Kerbal Space Program

Introduction

To be brief, I define KSP satellite and station contracts with three categories:

• Standard contracts: Require the player to build new satellites to satisfy the contract
• Contextual contracts: Require the player to use specific existing satellites to satisfy the contract
• Sentinel contracts: Require the player to use any qualifying satellites to satisfy the contract, whether or not they exist already

So far as I know, the Sentinel telescope missions are the only ones that use the sentinel type of contract. I would like to see a redistribution that allows for more contracts that can be satisfied with any vessel that has the right qualities regardless as to when it was built.

Detailed Request

Specifically, I appreciate the need for newly-built satellites in the early game or in places that I have not visited, but I do not appreciate contracts that continue to require new satellites well into the late game when I've established enough of a presence in space as to have stations and commuter freighters--the continual requirement that I make not only a new satellite, but because of the way docking works, a new carrier for it as well, bothers me because it ignores established space infrastructure. As such, I tend to decline these contracts after the early game.

Similarly, although the contextual contracts system is a good step forwards, it tends to choose vessels that I have placed into deliberate orbits. Since contextual contracts are only for a specific vessel, any other vessel that I do want to move simply will not work. This also ignores established space infrastructure because it doesn't allow me to decide how to use that infrastructure to accomplish the overall goal. It definitely does not respect that I may have a different purpose in mind with my launches. As such, I almost never accept these contracts.

Sentinel-type contracts that say something akin to, 'We need a satellite that has these characteristics to be in this orbit by that time. If you already have something like that in orbit, good! It'll save time. If not, that's okay, too! You can build something new; it's just not required!' would be a welcome change: I get to decide how to complete the mission, and if I am well-positioned to do so with a minimum of extra work, then so much the better for my being prepared. These sorts of new contracts would not need to make a lot of money--in fact, it may make sense to set the standard reward so that it equals the cost of a typical launch and thus best rewards those who use existing vessels.

Something similar to this is sometimes used by those who prefer to complete a lot of rescue contracts. They launch a vessel that has enough equipment to recover several Kerbals, and then wait in orbit to collect enough rescued Kerbals to fill the vessel. Only then do they reenter and complete the contracts, usually netting a lot of profit and many new staff, for the cost of one launch and a trifling amount of patience. For rescues that include part recovery, they send a vessel with many detachable 'de-orbit pods' consisting of a heat shield, claw, parachute, and necessary control equipment. These latch on to the part to be rescued and return it, while the main vessel and the rest of the pods remain in orbit. The possibility of using similar behaviour to complete satellite contracts is the essence of my request.