[WIP/Planning/Idea] Better Than Tiny Scale

[Whirligig Girl]

I'm looking for some modders who are more experienced with... well... modding, to help make this idea a reality. I can basically only do concept/story/drawing* work and config editing. It would be a great joy if you could help make this project a reality. PM me if you wish to further this conversation.

*drawings of some of the new engines are coming soonâ„¢. There will be plenty of soonâ„¢.

A basic proof-of-concept set of config files for the various mods will be out soonâ„¢. I'm basically just writing this down first.

The idea of this mod is that it would be a career and sandbox (but mostly career) rework of Kerbal Space Program, whilst maintaining the stock flavor. The name is of course a reference to Better Than Starting Manned, but there is one major difference. 6.4:1 Rescaled Planets using Real Solar System. This is very much a heavier BTSM for 6.4x users.

BTTS will be concerned with adding authenticity, not blatant realism. The game will still feel gamey, but will also feel much bigger (because it will be bigger!) It will implement a few other mods as well. To be clear, these will all either be distributed with permission from the respective mod creators, or through download links in the thread.

Planned Mods for Implementation

6.4:1 Rescaled Kerbolar System config for RSS.

Neophyte's Elementary Aerodynamics Replacement.

Deadly Re-Entry.

BTSM's Science reports and experiment changes, and it's pressurized cockpit tech system.

Alternative Tree Configurator OR TreeEdit.

Ven's Stock Part Revamp. (Any new parts will be based upon the designs by Ven)

Station Science.

Procedural Fairings. (Perhaps using new models)

EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements (and perhaps DistantObjectEnhancement).

NearFuture Solar, Electrical, Construction, and parts of Propulsion.

Karbonite. (Or perhaps Kethane)

MAYBE interstellar for endgame.

Relies on some of the planned features in 0.90.0, such as upgrade-able space center and more Spaceplane Parts.

Separate-ish mods/plugins that don't exist yet but should exist to make this mod work

(Perhaps they would just end up being created for this mod, but these proposals would be cool in other uses)

A plugin that can change the mass ratio of ALL tanks. (Like what KIDS does for Engine Isp.)

(This COULD be replaced by manually going through the CFG files for all fuel tanks, OR by simply using KIDS for an Isp increase)

more will be added to this section if any ideas come up.

Backstory

The Kerbals are just ten years out of a world-wide war. Resorting to (what one side thinks is "Friendly" and the other side thinks is "Domination") competition to satisfy their time, The Kerbals find themselves looking towards space.

The United Democratic Nation of Keriama's Space Program begins as a simple Kerbal dream to explore the cosmos. Most of the country believes that space travel is impossible, and is a waste of effort. A small group of Kerbals including Wernher von Kerman, Bob Kerman, Bill Kerman, Jebediah Kerman, and a few other staff purchase some land on the coast of their continent. The build a simple rocket base there with few resources. Wernher von Kerman used to work for the other side of the war, developing missiles. He later defected, as his goal was to go to space, not fight wars. Perhaps when the Keriama Space Program proves itself to be capable of spaceflight, the nation will support them. (Player's Space Program)

The Socialist Republic of Ussari's Space Program started with the dream of one Kerbal to get people to the Mun. Sergei Kermolev continues to develop rockets for his country's military. Maybe after they see how valuable the strategic advantages of spaceflight can be, Kermolev's higher-ups can fund the Uoskosmos. (A.I. Controlled Space Program?)

Planetary Mapping

Not much is known about the planets at the start. Pictures taken from aircrafts have already been put together by cartographers to map out Kerbin, and astronomy has been able to make a few predictions of the planets. The only visible side of the Mun has been mapped out, but Minmus meanwhile is visible merely as a point of minty-fresh light. Duna and Ike have had some slight mapping efforts, and basic detail such as brown bits on the equator of Duna, white bits on the poles, and Ike has several known black spots. Jool has been observed to have several cloud bands, and at least three moons, each one of different color. Moho has some known craters, and Eve is just a light-pink sphere. No geological detail is known of the planets, so they can only truthfully be illustrated in the map as flat spheres.

