How do you make your career game more fun?

[John FX]

Just a general thread where you can post about your career game and how you make it more fun.

I just started a DRE, FAR, Remotetech, Fineprint, Mission Control Extended game with Sci, Funds, and Rep set to 30% each and no revert, no quickloading, missing crews stay dead, no auto hire of crew, entry purchase required, destructible buildings and no stock vessels. 25K funds, no sci, no rep to start.

I`ve called it Ironman RT and it is loads of fun!

I got to a point near the start where I spent 35K on boosting my science with funds and my remaining funds on a Mun rocket (about 25K) and it HAD to get there or I would be left with about 1.2K funds. If it got there the boost to science would be amazing. If it failed then the future of the entire program was in doubt.

I messed up the launch by launching too shallow and it just fell into the ocean.

I had to do a couple of `test basic jet engine landed at kerbin` and `test launch stability landed at kerbin` type contracts to free up some contract spaces so I could get the advance from some new contracts to be able to build rockets to fulfill the old contracts and try to bootstrap my way out of poverty.

This is all while trying to get a working coms network going to be able to launch unmanned probes. It was a lot of fun.

I like it when launches matter.

What do you do to make your career game more fun?

[SRV Ron]

On hard mode to force my program to purchase research for selective parts while using Nova Punch and KW Rocketry mods. Even though I could go do all four base contracts after getting some science from EVAs on the pad, I deliberately start the space program in little steps. Those little steps results in lots of revenue and science generating contracts in which two simple low cost SRB designs can fulfill those contracts. It's similar to how a real space program would have started.

1. Launch and reach 5,000 meters. Use an SRB with 40% fuel tweaked to 40% power, land in the water.

2. Launch and reach 11,000 meters with more fuel in the SRB.

3. Launch and reach 22,000 meters using even more fuel in the SRB

4. Launch and reach 33,000 meters using the SRB with 100% fuel.

5. Do the 55,000 meter and sub orbital with a two stage SRB with Goo canisters for science.

6. Go for orbit with combo SRB and liquid engines with Goo canisters.

7. Do manned flyby of Mun, Minmus once the contracts appear.

8. Do actual probe landings once the tech is unlocked for Ox Stats and the Too Hot Thermometer. Place the lander back in orbit for additional free money data from orbit contracts.

9. Conduct manned landings to plant flag and return samples.

10. Use test while escaping missions to place probes orbiting the sun to find a direct launch window for future explore Duna, Eve, etc... contracts.

11. Prepare interplanetary unmanned missions for Eve and Duna along with manned ones. Launch them one right after another to send the exploration fleet to the target planet and moons.

12. Do plenty of combined testing contracts to accumulate enough funds to launch the fleet missions once the launch window is available.

13. Do it all with small low cost efficient designs.

14. Keep a record of the results.

[SRV Ron]

On hard mode to force my program to purchase research for selective parts while using Nova Punch and KW Rocketry mods. Even though I could go do all four base contracts after getting some science from EVAs on the pad, I deliberately start the space program in little steps. Those little steps results in lots of revenue and science generating contracts in which two simple low cost SRB designs can fulfill those contracts. It's similar to how a real space program would have started.

1. Launch and reach 5,000 meters. Use an SRB with 40% fuel tweaked to 40% power, land in the water.

2. Launch and reach 11,000 meters with more fuel in the SRB.

3. Launch and reach 22,000 meters using even more fuel in the SRB

4. Launch and reach 33,000 meters using the SRB with 100% fuel.

5. Do the 55,000 meter and sub orbital with a two stage SRB with Goo canisters for science.

6. Go for orbit with combo SRB and liquid engines with Goo canisters.

7. Do manned flyby of Mun, Minmus once the contracts appear.

8. Do actual probe landings once the tech is unlocked for Ox Stats and the Too Hot Thermometer. Place the lander back in orbit for additional free money data from orbit contracts.

9. Conduct manned landings to plant flag and return samples.

10. Use test while escaping missions to place probes orbiting the sun to find a direct launch window for future explore Duna, Eve, etc... contracts.

