So many tourism contracts...

[zarakon]

I'm starting out a Hard career. I've orbited the Mun, and I've unlocked just a couple of the 45-science nodes.

My mission control seems to list around 4 tourism at any time. I have two big problems with these:

1. I haven't yet unlocked any reasonable way of putting more than one kerbal in a craft. All I have are the 1-man capsule and the pointy 1-man cockpit.

2. They don't pay well enough to justify their costs. The reward for doing a Minmus flyby is nowhere near the cost of the rocket that would be required.

I'd like to see these pay more and maybe not unlock until I have either a multi-man capsule or at least the in-line cockpit or lander can.

[Snooze]

Came here to say exactly this. There's an overabundance of tourism contracts and just the one-kerbal pod to ferry them around in.

I like the idea of the tourism contracts not becoming available until the three-kerbal command capsule is unlocked.

[AbacusWizard]

An abundance of tourism contracts makes sense to me--obviously everykerb wants to go to spaaaaaaace!

I've been handling the tourism contracts by attaching multiple 1-kerbal capsules on a single rocket, using girders as structure and plenty of parachutes. Works pretty well so far. As for cost--I'm thinking the best method would be to take tourists on a flight you're planning to do anyway. Want to go to Minmus to gather science? Work in an extra capsule or two and bring a tourist.

[Jarin]

I've had no problem building early-game craft to deliver tourists to orbit (three pods/tanks in parallel)... but these contracts really do pay out horribly. Especially the ones requiring reaching orbit, considering that the difference between "sub-orbital" and "orbital" is nearly doubling the cost of the rocket.

[Tobyz28]

I've had no problem building early-game craft to deliver tourists to orbit (three pods/tanks in parallel)... but these contracts really do pay out horribly. Especially the ones requiring reaching orbit, considering that the difference between "sub-orbital" and "orbital" is nearly doubling the cost of the rocket.

Agreed.

The ones with 4 kerbals wanting to go to different bodies (between the group) is also not worth the risk/reward. Ie. Some want to orbit kerbin, some the mun/minimus.

[Arsonide]

Came here to say exactly this. There's an overabundance of tourism contracts and just the one-kerbal pod to ferry them around in.

I like the idea of the tourism contracts not becoming available until the three-kerbal command capsule is unlocked.

The tourism contracts are capped at three, if you are seeing more than three at a time, this is a bug. They were designed to be folded in with other missions as a fairly casual early game source of funds. Each tourist does not need to go on the same vessel, and more than one pod can fit on a vessel.

The tourism contracts are one of the highest paying contracts, but this comes with a few caveats. The funds of tourism contracts scales dramatically with what the tourist is requesting and how many tourists there are in the tour. You get partial credit at each destination, but indeed, this is not meant to be a large amount. The bulk of the reward is given when you complete the tourist's itinerary by recovering him back on Kerbin. The tours are intentionally designed this way to heavily encourage keeping the tourists safe.

[mikegarrison]

I think the tourism contracts aren't really worth enough to do the missions just for tourism. The best way to use them, I think, is as an extra source of profit by sticking a tourist onto a mission you were already going to do anyway.

- - - Updated - - -

Agreed.

The ones with 4 kerbals wanting to go to different bodies (between the group) is also not worth the risk/reward. Ie. Some want to orbit kerbin, some the mun/minimus.

You don't have to take them all at the same time.