How to get money easy

[Pawelk198604]

I need to upgrade  R&D facility, i already upgraded launch pad and VAB,mission control, but how to get money easy, but without cheating?

[Kerbal-Willie]

I'm not sure if you'd consider this cheating or not. But this might help.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=an3ZEMFCQpk

I guess this will require someunlocking in the tech tree too, so might not help you sorry

Edited April 30, 2017 by Kerbal-Willie

[cubinator]

You could maybe find some well-paying contracts in Mission Control. You'll have to do the contracts eventually, but it might yield enough to upgrade.

[Urses]

Stock or moded?

Stock the satelite (enough dv to get 2-3  contracts in one go), part test combining up to 7 in one start, Tourism is a moneymaking mashine but look precisely for descriptions (hi gee and safe return are not realy compatible), try to make the contracts lucrative. Try to evade contrakts that need one precise target. And bolt at least one termomether on everything you shoot up bc science from target is realy easy money this way. 

For moded try Contrakt Configurator wirh addons. But the same way at least 2-3 targets in one launch.

Funny Kabooms 

Urses 

Edited April 30, 2017 by Urses

[DrLicor]

Back in the days I played stock, I usualy did toerist missions. Take contracts untill you've gathered 20 toerists. Fly them in one go, and profit. 

But the key, as suggested, is to take more than one contract a time.

[StrandedonEarth]

11 minutes ago, DrLicor said:

But the key, as suggested, is to take more than one contract a time.

And to stack contracts into one launch. If you can line up "Station in ..." or "Satellite in..." Kerbin, Munar, and Solar orbits, one station or satellite can rule complete them all. Throw in an easy part test or two, maybe piggyback a satellite or two, and one launch can finish many contracts.

[qzgy]

Alt-f-12, click the cheats tab .... oh wait you wanted to do this without cheats....

I would just say to do as the others have suggested, and take many contracts on one mission. Sometimes, I think you get money for "World firsts" (correct me if I am wrong), so if you could do one or two of those, that would also help.

Edited April 30, 2017 by qzgy

[WanderingKid]

First and foremost, abuse the World's First contract system.  Don't do anything until it gives you a contract for it... such as don't EVA in Kerbin orbit until they'll pay you for it.  Don't return science until they'll pay you for it from a body.  Don't orbit unt... you get the idea.

Next, as mentioned, if you're still in tier 1 science your best money makers are Tourism contracts and Satellite Contracts.  I personally avoid Tourism like the plague, it just bugs me.  No particular reason why, I just avoid them.  So I launch satellites.  LOTS of them.  Has the added benefit of building up a pretty strong CommNet while I'm at it by sending a single satellite to every contract.  Tiny little satellites with a pair of MG-5 Relays everywhere (Kerbal Alarm Clock is your friend here...).  They go to orbit almost entirely on a single Thumper SRB too.  While you're getting that money, start rescuing kerbals in LKO.  They're solid income and they build up your staff too.  They can be a little crazy if they're in HKO, but Mun/Minmus rescues are solid too.  Just watch out for the 'return the part' missions once you've unlocked the KLAW.

If you're going for the 2nd upgrade to science to unlock the end of the tree, now you're looking at building stations (Solars are usually great money if you don't have to stick a Kerbal in them and can suicide them out).  A nice fuel station or 3 at Mun/Minmus makes for a great staging area for rover/mining work, and ... rovers.  Profit/cost ratios are really nice for new areas, and a rover can be re-used for additional work later.  They do however cost you in real time, so only take those if you enjoy rovering otherwise they're not worth time->profit investments.  I've got a little rover build I ship out constantly (I think I launch one every 3-5 days in my current career) that drops itself wherever I need, blows off its engines, and then runs around.  I don't recommend bothering with rovers until the second grade of wheels though.  The little golf cart ones are simply horrible if you have to travel.

Besides that, simply keep an eye out for high value contracts and simply try for efficiency.  The last tier of science pretty much breaks the difficulty of the game, so it's not really that important unless you're trying for extreme situations.