Data on planets such as gravity and atmosphere readings are given by the respective instruments, and are NOT available in the map view until the data is recovered or transmitted back. Default gravity and atmosphere data for Kerbin at start is available. However, to fill in the map, a camera must be used. They are taken in first person, and actually take into account what's in frame to fill in the map. Data gained by spacecraft is visible to the map of that spacecraft ONLY, unless/until it is transmitted back home or recovered.

Camera pictures are valuable scientific instruments not just because they can yield both reputation and science, but because they can aid in mapping of the bodies. The detail of the map is based on how much of the planet is in-frame of a picture, how far away the spacecraft is, how zoomed in the camera is, and how high-quality the camera is. Manned Command Pods can automatically generate a heightmap for planets within a certain distance (A RADAR altimeter in the command pod, remember?), but this data is only saved if the mission is recovered. Camera photos can be live-fed by SSTV-signals back home or they can be recovered. Live photos will boost reputation, but Recovered photos have higher quality and are more scientifically valuable. Cameras can only store a certain amount of photos at a time, so be careful what you image! Photographs can NOT be deleted, but a Kerbal can take the film cartridge and replace it (or simply take the film back home to be recovered).

As the R&D facility is upgraded, Eeloo and Dres are discovered when the telescope-observatory is built. Gilly, Bop, and Pol are only discovered when a ship enters the S.O.I. of Eve/Jool respectively.

EVA Kerbals can also unlock a camera strictly for science and rep, and MUST be recovered. They are planted into the ground like flags are. There are also several other surface experiments that are planted like flags, such as a kerbolar wind experiment.

Later on, digital cameras allow higher-quality data transmission than recovery, and can store AND delete photos, and store many more of them. Standalone RADAR Altimeters can be used for both landing info and heightmapping.

Additionally, Space-Telescopes can be used for high quality height AND photo mapping of planets. They can also be used to map the Skybox. Telescopes will shut down if they look at the sun, (but do not EXPLODE like CactEye telescopes do.) so a special telescope mount must be used to observe the sun. They use the film system, and the cartridges must be retrieved via E.V.A.

Game Balance

The tech tree will have embedded into it the option to follow a similar tech development as the U.S. Space & Rocket Programs and NASA, but there will be other routes that can be taken, depending on the types of missions and what they are. There must also be some alternate realities that mirror what COULD have been for NASA, and some other ones that are just more Kerbal-y or total fiction.

Like BTSM, BTTS will include a slow early-game tech progression, but the aerodynamics of NEAR must be kept in mind. Unmanned robot-probes come first, then comes stolen unpressurized cockpits from the museum, then comes barely-pressurized cockpits, then the Space Capsules, then waaaay later on proper spaceplane cockpits.

All tank dry masses are decreased to somewhat more realistic values to help with the upscale. The goal is to have rockets sized to their own universe. 64% real scale scale world, 64% scale real rocket (albeit with some exaggerated proportions). This means that 3.75 meter parts are replaced with 4.224 meter parts and what would be 5 meter parts are 6.4 meter parts.

Some Liquid Fueled Engines have higher thrust. Especially the rescaled ones. And, Jet Engines are also rebalanced so that they're not as effective as they are in stock. Perhaps Advanced Jet Engine could be used, but that might get too complex.

Many of the size-3 parts have been remade into size-5 parts. Size-3 still exists, but using different models. The KR-2L is still the same size, roughly, but because we are using Ven's stock part revamp as a basis, the engines have no giant mounting tankbutt. This means that the KR-2L can be used in a first stage in a cluster of 5 as F-1 rocket engines! This also means that the KR-2L is rebalanced to have a much lower Isp in Vacuum.

There will also likely be a small set of 3.2 meter parts to act as Orion parts. Probably no lifter parts though. There will be an adapter to 2.5 meter parts (service module) and the capsule will seat 4.

There will also be 1.875 meter parts including a two-man capsule. The Lifter parts for the Uoskosmos (Ussarian Space Program) will also include 1.875 meter parts. (Soyuz and Sputnik style launcher) These will primarily be based upon the parts by Orionkermin for HGR.

New Engines

Part One: Size 1

LV2-A4 Liquid Fueled Motor

Manufacturer: Found in Wernher von Kerman's old workshop.

Description: Some of the first full-scale liquid fueled rocket engines ever built, the LV2-A4 Motors were built for the purposes of weaponry over a decade ago. Kerbals have since stopped fighting such wars and have moved on to friendly competition, but we found over a hundred of these engines stockpiled away in Wernher von Kerman's workshop. These motors are not very great, but they've already been built so it won't cost much to get them up and running again!

