(Need Feedback) On Continuity

[Kieve]

I'd originally asked for thoughts in my current Mission Reports thread, but have yet to receive a response. Hopefully I have some better luck here.

The short version is, I had an old .23 career that the updates brought to a close. I'm looking to continue with .90, but I want some feedback on how to go about it.

Things I'm definitely doing:

-Restoring certain old crafts to their proper location (A munar base and rover).

-Restoring old crew to the roster (albeit they won't have any XP, sadly)

Basically, using save-edits to keep some sense of continuity between "KSC closing down" and "New funding and private contracting career"

Things I want feedback on:

-Every Kerbal's surname is "Kerman." Now with save-editing, I can change this and spice it up with some variety (McKermak, Kerbington, Kerlysle, etc). Gene, Wehrner, Jeb and the others are all established Kermans though, so the question is if I should or not - I'd like to, but if it's going to raise too many eyebrows, I shan't bother.

-I did start a new .90 game, about two weeks ago. Tech tree is unlocked, all buildings upgraded, about 6m funds to play with and a working fleet of cost-saving SSTO's for those satellite contracts. Would it be more interesting to pick up from that point, and lampshade any "backstory / continuity" questions as needed (going from "We're mothballing the place," to having plenty of money and tech again), or would it be more interesting to follow the early stuff too, as KSC is rebuilt and slowly ramping up the research?

->Per the notion in my head, this involves "Hurricane Beta" absolutely leveling KSC, which gives me a nice reason to be starting over with Tier-1 buildings when it had been left T3 from the previous career.

Although this is mission-report focused, my intent is to keep a running storyline and a heavy focus on writing and RP interaction, filling in the white spaces between "I accepted a contract," and "This is the launch, and result."

All constructive thoughts are welcome!

[AndrewBCrisp]

Hi Kieve,

I've read over your mission reports - particularly the ending of the series - and I'd like to offer my thoughts on moving forward.

Dealing with the second issue first, I would recommend starting from the Tier-1 and going upward, rather than just blasting into Tier 3 and saying "so, uh, this happened." Rebuilding from scratch - not to mention reviving the outpost and rover, which I suspect may no longer be in prime condition after being abandoned for so long - offers a "rags to riches" plotline. You have Kerbals who want something (to restore the KSC to its former glory and beyond), and you've tossed some challenges their way already (the old KSC is levelled, forcing them to start over from scratch), and there are bound to be other problems / obstacles / opponents along the way.

How the overall story will go is, of course, up to you, but there are some questions that I think should be addressed (or at least thought about) in your future narrative - potential seeds for conflict:

1. Why did the Kerbin States decide to cancel what was, by all accounts, a thriving space program? Who made the decisions and what were their motives? How would they react to the news that the KSC is rebuilding under new management?

2. Why would the private companies start digging into their pockets to reopen the KSC? Do they have an agenda, and does it coincide with, or conflict with, the goals of the original staff?

As for the other issue: so long as those with stated "Kerman" surnames don't suddenly get renamed to something else, I don't think people will raise eyebrows over new surnames popping up. But what is the role of the surname in your version of Kerbal culture? Does it denote lineage, affiliation, region of origin, or something else?

[Ten Key]

-Every Kerbal's surname is "Kerman." Now with save-editing, I can change this and spice it up with some variety (McKermak, Kerbington, Kerlysle, etc). Gene, Wehrner, Jeb and the others are all established Kermans though, so the question is if I should or not - I'd like to, but if it's going to raise too many eyebrows, I shan't bother.

I would go ahead and start handing out different surnames to those characters that aren't locked into being a Kerman. The story I'm writing plays with the notion that "Kerman" is more of a title than a name, and what I'm finding is that all of the characters end up on a "first name basis" with the reader, and tacking "Kerman" onto the end really doesn't add anything. Varied surnames help separate the characters a bit. . ."If you'll follow me, Mr. Kerman" doesn't really work when everyone is a Kerman.

[Kieve]

Thank you both for the suggestions!

