everything from launch to return on things like a Mun mission, but AI can't dock efficiently, so complex missions are out.

And that's not even talking about building ships. The AI will never be able to design new ships, so every possible ship the AI uses would have to be pre build by someone.

So it's a cool idea, but I don't really think it fits, or could work.

There is however an alternative. The devs are working on multiplayer, in some form (we don't know anything else about it yet). There are also multiplayer mods. So you can just play against real people

[peadar1987]

It's an interesting idea for a consequence for not fulfilling a contract in time, and it's one I've thought about before. If you don't succeed in a contract, not only do you lose money and reputation, but it goes to one of your rivals. I think this would be a very nice way of adding some sort of consequence to falling short of your targets without going completely bust and having to restart the game.

[JohntotheBrogan]

I like that idea...