[Waxing_Kibbous]

Earlier on the contracts I like are LKO/Munar orbit rescues, get science from somewhere and plant flag contracts. LKO rescues are quick and easy, you can scoop up 2-3 kerbals at a time no problem. Sometimes on the way to Mun/Minmus I check back at KSC to see if any easy contracts pop up that I can add to the current mission.

[juvilado]

I think the easiest way to get money is testing at the launchpad or landed at kerbin contracts. At least in 1.1.3 where im still playing. I always choose not negative effects for declining contracts at the beginning of careers so if im short of money i can make some of those fast tests. Later i disable them with contract configurator so they dont bother me anymore. 

[NSEP]

Tourists contracts are like selling cookies, Kerbin world contracts is like selling cars. 

[Snark]

Moving to Gameplay Questions.

[GoSlash27]

Satellite, tourist, and rescue contracts are good money makers.

Best,
-Slashy

[Spricigo]

For money making purposes I start with part test,  then rescue and  satellites.  Somewhere along the way money it's not a problem anymore. 

As a bonus I also have a lot of astronauts and relay satellites. 

[Callmedave]

A tip for saving money is to hire some kerbals. I know they cost money but its better to hire them when you only have three staff on your roster, say you rescue some but want more scientists it will cost more to hire them after you have rescued say ten or so staff. if you get them early then it wont cost as much.

I spend about 1 million on staff early on to ensure I have enough scientists and a spare pilot or 2.

[Kryxal]

If you rescue Kerbals, you tend to get asked to rescue Kerbals, so you can always just try, try again.  It's also easy to make a multiple-rescue craft and it saves playing time (though takes more game-time)

[Spricigo]

32 minutes ago, Callmedave said:

A tip for saving money is to hire some kerbals. I know they cost money but its better to hire them when you only have three staff on your roster, say you rescue some but want more scientists it will cost more to hire them after you have rescued say ten or so staff. if you get them early then it wont cost as much.

I spend about 1 million on staff early on to ensure I have enough scientists and a spare pilot or 2.

The chances of not getting enough of a type is pretty slim after the 100th rescue. 

Also it's still simple to go outside and rescue a few more. 

[Mr. Peabody]

Complete lucrative contracts as cheaply as possible. Also, facility upgrades aren't really needed early in the game. I can perform flyby and returns, land probes, and orbit mun and minmus without any facility upgrades. Facilities such as the launch pad, VAB, and tracking station should be upgraded when you begin rescue or interplanetary missions. 

[Callmedave]

16 minutes ago, Spricigo said:

The chances of not getting enough of a type is pretty slim after the 100th rescue. 

Also it's still simple to go outside and rescue a few more. 

 

i find the rescue contracts drop off after a while.

[Spricigo]

19 minutes ago, The Dunatian said:

 Also, facility upgrades aren't really needed early in the game.

well, you really don’t need, but things like EVA report and surface samples are nice to have anyway. Also each upgrade its and extra micro-biome at KSC

Personally I upgrade Mission Control and R&D first, while I'm "launching" vessels that are just a bunch of parts attached to a pod for those landed part test.

5 minutes ago, Callmedave said:

i find the rescue contracts drop off after a while.

The contract system tend to offer more of the types of contracts you complete and less of the contracts you decline or let expire. So the mileage may vary, but I decline several contracts I don’t like and accept all rescue mission so I really have hundreds of rescued kerbals.

[Mr. Peabody]

12 minutes ago, Spricigo said:

well, you really don’t need, but things like EVA report and surface samples are nice to have anyway. Also each upgrade its and extra micro-biome at KSC

I should clarify. Facilities such as the VAB, launch pad, and tracking station aren't needed in early career. Mission control, R&D, and the astronaut complex are worth upgrading in early career but not necessarily needed.

[Spricigo]

1 hour ago, The Dunatian said:

I should clarify. Facilities such as the VAB, launch pad, and tracking station aren't needed in early career. Mission control, R&D, and the astronaut complex are worth upgrading in early career but not necessarily needed.

