Moar contracts

[Amahula]

I've been playing a Career mode challenge, with 10% rewards for funds, science and reputation. The thing I've noticed is when it gets grindy, you keep grinding the same parts. Always the same engines or small gear wheels.

Is it an idea to make more contracts? Where simple parts, usually not tested can be tested like batteries, wings or reaction wheels.

The idea would still be the same, get to the altitude (and possibly speed) and right click the part and "run test". Kinda like how the small gear wheels work already.

It wouldn't make a big difference, but then I don't have to test sepratrons and lv909's every time.

[spinomonkey]

That's a pretty good point. Even with the gameplay a bit grindy imo, the lack of diverse parts to test doesn't help.

[Traches]

You set it to 10% reward and now you're wondering why it's grindy?

[Yellowburn10]

You set it to 10% reward and now you're wondering why it's grindy?

He's not saying it's grindy, but rather when it is, he would rather have many more parts to test than just rocket engines and landing gear.

[Amahula]

He's not saying it's grindy, but rather when it is, he would rather have many more parts to test than just rocket engines and landing gear.

That is exactly my point. Thanks

[bdito]

The Mission Controller mod adds more varying contract types.

[Janos1986]

Truth is, I added so much mods since I began that I feel I have to start over again, and I just upgraded every building to level 2 and the launchpad to level 3 in hard mode.

All the grind would be useless.

[Camaron]

I'm at a point in my game where parts testing is almost totally gone. Its all Satellites, Surface Outposts, Orbital Stations, Scientific surveys, etc. Many of the serious types of contracts stay locked until you've cleared a certain kind of technology or planetary exploration milestone, and it seems those parts tests are really just meant to fill the gaps before that. You've made the game so long and hard for yourself that you haven't even opened up the fun stuff, and you're wondering if it even exists because you've been at it for over a week.

10% seems ridiculous to me. it will take you actual weeks to get anywhere at all. I feel like, even for the sake of a challenge, you took it quite a bit too far. It can take 15-20 minutes to place a satellite in Kerbin orbit. If your profit margin is $2,437 per hour, Imagine how long it will take to buy the tier 3 tech center upgrade, which for me, costs over 6 million? Or even the first upgrade at over 1 mil?

I'm on stock hard mode + Revert and Quicksave. It's pretty good that way IMO.

[Amahula]

I'm at a point in my game where parts testing is almost totally gone. Its all Satellites, Surface Outposts, Orbital Stations, Scientific surveys, etc. Many of the serious types of contracts stay locked until you've cleared a certain kind of technology or planetary exploration milestone, and it seems those parts tests are really just meant to fill the gaps before that. You've made the game so long and hard for yourself that you haven't even opened up the fun stuff, and you're wondering if it even exists because you've been at it for over a week.

10% seems ridiculous to me. it will take you actual weeks to get anywhere at all. I feel like, even for the sake of a challenge, you took it quite a bit too far. It can take 15-20 minutes to place a satellite in Kerbin orbit. If your profit margin is $2,437 per hour, Imagine how long it will take to buy the tier 3 tech center upgrade, which for me, costs over 6 million? Or even the first upgrade at over 1 mil?

I'm on stock hard mode + Revert and Quicksave. It's pretty good that way IMO.

I wasn't aware of that. I thought those contracts kept "respawning", by lack of a better word. I assumed, even in a later state of the game, those contracts kept expanding (like testing outside kerbin SOI). That is not the case?

10% is ridiculous, picked it just because it was the minimum and wanted to see if I could do it. And now I'm having fun with it. But once you get a satellite with solar panels and a thermometer in a polar orbit of the Mun and/or Minmus, you can do those temperature scans infinitely, so it's just the first couple of kerbal days when it's grindy.

[Camaron]

Your guess is correct. The parts missions you do get will expand to other planets and SOI's as you progress, but there will be much fewer of them alongside the more interesting contracts. I haven't done a part test in some time, but if you're really trying to squeeze the maximum out of a single venture, trying to stuff a part test or two into a satellite placement or survey mission would probably be a smart move when possible.

[Specialist290]

Just dropping a note in here to let y'all know we've moved this into Suggestions and Development Discussion, since it looks like OP is making a suggestion to alter an existing mechanic. Carry on

[ticalc2014]

I'm at a point in my game where parts testing is almost totally gone. Its all Satellites, Surface Outposts, Orbital Stations, Scientific surveys, etc. Many of the serious types of contracts stay locked until you've cleared a certain kind of technology or planetary exploration milestone, and it seems those parts tests are really just meant to fill the gaps before that. You've made the game so long and hard for yourself that you haven't even opened up the fun stuff, and you're wondering if it even exists because you've been at it for over a week.

10% seems ridiculous to me. it will take you actual weeks to get anywhere at all. I feel like, even for the sake of a challenge, you took it quite a bit too far. It can take 15-20 minutes to place a satellite in Kerbin orbit. If your profit margin is $2,437 per hour, Imagine how long it will take to buy the tier 3 tech center upgrade, which for me, costs over 6 million? Or even the first upgrade at over 1 mil?

I'm on stock hard mode + Revert and Quicksave. It's pretty good that way IMO.

Profit margin of $2,437 per hour? At 10% rewards, putting a satellite in orbit around Kerbin seems to be offering around $12k per contract. I have a minimal satellite for "Keosynchronous orbit" that runs me around 3,420 to launch, AND be able to work with remote tech. Seeing as how the satellite launches are some of the least profitable contracts, compared to the "infinite" temperature scans you can do with a single vessel, I think a reasonable payout, if you just use time acceleration to get in the target zones, would be $150-200k / hour, minimum. Depending on whether or not you've upgrade "Mission Control" so that you can have several temperature scan contracts to give you plenty of targets, you could be making more than that with no additional costs, if you don't mind the "grindy" feel.

Stock hard seemed like I was building funds far too quickly compared to everything else, which is why, like "Amahula", I went with the 10% rewards (along with no reverts, quicksaves, etc, 1000% penalties, 0 starting cash, -1000 starting reputation) to make things more challenging, just to see if I could do it.

As for "more interesting" contract options, I thought this contract was pretty interesting. I think it's a bit much to expect us mere mortals to position a satellite with an apoapsis and periapsis that vary by 2 meters. Well KSP, I accept this challenge, and will attempt to do so without the "Flight computer" given to me by remote tech! While I try to avoid the parts test missions, I do agree that, at times, it did seem like I was cycling through 3 or 4 parts, over and over again, and would be nice if contracts like "Test a communotron 16 in orbit of Kerbin" were offered.

Edited December 30, 2014 by ticalc2014

[Amahula]

Just dropping a note in here to let y'all know we've moved this into Suggestions and Development Discussion, since it looks like OP is making a suggestion to alter an existing mechanic. Carry on

I totally missed that section. Thanks!