JoeYoung

Thanks for all the great tips! My current run has been the most successful so far as my piloting skills improved and I became better able to fulfill contracts. After doing loads of suborbital sightseeing tours, I realized that I could get fairly close to an orbit with the rocket I had built, if I replaced the extra crew cabin with a tiny fuel tank and a poodle engine. I did so and achieved orbit easily! Then I upgrade the launch pad so I can use heavier boosters so I am now capable of ferrying science equipment and tourists into orbit (since some very profitable contracts appeared). Aside from upgrading the launch pad, I upgraded mission control too so I could do more contracts simultaneously. I'm intending to upgrade the Astronaut complex next, for EVAs, and then the tracking station, so I can get maneuvers. After that will probably be R&D or VAB depending on which suits my needs more at the moment. I made a working plane that was similar to the one you've got and have been able to do lower-atmosphere surveys as I went, it was a great source of income though I'm not getting much science out of it anymore. My range is still a tad limited, I think. I am getting better at landing it properly on a flat surface or even the runway. I think I've temporarily plateaued when it comes to science. I get some point from contracts, but the other biomes on Kerbin seem to yield increasingly insignificant rewards, which I guess means I need to start looking towards something higher than LKO. I have unlocked Electrics to get solar panels, but I can't see any reason to make satellites or probes right now except maybe for testing.

4 tiers, including the beginning. Anything that costed less than 90. I have 30 science on hand at the moment, but I haven't been looking for science at the moment, I've been doing these sightseeing contracts that are fantastic. Once I get my funds back up I was going to look into science and orbits. What's the requirement to no longer need approval for posts? I get it's an important anti-spam tool, and the mods have been EXTREMELY responsive (thanks guys!), but it would be nice to move past it.

This is good, but I could use a few plane design ideas..... I seem to have a problem with craft stability using the available parts.

Ok so I wasn't 100% sure about KSC's sub biomes but now that I do I went back and check, and chalked up lots of science in my little science car. I was able to hit up almost all of KSC, the shore, the grasslands, the highlands, and the mountains in one trip (I didn't think it'd make it to the top of the mountain, but it did!). I'm ready to start farming some contracts and eventually think about going into orbit, but I'd like to make a usable plane first. I've unlocked 4 tiers of science (the default plus 3 more). Do any of you have plane suggestions I can try and maybe some tips on how to take off without becoming an explody mess with just those parts? I mean Darn it the runway is bumpier than the terrain everywhere else! Also, what branch of tech should I focus first? I was thinking maybe the bottom-most electronics one because if I'm going to have consistent presence in space, I need solar panels. Anyone have tips for achieving a stable LKO from liftoff and maybe some craft ideas? UPDATE: I got to the point where I can lift off and (barely) land safely with a tiny droid plane, but I think my design leaves a lot to be desired. I've only got one jet engine and one intake and spindly little wheels, so maybe I need to advance a little further on the tech tree before doing surveys? I am really tempted to grind for a better runway too. Or maybe I should do a rocket focused plane instead?

Honestly, this mode strikes me as almost impossible given the sheer amount of contract grinding and the expensive base upgrades. I can't get to orbit on the default launch pad and I'm just not used to not having maneuvers to work with. I always seem short on money and science. Does anyone have any choice advice or suggestions on how to have a successful run at it? is there something extra I need to do re: Management Strategies or am I just not good enough for hard mode? The only career mode tutorials I've seen are either not hard mode or don't have the 1.2 science trees. I find some of the surveying contracts to be extremely aggravating, especially the ones that happen BELOW a certain altitude, because it feels almost impossible to point a rocket there and reach it. I don't even get the sightseeing ones, am I expected to put a civvie in the cockpit? Some of those contract rewards don't even seem to be worth the money cost in putting them into action.