Dealing with the second issue first, I would recommend starting from the Tier-1 and going upward, rather than just blasting into Tier 3 and saying "so, uh, this happened." Rebuilding from scratch - not to mention reviving the outpost and rover, which I suspect may no longer be in prime condition after being abandoned for so long - offers a "rags to riches" plotline. You have Kerbals who want something (to restore the KSC to its former glory and beyond), and you've tossed some challenges their way already (the old KSC is levelled, forcing them to start over from scratch), and there are bound to be other problems / obstacles / opponents along the way.

That is kinda the direction I've been leaning towards, particularly with building destruction being a feature. Plus there's the "getting the gang back together" aspect - at least for the different kerbonauts I've mentioned so far.

(Including a fun side-note about Calger's favorite racing game, Ker-Kart, getting a "Mun Rally" edition as a sequel, with unlockable Centipede. Calger's become a personal favorite of mine since the Centipede Mission and finding out he's Bad-S.)

How the overall story will go is, of course, up to you, but there are some questions that I think should be addressed (or at least thought about) in your future narrative - potential seeds for conflict:

1. Why did the Kerbin States decide to cancel what was, by all accounts, a thriving space program? Who made the decisions and what were their motives? How would they react to the news that the KSC is rebuilding under new management?

2. Why would the private companies start digging into their pockets to reopen the KSC? Do they have an agenda, and does it coincide with, or conflict with, the goals of the original staff?

Those are good points to consider. I don't intend to go into heavy detail on political backstory - I want to stay focused on KSC and the missions, of course - but it's stuff I hadn't given much thought to other than "because my .23 career is toast and I need to wrap this up." To #1, it'll probably just stay "the government" and "because Money." Private entities have a more personal / vested interest, like having their satellites in orbit. Not to mention Kerbodyne and Rockomax would probably go under if KSC wasn't building and launching their junk on a regular basis.

For the KSC boffins though, it's still all about the Science.

As for the other issue: so long as those with stated "Kerman" surnames don't suddenly get renamed to something else, I don't think people will raise eyebrows over new surnames popping up. But what is the role of the surname in your version of Kerbal culture? Does it denote lineage, affiliation, region of origin, or something else?

In a cultural sense, lineage. From a storyteller's perspective though, just individuality. I dispute the notion that all Kerbals in the space program are disposable clones created on-site in the Complex.

Someday, I hope to see a mod that adds cities here and there around Kerbin, even if they're just "Flight Sim '95"-quality boxes with skyscraper textures.

From a gameplay perspective, it's hard to keep track of several dozen Kerbals when every single one is "[Random] Kerman."

I'm still open to other thoughts and opinions though. I play the game for me, but I post / share the stories for others' enjoyment.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Kieve

[CatastrophicFailure]

I would go ahead and start handing out different surnames to those characters that aren't locked into being a Kerman. The story I'm writing plays with the notion that "Kerman" is more of a title than a name, and what I'm finding is that all of the characters end up on a "first name basis" with the reader, and tacking "Kerman" onto the end really doesn't add anything. Varied surnames help separate the characters a bit. . ."If you'll follow me, Mr. Kerman" doesn't really work when everyone is a Kerman.

See, now I rather like the "everyone is Mr. Kerman" bit. I think there's loads of room there for both humor ("Mr Kerman?" to a room full of Kerbals. They all say "yes?" Or only does), and a bit of other-worldliness or "alien-ness" like that old Far Side comic, of which I can only find this horrid reproduction:

[Kieve]

Ah, the Far Side. Between that and Calvin & Hobbes, you pretty much have my childhood in a nutshell...

(And yes, I know exactly the panel you speak of)

Think I've decided to diversify surnames though - already have suits & faces for TextureReplacer, may as well take it that extra mile.

Memo to self: edit default face to add some grey in the temples. Jeb's starting to show his age a little.

Unless anyone has further thoughts, current plan is to send "restored" Kerbals on a quick tour of Mun & Minmus, restore XP, then start anew with a fresh .90 career, and a new thread. Also gives me a chance to experiment with Karbonite and EL structures. I have a set list of goals in mind (of increasingly absurd ambitiousness), and the endgame stages will require orbital shipyards. If only certain B9 HX-size parts weren't so buggy and fussy...