After completing the mission All That Money Can Buy in Starfield, you can speak to Walter to start the Overdesigned mission which will reward you with either the Kepler R or the Kepler S ship for free depending on your choices. Read below to find out how to get the ships, and what one is the best.

How to Start the Overdesigned Mission¶

As stated above, you have to complete the “All That Money Can Buy” mission, and then speak to Walter Stroud back in The Lodge. However, if you’ve progressed the main mission to a High Price to Pay, Walter will be unavailable (as will the rest of Constellation) due to a story event. If that is the case, build the Armillary, and you’ll be able to talk to him again.

Find Jules¶

Walter will tell you that his research and development team is having trouble with the design of his latest ship, and he wants you to help them out as he trusts your judgment. Furthermore, he’ll ask you to speak to Jules, the head of R & D. Jules can be found in the meeting room aboard the Stroud-Eklund Staryard in Dalvik, Narion System. The quickest way to get there is to open the quest, press on the mission, then press .

When you enter the Staryard, head straight then take a left at the intersection, and go through the first door on your left before finally going through the door on the left again. Here, Jules and her team are having a discussion about the project they want you to help out with. Let Jules finish talking, then speak with her yourself. The first few choices don’t change any outcome, but you can ask about the project to get a better idea of what’s expected of you.

What Budget to Choose for Jules¶

Once Jules mentions budget, your choices will begin to matter. The short of it is, stick with a smaller budget, or ask for a bigger budget, but there’s more to it than that, and the outcome will be what ship you get, the Kepler R, or the Kepler S. The following choice will be the most important choice you’ll have to make for this mission, and it is as follows:

• “A smaller budget will help us focus the design. Let’s stick with your sensible budget proposal”.
  This essentially will reward you with the Kepler S in the end provided you can pass the various checks (LOOKING AT YOU FRANK).

• “We can build whatever we want with a larger budget. Let’s go with the kitchen sink proposal”.
  This option will end up with the Kepler R. Once again, provided you choose the right outcomes.

We’ll go into this in more detail below, but to make it easy for you. The Kepler R is a C-Class Ship which sells for 60K+ while the Kepler S is a B-Class Ship that sells for around half of that. The Kepler R is generally a much better ship, although we prefer the design of the Kepler S (R is too bulky).

Choosing a Smaller Budget¶

If you want to use a smaller budget, the biggest hurdle is Frank’s luxury design which means you’ll have to persuade him to agree to the smaller constraints, but Frank is a pain to deal with (I’m being kind here). When you get the chance to select Persuade, exit out of the conversation, and make a quick save. Now talk to Jules again, to continue where you were. Because the Persuade options are a random chance to work, there isn’t a right answer, but we found that telling him to be reasonable or listen to reason to work more often than not, although this could be a coincidence. If you continue on with the conversation after failing Frank’s persuasion check, you can tell Jules to go big, or go home (Persuade), or “I don’t think I’m going to convince you. There has to be another way.” Both of these options will lead to the kitchen sink route and the Kepler R.

Kitchen Sink Approach¶

The Kitchen Sink approach basically fits as much as you can into the ship, but it requires a larger budget. Unfortunately, Jules isn’t too keen to ask the board for a larger budget, so you’ll need to persuade her it’s the right call. Due to persuasion checks being random, there isn’t a perfect answer other than make sure you quick save it before attempting to persuade her. Alternatively, you can tell her “I don’t think I’m going to convince you. There has to be another way”. What this does is allow you to front the additional costs, but it will set you back 100,000 Credits, so only choose this method, if you’re rolling around in cash. If you opt for the cheap route (persuade), try answering with choices that play to her ego, and self-worth.

Speak with the Team¶

This doesn’t appear to change a lot, although you find out what their ideas are allowing you to praise, or ridicule them. Other than that, we noticed no difference with these choices, and you can skip them altogether if you’re not interested in what they have to say.

Market Research¶

Regardless of what budget you decide, Jules will want you to complete a couple of missions from the Mission Board for “Market Research”, and apparently you’re the only one who can do it, thanks, Walter. You’ll have to complete one “Passenger” Mission where you basically fast travel to the planet they request, and the optional one which is to destroy a bounty target (Ship). You can accept both of these missions from the Mission Board inside the Staryard, and you’ll find it on the opposite side of the meeting room wall (not in the same room). Now, these missions are random, so if a passenger mission isn’t available, complete some other missions, and check again.

If you are having a problem accepting the passenger mission due to you not having enough space on your ship, you’ll need to purchase one or two of Stroud’s All-in-One Berth 2×1/3×1 which you can purchase from Havershaw in the Staryard. Note: It can be any habs from any supplier provided it supports Passenger slots. Stroud’s is only recommended as it’s the nearest place. Once the passenger or both are completed, head back to Jules, and tell her you have her data for her.

Help the Team Overcome their Differences¶

Now, you’ll have to help the team agree to cut parts of their design to fit the budget. You can make everyone give up on one compromise, or you can perform a teambuilding exercise to help the result, other than it playing out differently. If you choose the teambuilding exercise method, choose the options that promote teamwork, and how to better themselves while ignoring the “I am the best” phrases. Regardless of the method, the team will reluctantly agree to your demands. Finally, speak to Jules again, and she’ll ask you to let Walter know how the project is coming along. Travel to The Lodge (Alpha Centauri), and speak to Walter to let him know the project is back on track. This will complete the quest and reward you with 200XP, and 8,500 Credits. You’ll also get a new activity to pick up the new ship that Walter has gifted you. To get this, travel back to the Stroud-Eklund Staryard, and the ship will be parked outside. Note: you’ll need the Piloting skill to be Rank 3 to drive the Kepler S, or Rank 4 for the Kepler R.

Kepler R vs. Kepler S: What’s Better?¶

The Kepler R is all around better, it’s a C-Class Ship as opposed to the Kepler S’ B-Class, and it costs over double the cost of the Kepler S. The only reason you’d choose the Kepler S is for its design, and the fact that you can drive it with less Piloting skill point investment. Here are the stats for both to make your choice easier:

Kepler R Stats¶

Kepler S Stats¶