What kind of contracts do you want to see in KSP 0.90

[Hyomoto]

I don't have any suggestions for type of contracts, but I do want to offer a little feedback on some that have been discussed. Particularly the various 'resort' and 'passenger' ideas. While part of me thinks it might be neat to set up a chain of flights heading to and from various facilities, and while I don't know that KSP may not embrace this type of game one day, it seems like a lot of busy work. Putting a satellite into orbit, or even saving a Kerbal from orbit, is a one-off mission. It's easy to wrap your head around because all you need to do is complete it and you are finished. Something like 'take X Kerbals to Duna' sort of begs for more missions, bring them fuel, collect their science, bring them home, etc... And when it comes to those types of missions, it seems like it's better left to your own program.

That being said, I think most of the contracts being suggested are basically things people want to be rewarded for doing and it highlights a negative aspect of contracts: players want the contract system to tell them what to do because otherwise they don't earn any 'points'. You aren't going to the Mun because you want to, you are going there to complete a contract. Perhaps this should be embraced and contracts expanded to include all sorts of activities, but I would make the case we should instead be looking at ways to shore up non-contract based game play. Right now, contracts are the only way to make funding and provide bonus reputation and science. Of course you want to do them! I think this means we need alternate options to earn funding and reputation so that so contracts remain a part of your space program and not the centerpiece of it.

[.DJFrostbite]

I don't have any suggestions for type of contracts, but I do want to offer a little feedback on some that have been discussed. Particularly the various 'resort' and 'passenger' ideas. While part of me thinks it might be neat to set up a chain of flights heading to and from various facilities, and while I don't know that KSP may not embrace this type of game one day, it seems like a lot of busy work. Putting a satellite into orbit, or even saving a Kerbal from orbit, is a one-off mission. It's easy to wrap your head around because all you need to do is complete it and you are finished. Something like 'take X Kerbals to Duna' sort of begs for more missions, bring them fuel, collect their science, bring them home, etc... And when it comes to those types of missions, it seems like it's better left to your own program.

That being said, I think most of the contracts being suggested are basically things people want to be rewarded for doing and it highlights a negative aspect of contracts: players want the contract system to tell them what to do because otherwise they don't earn any 'points'. You aren't going to the Mun because you want to, you are going there to complete a contract. Perhaps this should be embraced and contracts expanded to include all sorts of activities, but I would make the case we should instead be looking at ways to shore up non-contract based game play. Right now, contracts are the only way to make funding and provide bonus reputation and science. Of course you want to do them! I think this means we need alternate options to earn funding and reputation so that so contracts remain a part of your space program and not the centerpiece of it.

I see what you mean but in my opinion its not so much about points but its more of drive to continue like currently once you get a station there's no reason to go back (no life support or basic things that would require multiple missions to this base) so if you needed to show CEO J kermin around your new base or explore a new location it gives a purpose to the task.

[aleis]

I think a refuel mission would be a good one.

Space program X is contacting you to fuel an interplanetary craft, it needs x amount of fuel and this type of docking port

Alows players to deside if they want to do one big launch or multiple small ones. Oh yeah and don't break anything

Also I like the idea of putting pregenerated things in space either sats or rovers. Force players to make new launchers for the size shape or at least adapt the ones they have

Edited November 17, 2014 by aleis

[Dwight_js]

That being said, I think most of the contracts being suggested are basically things people want to be rewarded for doing and it highlights a negative aspect of contracts: players want the contract system to tell them what to do because otherwise they don't earn any 'points'. You aren't going to the Mun because you want to, you are going there to complete a contract.

Totally agree. I've said in a few places that I would love to see a system where I can create a custom mission statement by picking targets and activities from a drop-down list (e.g. Land on ___ , plant flag, return/transmit science, stay for duration of ___ days, and return Kerbals home), then have companies bid on it. They could even add one or two of their own requirements to throw a wrinkle into your planning, like asking you to place a satellite with a specific instrument on it while you're visiting the planet/moon you've chosen. This would allow you to direct your own focus for your space program instead of being led along by the contracts.

[arkie87]

I'm a bit surprised that more people dont want more imaginative/varied/realistic rescue missions. There are many possible improvements/variations to this one type of mission:

(1) other planets/moons other than Kerbin; or orbiting kerbol

(2) in orbit/on surface of planet/moon

(3) in a EVA suit or a vehicle; vehicle is/isnt required to bring back to Kerbin via docking (gives a reason to learn how to make a targeted landing and/or perform a docking in orbit)

To make the game more realistic, kerbals will never be stranded in EVA suite; they will always be in a vehicle with 0 deltaV/power such that they cannot be controlled and player must approach/dock with it.

What do you you guys think?

[Dwight_js]

I'm a bit surprised that more people dont want more imaginative/varied/realistic rescue missions. There are many possible improvements/variations to this one type of mission

What do you you guys think?

I prefer my rescue missions to originate from my own mistakes. I'm in the middle of one right now, rescuing 2 Kerbals stranded on Minmus. So far it's involved abandoning a ship in a highly eliptical orbit around Minmus, just as the O2 ran out, to de-orbit and land at a base module on the surface using the eva rcs pack, then changing the trajectory of a rescue ship so that it would arrive before the supplies in the base ran out (with 2 Kerbals the survival time was now cut in half). I now have to rendezvous with the abandoned ship and bring it down to the surface so all the Kerbals can go home. It's a lot more stressful and requires much more problem solving than the rescue contracts.

Maybe once the Kerbals are able to take over certain tasks (if that's still in the plan for the final game) it'll be fun to have them mess up and put themselves into emergency situations, but I'll still like that better than the current contracts because the scenarios will make more sense than finding a previously unknown ship/kerbal floating in space somewhere.

[arkie87]

I prefer my rescue missions to originate from my own mistakes. I'm in the middle of one right now, rescuing 2 Kerbals stranded on Minmus. So far it's involved abandoning a ship in a highly eliptical orbit around Minmus, just as the O2 ran out, to de-orbit and land at a base module on the surface using the eva rcs pack, then changing the trajectory of a rescue ship so that it would arrive before the supplies in the base ran out (with 2 Kerbals the survival time was now cut in half). I now have to rendezvous with the abandoned ship and bring it down to the surface so all the Kerbals can go home. It's a lot more stressful and requires much more problem solving than the rescue contracts.

Maybe once the Kerbals are able to take over certain tasks (if that's still in the plan for the final game) it'll be fun to have them mess up and put themselves into emergency situations, but I'll still like that better than the current contracts because the scenarios will make more sense than finding a previously unknown ship/kerbal floating in space somewhere.

So maybe thats my problem; i just never mess up

Or maybe i'm just too liberal with the revert button...