11. Prepare interplanetary unmanned missions for Eve and Duna along with manned ones. Launch them one right after another to send the exploration fleet to the target planet and moons.

12. Do plenty of combined testing contracts to accumulate enough funds to launch the fleet missions once the launch window is available.

13. Do it all with small low cost efficient designs.

14. Keep a record of the results.

Until the EVA bug is fixed, I am avoiding EVA which is really restricting Jeb's ability to unlock a lot of science early on in the program.

Forum glitch double posted during an edit.

Edited November 4, 2014 by SRV Ron

[LethalDose]

I use the difficulty increasing mods and settings similar to those you listed above, with Kerbal construction time and TAC-LS, plus a few other changes.

I require space in a hitchhike for every kerbal on a station or interplanetary mission for living space. I also drop the Science from the Mun and Minmus to 1x for orbit and 2x for surface. I also increase the shockwave multiplier on DRE to around 1.06.

I also see how small and low tech I can make my missions to save cash.

I like a good challenge in KSP.

[Plusk]

With lots and lots of mods. The more difficult it is, the better. And i follow somewhat realistic aproach to space exploration.

[prophet_01]

Hard mode (although I quick loaded after some strange bugs with the maneuver nodes and an unintentional exploid with strategies). I use FAR, DRE, remote tech, TAC ls, b9 and the highest settimgs with astronomers pack (visual stuff, a working 64x version on windows is rare, but awesome ). I also have some roleplay restrictions.

Getting started was tough and I was rly in trouble when my 100k funds payload for my munar station sunk in the ocean... I was planing my entire progress toward a reusable infrastructure around the mun. It got delayed... (but is finally established now)

I don't have to grind for more funds anymore as I am able to ship half an orange tank+consumables to the mun for roughly 50k funds. My next goal is to get enough science to get my shuttle program going.

So far I burned Jeb during a messed up reentry and killed Bill during a mun landing (I was distracted by an easter egg that I unintentionally discovered during the final decent )

[KSK]

Kerbal Construction Time really makes Career mode more fun for me. Having research and building happen in the background whilst I'm flying missions makes my space program feel much more cohesive, and it gets around the mid-game dip between unlocking most of the science tree and waiting for the first interplanetary transfer windows to open. After that, I add a few roleplaying restrictions - like providing living space on anything longer than a Mun flight, putting comsats up, and returning to Kerbin in capsules. I should probably try out DRE and RemoteTech at some point.

Hard mode is a step too far at the moment though. I see the attraction, but with limited play time, its a bit too unforgiving.

[Caelib]

I recently took the big step of moving to Hard Mode (pure stock) and I was a bit nervous, but honestly it hasn't been bad. I've achieved every scripted contract (except "plant flag on xxx") and I haven't lost any Kerbals ... but admittedly I have only used them to explore the Mun and Minmus -- everything else has been probes. Tylo was definitely the most difficult, but I haven't had any mishaps except for one explosion on the launchpad due to a symmetry bug with Launch Stabilizers.

Hard Mode definitely gives a whole new level of tension to the game.

One word of caution, I do not recommend playing in Hard Mode without Claw's plugins that fix a few very serious, career-ending bugs:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/97285-0-25-Stock-Bug-Fix-Modules

Edited November 5, 2014 by Caelib

[John FX]

Might give that construction time mod a go. Always seems a bit odd that I can instantly get a craft to the launchpad...

[Norcalplanner]

Hard mode plus Kerbal Construction Time. KCT is adding a whole new time and budgetary role-playing component that's a welcome enhancement to the game.

[AmpsterMan]

Heh, I seem to be somewhat different. I try Max out my science gainsby outsourcing R&D. I don't really like the science gain from parts so I try to get to Sandbox mode as soon as possible.

Otoh, quite enjoy parts test contracts. I have an early plane and a late plane designed specifically for testing parts out.

