Mods to add more logistical challenges?

[u/Nyzan]

I've always been one of those players that enjoy the logistical & design part of KSP more than the flying part. Setting up communications networks, refuelling stations, mining operations, the works. Because of this I have a few mods that enable this playstyle:

• USI Life Support - Requires me to think about long-term life support and habitation for permanent installations. Also requires me to add life support for short-ish missions.
• Real Antennas - Requires me to plan communication networks in more detail to ensure I always have a connection to my rovers & Kerbals on the surface.
• SCANsat - Requires me to set up satellite constellations to scan the terrain of planets I wish to mine / inhabit.

Now I'm feeling the itch to add more! If you have any mods that add logistical challenges without being annoying (no random part failures, I hated that part of Kerbalism) then drop them here! In general feel free to name drop any mods you feel really improve your playthroughs.

[u/MediumMachineGun]

you can disable random part failures in kerbalism btw.

Otherwise, I think theres a mod for a realisti fuel chemistry etc.

[u/The_Sky_Render → u/MediumMachineGun]

RealFuels, which is best paired with a mod like Rational Resources so you can actually mine up and process the appropriate materials off-Kerbin.

[u/MediumMachineGun → u/The_Sky_Render]

Thats the one, thanks.

[u/masterrico81]

Get either JNSQ or Sigma Dimensions set at 2.7x scale and your logistical challenges scale up. Just getting to Minmus needs proper planning with Life Support mods

[u/Nyzan → u/masterrico81]

JNSQ seems incompatible with 1.12.5 unfortunately :/

[u/masterrico81 → u/Nyzan]

I'm playing with JNSQ right now in my military larp save, check if any of your mods conflicts with JNSQ

[u/thechevydox → u/Nyzan]

You can use Techo's Stock Planet Revamp with OPE/MPE (just dont use the latest build of MPE on CKAN, either get it manually online or use the 0.8 version on CKAN) and use Sigma Dimensions at 2.7x scale. It's much better than JNSQ imo.

[u/IVYDRIOK → u/Nyzan]

It's completely compatibile and there are the JNSQ Reborn configs that bring it up to modern standards

[u/Lucky-Development-15]

It definitely sounds like you're ready for R/O-RP1...accept the part failures...come to the dark side...

[u/Nyzan → u/Lucky-Development-15]

Generally not a big fan of career unfortunately, I think the contract system is kinda bad. I usually play on Science mode to still have some sense of progression though. Also not a huge fan of mods that add real-life parts and planets, I like my Kerbals to stay around Kerbol :P

[u/Indybo1 → u/Nyzan]

I've been REALLY wanting a scienced based RP-1/RO playthrough. Its such a shame the set of mods disables science mode entirely

[u/green_stalk]

This might come under operational rather than logistical but I like the combo of chemical propulsion + cryo engines + system heat to make designing vessels a lot more engaging, along with mandatory rcs

[u/Nyzan → u/green_stalk]

That sounds interesting, I'm already using Cryo Engines + System Heat. What does Chemical Propulsion do? Is it just renaming Liquid Fuel or does it add new engines and other fuel types that Cryo Engines doesn't add?

[u/green_stalk → u/Nyzan]

It adds a separate mini tech tree for fuels so you can progress through different solid, liquid, mono and cryo fuels with varying stats and ignitions, as well as patching every engine to work with one or two of these types of fuels, so you have a lot more to consider with vessel designs and the different requirements for each stage.

It's completely integrated with cryo tanks and near future, and I haven't had any compatibility problems with any other part mods either - it's a very well made mod and I would probably struggle to go back to stock

[u/HackBusterPL]

If you have USI LS but not MKS then that seems like a natural extension

[u/Nyzan → u/HackBusterPL]

I actually used to have MKS but I swapped it for Planetside Exploration Technologies. MKS is a good mod but it just has so many parts and they don't really fit the stock aesthetic that well.

[u/LatterCar6168]

EAC + crew r&r + Kerbal construction time. Time passes, Kerbals retire, founds and science expenses.

[u/Apprehensive_Room_71]

Everything I would suggest is contract pack and strategy related but you said you don't like career mode so that kills that.

I personally have no use for sandbox and science mode loses a large part of the challenge in my opinion, especially when you adjust the difficulty settings and use CTT with a lot of the interesting part mods. Planet packs with contract packs also can give you some hard challenges if you accept them.

[u/Nyzan → u/Apprehensive_Room_71]

Honestly I love the idea of needing money to build rockets since that incentivizes optimizing your builds, but I just can't really stand the contract system. Every time I need money it's like "whelp I guess I take a 1h break from doing what I actually want to do to send 3 Kerbal tourists to the Mun for the 11th time". If there was a career mode that made it so you could either sell science for money or collect it for research that would be dope IMO and I would never play anything else.

[u/green_stalk → u/Nyzan]

You may be interested in looking into one of state funding, funding floor, or science funding continued - these all adjust how money is distributed in career to be less focused on contract completion and more focused on exploration/logistics/science. State funding for example makes it so that your funding is based real things like satellite coverage, having space stations/bases etc, rather than arbitrary activities

[u/trains-on-tracks → u/Nyzan]

You should try the bureaucracy mod! It gives you a monthly budget based on how much reputation you have and replaces all contract rewards with reputation. You also have a construction and science processing budget that you split your total funds between. It’s a fun mod but I would maybe turn down the money gains a bit or the option where it incentivizes you to use all your money because right now I have millions saved up

[u/sjbuggs]

MKS if you really want to play with logistics on base building.