Cost: $230

Thrust: 160 kN

Isp: 290s (ASL) 315s (Vac)

NO THROTTLE. (0% or 100% only)

Thrust Vectoring: N/A

Mass: 1.0 Tonnes

LV-T15 Liquid Fueled Engine

Manufacturer: Jebediah Kerman's Junkyard and Spaceship Parts Co.

Description: The first of a new series of advanced liquid fueled engines, the L.V. Series (Launch-Vehicle) are some of the most advanced engines (of their time.) They are fairly cheap to manufacture, because they are almost entirely constructed from scrap and junk. These engines do have a considerable advantage over the RT Series motors: these engines can be turned off and on!

Cost: $490

Thrust: 195 kN

Isp: 300s(ASL) 330s(Vac)

NO THROTTLE.

Thrust Vectoring: N/A

Mass: 1.26 Tonnes

LV-P30 Liquid Fueled Engine

Manufacturer: Jebediah Kerman's Junkyard and Spaceship Parts Co.

Description: A prototype for an upcoming engine. The engine is still a work in progress, so expect to see some fine-tuning before the finished product. That extra bit of smoke coming out of the engine is melted bits of the nozzle assembly. It's rather prone to overheating. This engine can also be throttled smoothly.

Cost: $850

Thrust: 245 kN [([T30 has this higher thrust as well!])]

Isp: 320s(ASL) 365s(Vac)

Mass: 1.28 tonnes.

LV-450 Liquid Fueled Engine

Manufacturer: Jebediah Kerman's Junkyard and Spaceship Parts Co.

Description: After a stroke of less-stupidity-than-normal, Bill came up with an idea for two seconds, then lost it. Then later he remembered it again! A Tiny little engine to stick on the top stages of rockets. We're still not entirely sure what a "stage" is. Maybe we'll figure that out soon!

Cost: $730

Thrust: 45 kN

Isp: 200s(ASL) 380s(Vac)

Mass: 0.625 tonnes.

LIMITED THROTTLE (0%, 50%, and 100% only)

S1 KS-25 Liquid Fueled Engine

Manufacturer: Kerbodyne

Description: An amazingly advanced engine, this rocket is very efficient, very high-thrust, and very high cost, so don't throw it away! It may fit on a size-1 fuselage section, but it is very much a heavy lift rocket engine.

Cost: $9200

Thrust: 1,200 kN

Isp: 360s(ASL) 400s(Vac)

Mass: 2 tonnes

Overthrust: 160% Throttle, overheating danger past 101%.

Thrust Vectoring: (Space Shuttle Engines plugin) 45 degrees.

Vern-IER Motor

Manufacturer: Reaction Systems Ltd.

Description: An alternative to attitude thruster systems, the Vern-IER motor can swivel to gimbal.

Cost: $480

Thrust: 18 kN

Isp: 200s(ASL) 330(Vac)

Mass: Negligible.

Thrust Vectoring: 60 degrees.

Rockomax Protomaxâ„¢ Liquid Fueled Engine

Manufacturer: Rockomax Conglomerate

Description: Prototype of a work in progress motor, the Protomax has a much higher thrust than any other engine of it's tier. It will overheat very easily, however, and it has no thrust vectoring or throttle.

Cost: $5000

Thrust: 1,100 kN

Isp: 280(ASL) 330(Vac)

Mass: 6.25 tonnes

NO THROTTLE.

Rockomax Pacificâ„¢ Liquid Fueled Engine

Manufacturer: Rockomax Conglomerate

Description: This engine is ugly as sin, and rather heavy. It IS, however, at least somewhat more efficient in vacuum than other engines. It's also relatively inexpensive.

Cost: $1450

Thrust: 205 kN

Isp: 200(ASL) 400(Vac)

Mass: 2.75 tonnes

LIMITED THROTTLE.

Edited October 30, 2014 by GregroxMun

[Whirligig Girl]

Updated OP.

[John FX]

Sounds good. I particularly like the `no map data until you actually get that data` bit. I reckon that would make a good mod by itself.

[Whirligig Girl]

I think it wouldn't fit the context if you have the advanced rocket tech and no knowledge about the planets, but it could probably be released separately.