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career or science mode for beginner?


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I went for science mode (as there was no career mode) and it was fun, even though I finished the game right after first unmanned landings on Duna and Eve.
It's easier to do, you don't have to worry about economy too much.

Some people say "let's start with sandbox" but meh, too much parts at the beginning does not help you learn how to play. Like, you can build a monster capable of reaching everything at once, but you still can't fly. What is the point?

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I play career for the extra fun of doing things as cheap as possible, and the contracts get me ideas for wild stuff I would not have thought to do otherwise. I have played some sandbox as well, to do specific projects. But each to his own. Try it out, you already paid for it. And nevermind spending a couple of weeks going in the wrong direction, KSP is a game for years.

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Do you like what you're doing? Stay! Don't you like what you're doing? Switch!

Keep in mind; career, science and sandbox do not exclude each other. You can have as many play-throughs side by side as you like. Simply create a new game and play around with settings and difficulties. If you don't like it quit, delete and try again.

Nobody, and I do mean NOBODY has the right to tell you how to play your game. Play the game the way YOU want! Do what YOU like!

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If you're comfortable with full career carry on. Science career does have the benefit of easing a new player into the parts tree without overwhelming them with choices and limiting their progress due to having to pay the bills. You could start a sandbox save and/or a science save at the same time where you get to try out different stuff without impeding your progress. Think of them as simulations of your career game.

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I started with Science,  and I think that makes the most sense.   You get a more gradual introduction to the parts than in Sandbox,  so you're not overwhelmed right off the bat.   Plus,  there's more of a reward for accomplishing stuff (getting new parts).  And there's a little less pressure compared to Career, where you'd have to worry about funds, and possibly grind a lot if your designs aren't cost-optimized.

 

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24 minutes ago, modybird said:

Already hours into career mode but i saw posts saying that i should start science, should i stick to career or just go to science? 

Career mode offers something science doesn't: The World's First contracts, which help guide you towards new objectives to pursue.  It's a bit of a built in tutorial towards your next goals without being obtrusive.  That said, an easy career mode game so you're not jammed up on trying to build up your funds against exorbitant upgrade costs for your facilities is also helpful.

I find career mode to be the most fun, personally, because it gets me to constantly try to do more with less, and that's significantly improved my rocket building and enjoyment of the game.

Science mode used to be the 'career' mode before they introduced career.  My typical save files for a version install of KSP typically includes a Hard Career mode, a copy or two in science mode with cheats to match my science level in my career mode so I can experiment in a 'simulator' before I start blowing a few hundred thousand funds on a launch that won't fly, and a sandbox for when I just want to go loop around Eeloo for giggles, or fast forwards a few decades to see what kind of dV requirements I'll need to return from Moho, or that kind of thing.  I'll typically reset my sandbox game after each mission just ... because.

So, in the end, as was said above... "Are you having fun?"  If you are, stick with career mode, I find it highly rewarding.  If not, try one of the other modes if it seems frustrating to have to worry about making sure contracts are doable before taking them (some of the part test contracts are downright insane) and upgrade costs for facilities.

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39 minutes ago, Tex_NL said:

Simply create a new game and play around with settings and difficulties. If you don't like it quit, delete and try again.

Not necessary to start over change the setting and continue from where you are. 

 

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@modybird As most would say, this game is all about individualism; so just do whatever you want. But since you asked, I'll give my opinion. Thus far, I've only played career, and it's been a blast. I like the added incentive of money and contracts. It can make things tough early on, but that's part of the fun. There was a time when I actually couldn't afford to launch a rocket. Missions to Duna/Ike and Eve/Gilly cashed in at about the same time and I was rollin' in dough. As others have said, you'll also get ideas for things you might not have thought of. I'll take a contract at Dres just cuz I haven't been there in a while. And then I remember that it's fun to go to Dres. You'll get the Ike 3 Course early on, but as your reputation goes up you'll keep getting better contracts for more money. Some I've gotten are the Ultimate Jool 6, The Eeloo 6, The Eeloo 4 Journey, and The Bop 4 Rally. Just cool things to do. And even though I've got about 90 million bucks, I still try to make things as cheap as I can and stick to my "no rockets without profits" rule (superseded only by the "no Kerbal left behind" rule and the ultimate Kerbal reason, "just because"). If you're already in a career, then just keep playing until you get bored. Then remember (like me), that you haven't really messed with planes or spaceplanes, shuttles and SSTO's, and who knows how many mods are out there. This is a game that simply has no end. Whatever you choose to do, I'm just glad you're on board. The more the merrier.

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Career mode gives you an infinitely long list of wacky things to do, in the form of contracts. Almost all of them can be completed in myriad ways. If you have enough psychological resilience to try and fail a dozen times before you succeed on each attempt -- then career mode can really do a good job of teaching you what's possible and what's not.

 

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