asteroid-encounter overhaul

[7yl4r]

rather than randomly coming upon asteroids, the option to "mine an asteroid" should always be available, but some fuel cost for setting up the encounter should be incurred. The cost should be shown alongside asteroid details like size, rotational velocity, material type, name, etc.

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[metiscus]

If you are intending on the game having a bit of an educational slant to it, you could give the user the option of doing various types of maneuvers, e.g. a hoffman transfer vs a direct burn. This would also allow you to make the classical starting time trade-off mechanic available later since the transfers would vary in their optimality with time. E.g. starting later may give you better fuel usage but with less room for error. Other idea may be to have using the Oberth effect as an option when you are near large bodies, since that would greatly increase you fuel efficiency with various risks. If you use some of these ideas, you should probably link to wikipedia or an other source of exposition for further reading. That helps play up the educational side of the game and maybe helps you market to the people who like KSP but want something more simple for the classroom.

[7yl4r]

@metiscus : I think you've got a good understanding of where we want to go with this game, it's just a matter of finding the lowest hanging fruits. I'd love to discuss more generally in real time on the gitter chat. I'm available and have it open nearly all day most days EST time.