I don’t think you need to clarify, since we are mostly saying the same with different phrasing and a few nuanced details.

[WanderingKid]

2 hours ago, The Dunatian said:

I should clarify. Facilities such as the VAB, launch pad, and tracking station aren't needed in early career. Mission control, R&D, and the astronaut complex are worth upgrading in early career but not necessarily needed.

I'm afraid I almost completely disagree with you.  VAB and R&D are the only ones there that aren't critical path early upgrades for my careers, as the R&D upgrade opens up my midgame, and I typically don't need VAB until I start goofing around with rovers or biome hoppers, which I prefer to do in midgame when I can get surface samples and upgraded wheels.  I should probably note I play Hard Career almost exclusively, so it's not like these are cheap or something.  

Upgrading Mission control early lets you get more contracts at once, which helps with launch efficiency, so I typically upgrade that first thing.

Upgrading Astronaut complex during your first orbit lets you EVA for both World's First contract completion as well as additional science.  This speeds up your science gathering considerably.  This is usually my second upgrade, and also typically done as soon as possible.

Manned Mun landings are near impossible without an upgraded pad for heavier rockets, which is where World's First contracts typically go after you've done a flyby/orbit.  18 tons is enough to pull off flybys and a minimalist orbit, but not landing and return.  Somewhere around my fifth or sixth World's First launch goes to the Mun in a typical career.  First does the launch/liftoff, second does suborbital/orbital.  While up there I'll usually get EVAs and science from Kerbin orbit contracts.  Next one is typically a flyby and science of Mun, fourth is (usually) the orbiter and return, which I'll do by using the free return flyby and braking at Periapsis to barely get an orbit, fulfill, then burn again for the free return.  By 5 or 6 I'm typically landing there, it depends on how the RNG is behaving that run, so around then I want the Launchpad upgrade.

Mission Control and Tracking station need to be upgraded each once for Maneuver Nodes, which are such a quality of life upgrade for me I want them very early.  They also help tremendously once you are putting up satellites and for rendezvous with lost kerbals, which I go after very quickly so in some ways I suppose it is what you define as 'early career'.  Rescues and OKTO sats putting up the CommNet are still very much part of my 'opening moves' for my early careers and are my counter to the early funds grind.

Because of these considerations, I'm typically upgrading KSC very quickly during the early game.  I personally ignore the Spaceplane Hangar, Runway, and Administration until mid-late game simply because until I get Panthers the SPH is pointless for my playstyle and I don't use the administration building until science is completely maxxed out.

I believe our playstyles may be very different in this case, but this wall of text was primarily to show there are different approaches to getting career done efficiently.

[Spricigo]

10 minutes ago, WanderingKid said:

I believe our playstyles may be very different in this case, but this wall of text was primarily to show there are different approaches to getting career done efficiently.

Actually you seems to describe an upgrades order very similar to mine;

yours: Mission control, Astronaut complex, Launchpad, mission control, tracking station, R&D?. ...  ??

mine: Mission control, R&D, Astronaut complex, Launchpad, mission control, tracking station...  

Granted that playing in normal settings allow me to be much less concerned about the cost of upgrade/launches but seems we give similar relative value for upgrades. (and coincidentally we both rely in rescues and satellites early in the game also).

Nonetheless all those are nice to have but not mandatory, as the cavemen have demonstrated. May one get it as soon as possible? Sure. It will helps with the game progression if you have? Yes. Should one feel it's a requirement before the game truly start? Absolutely not.

In this sense I really don't see a disagreement, just a further consideration that the upgrades can wait a bit until you need it (which may be sooner or later depending on the playstyle).

[Reusables]

I think upgrades completely depend on playstyle. Personally, I unlock the tracking station first to launch reusable TSTOs.

In detail, level 2 tracking station enables spacecraft switching in map view. This is mandatory for my reusable TSTO craft, so I upgrade this first.