[serolrom]

This is the main reason why I enjoy to see what others achieve, but try not to learn 'how' they achieve.

It is inherent to all games/simulators I know that you want to learn as much as you can so you can do great things. Only to realize that once you master the thing, half of the fun is gone. At least sandboxes have the advantage that you can still challenge yourself in a number of ways.

Glad to see by this post that the fun can be extended for a while with career modes. I'm by now enough challenged, just trying to get Jebediah back from Mun in sandbox mode though...

[Bishop149]

Meh, IMO KSP is still too buggy for this kind of play.

I've had two completely random screw-ups in the last day or two

1) Game decided to duplicate a 1/3 of the craft in exactly the same position on launch, clipping blew it apart instantly.

2) All engines on a craft exploded for no reason.

Such things are annoying but don't ruin enjoyment if you can just revert / reload and start again. If I was playing "hard" like this either of those would probably have bankrupted / ruined an early game.

Also I STILL quite regularly realise shortly after launch that I've forgotten to put on something vital, batteries, solar panels, parachutes, ladders. . . . that kind of thing.

I'm sticking with reverts and saves thanks

[theend3r]

Spaceplanes only. I don't think I've launched a single rocket these past few months.

[DunaRocketeer]

Hmm, I don't know if other people would find this interesting, but I'm finding it quite rewarding: I go for reuseable launchers with limited payloads. I have a satellite launch program, and the satellites can be upgraded and de-orbited by orbital tugs. My interplanetary spacecraft are all non-nuclear for this savegame, so with the reusabilty factored in, I'm pretty green.

[Torquemadus]

I've been experimenting with custom difficulty to see how hard I can go and still play a successful stock career. The aim here is to make the game challenging without going too far and turning it into a boring resource grind.

Setting resource gains to 20% made me re-learn how to play KSP. Efficient rocket designs and careful mission planning are essential. You have to think carefully about which contracts to accept, bearing in mind the potential costs versus rewards. Part unlock costs can be crippling, making strategic use of experimental parts very attractive. Limited money makes recovery and reusability very important. Verdict: An enjoyable challenge!

At 10% resource gains, the game is just barely playable. You make very little science and money per mission, making game progression very slow indeed. The pre-set game progression contracts don't pay enough to cover the cost of game progression, so you have to make up the difference by grinding lots of part test contracts between missions, which soon starts to get boring. Verdict: Challenging but grindy.

[SorryDave]

I like maxing out the tech tree before going into orbit, and then collecting science for funds using re-usable rockets.

I am currently making a fleet of re-usable rockets for missions that never return to Kerbin and some that do.

I play as if on hard, but with quick load on and initial funds set to zero. The only mods I use are Engineer and alarm clock.

[Franklin]

Lots of design inspirations from the forum here, but otherwise I've kinda capped out on career when it was first introduced. I don't really get inspired by gatekeeper modes when I've already experienced the end-game (sandbox).

I'd like to "wander" more, like just fly off in a random direction to see what a planet has to offer, but there's nothing out there right now. Game needs wildlife, geography, research content, something.

[serolrom]

Lots of design inspirations from the forum here, but otherwise I've kinda capped out on career when it was first introduced. I don't really get inspired by gatekeeper modes when I've already experienced the end-game (sandbox).

I'd like to "wander" more, like just fly off in a random direction to see what a planet has to offer, but there's nothing out there right now. Game needs wildlife, geography, research content, something.

This is interesting.

Squad, as I have read lately, will dedicate some of the effort on creating content. It might somehow change the aim of the game. I know Squad explicitly refers to KSP as a game first, and a simulator second, but so far, the most developed side is the simulation. What they probably mean is that the depth of the simulation has found the limit, and the next things we see will be more content related.

That said, what I like of KSP is the simulation side. You can very well argue if this is a simlulator or not (depends on how much level of detail you call it simulation), but hey, there are orbits and celestial bodies. There *is* simulation to some degree.

Content (wether alien life forms, geography, etc), while interesting, is for me a secondary thing.