Slitherine

Plus some other comments.

Using the most recent version of the game, playing GSA sandbox mode.

After exhausting all the possible LEO uses of Gemini, I still hadn't done any unmanned lunar probes. While getting them going, I started an Apollo LEO programme.

Once I'd done the unmanned lunar probes, Gemini and Apollo lunar programmes now showed as available. I started the Apollo one, and went to start the Gemini one, since one failure can set you back for literally years, I wanted a backup - but while it's lit up as available, clicking on it does nothing.

That's the bug, now the general comments.

R&D in this version of the game is intolerably slow, I did the X-15 (1955-57, then Sputnik (1957-1960, then Vostok (960) - and it took me until 1965 to get within a few percent of maximum R&D reliability. It's the same for other stuff, once reliability hits 55% or so even with scientists with 85+% relevant skill, it only goes up 1-5% a season. So you're looking at 3 years if you want to be risky (launch with 75% or so) and 4-6 years if you don't want to take risks. This makes it extremely hard to reach goals in the times suggested by the campaign mode, and also leads to a lot of boring "end season" clicking without doing anything - we want to do launches, that's why we play!

Reliability carryover is obscure. When you go open a rocket or payload programme, we already know that having one version of a rocket/payload at high reliability will give a head-start to a progression of it, eg R7 Sputnik to R7 Vostok, or Mercury to Gemini. But the "initial reliability" listed before you've opened the programme is always 3% or whatever, and it's not until you've spent the money and opened the programme that you find out it's 30%, etc. This head-start should be listed before the programme is opened, since it'd help you make decisions, and let you see why (apart from money) you wouldn't just start with the Saturn V.

Hello Kyle,

Thanks for the bug report. It was reported a few days ago at the Matrix Games forums. It's fixed now, you'll get be able to open that program in the next update.

Regarding your suggestions: user N_Molson has been helping us by tweaking the database, scripts and the reliability transfer matrix for the mission components. We'll be releasing an update soon, so that will address the issues you're reporting.

Cheers,

The prerequisite missions need some work, if A helps B and C both and you just do B straight away successfully, the system should not complain that you have not done A.

For example, unmanned lunar flyby allows lunar impactor, and lunar flyby allows lunar orbiter.
I went straight to the Ranger 4 lunar impactor, now I go to do the lunar orbiter it complains I've never done a lunar flyby. Surely if I can hit the moon I can fly past it.

A bit further on, I see that while I can do the unmanned lunar lander the Surveyor, I won't be able to do the Luna 15 sample return... because I haven't done the lunar flyby. I've hit the moon, orbited the moon, can land a craft on the moon... but can't return a sample until I fly past the moon? Hmmm.

I am sure this won't be the only similar issue.