The most expensive part

[Jouni]

The S3-14400 fuel tank might be the most expensive part. If an FL-T200 fuel tank costs 425, the biggest fuel tank should cost around 30000. As a comparison, the big engine cluster has the thrust of 15 LV-T30 engines (cost 850 each), a bit lower Isp, and a bit higher TWR, so it probably won't cost more than 15000.

[Torquemadus]

so it probably won't cost more than 15000.

"We can pay you 2000 now, plus 15000 once we reach Alderaan."

[TrooperCooper]

Struts of course.

[dryer_lint]

Command pods might get pretty expensive.

[allmhuran]

Rapiers and jet engines, because they way they are usually used means you always have the opportunity to recover those at 100%. Not to mention their efficiency.

One could certainly claim that any parts that are extremely effective (ie, not just jet engines, but also nukes and the giant engines) should be the most expensive. But in normal use, giant engines and nukes won't be recovered, which in fact makes them dozens of times more expensive than jet engines if they all have remotely similar up-front price tags.

[allmhuran]

Ha, actually in Manley's first 0.24 preview video he put out yesterday he used them to place two Mk1 pods on top of a small stack so he could save a stranded Kerbal and still have room to bring his pilot back with him.

What the... why did he do it this way rather than just put one on top of the other?

[Red Iron Crown]

Rapiers and jet engines, because they way they are usually used means you always have the opportunity to recover those at 100%. Not to mention their efficiency.

One could certainly claim that any parts that are extremely effective (ie, not just jet engines, but also nukes and the giant engines) should be the most expensive. But in normal use, giant engines and nukes won't be recovered, which in fact makes them dozens of times more expensive than jet engines if they all have remotely similar up-front price tags.

My plan is to never recover a nuke, but never dispose of them either. Reusable tugs seem like a really good idea that would let a player amortize the cost of those engines over several contracts.

[EdFred]

"We can pay you 2000 now, plus 15000 once we reach Alderaan."

"You've never heard of the Kerbenium Falcon?"

[allmhuran]

Definitely! I had the same exact plan

[LethalDose]

ground support pylons (launching clamps) is 5000 however they can always be recovered at 98%

If this is accurate for the 0.24 release and the haven't updated the recovery logic, then this is just fraking stupid.

First, those launch clamps remaining are debris, which they've stated can't be recovered for funds.

Second, even they can be recovered for funds, then you have to go in and manually recover each one from either the world or the tracking station, which is going to bring up the recovery screen and boot you back to the space center from the world.

Finally, why would they cost this much to begin with!?

There's no need for this hassle to be in the game.

[TrooperCooper]

Who uses launch clamps anyway?

[allmhuran]

Yah... that is rather odd. The only way giving them a price makes any sense at all would be if they are not, in fact, recoverable.

[Sky_walker]

Who uses launch clamps anyway?

I do. For looks

[Moonfrog]

hmmm, I've given this a lot of thought and I think Kerbal Funerals will be the most expensive. Or the engines / command pods.

[magnemoe]

If this is accurate for the 0.24 release and the haven't updated the recovery logic, then this is just fraking stupid.

First, those launch clamps remaining are debris, which they've stated can't be recovered for funds.

Second, even they can be recovered for funds, then you have to go in and manually recover each one from either the world or the tracking station, which is going to bring up the recovery screen and boot you back to the space center from the world.

Finally, why would they cost this much to begin with!?

There's no need for this hassle to be in the game.

If you have anything on the launchpad it will be automatically recovered then you launch a new ship in the current game, don't think it even ask you if its just launch clamps.

Unless verified I believe derbies can be refunded if recovered the same way science can.

Yes another way is just to make launch clamp cheap.

[Ignath]

If this is accurate for the 0.24 release and the haven't updated the recovery logic, then this is just fraking stupid.

First, those launch clamps remaining are debris, which they've stated can't be recovered for funds.

Second, even they can be recovered for funds, then you have to go in and manually recover each one from either the world or the tracking station, which is going to bring up the recovery screen and boot you back to the space center from the world.

Finally, why would they cost this much to begin with!?

There's no need for this hassle to be in the game.

To clear up the debris recovery stuff...4kbShort had stated in his video that debris was NOT recoverable for funds originally. It now states (I made this same mistake LethalDose) around 28minutes in a Youtube overlay that he (4kb) was mistaken and you may actually get funds back for debris, but it just doesn't show up in the popup window.

[Red Iron Crown]

To clear up the debris recovery stuff...4kbShort had stated in his video that debris was NOT recoverable for funds originally. It now states (I made this same mistake LethalDose) around 28minutes in a Youtube overlay that he (4kb) was mistaken and you may actually get funds back for debris, but it just doesn't show up in the popup window.

Not a mistake by you or LethalDose as I see it, just the best info you had at the time.

[Ignath]

Not a mistake by you or LethalDose as I see it, just the best info you had at the time.

True true RIC! Maybe "assumption" was the better word...as it was not officially stated, but stated by a Youtuber and assumed to be true?

[brdavis]

Kerbal Technology Logic… You discover wheels near the end of the tree

Hmm… Scene: Squad conference room, tech tree development.

"So, what about these wheels? Early or late in the tech tree?"

"Continuously rotating high-torque electrical motors, with steering, and brakes, with lubricants that can function in a complete vacuum, no worries about degassing, and will remain functional at temperatures between -400° F and ~1500° F, all on a suspension system that can also function under those conditions? Yeah, we can put those right at the head of the tech tree, perfect fit; they'll slot in right before SRBs."

Full fuel tanks will be expensive!

Actually I'm not at all sure of that. At least for "real" rockets, that huge amount of fuel and oxidizer actually isn't the main driving cost. It's the engineering to contain it. Based on that, large tanks may still be expensive, but they'll be almost as expensive empty as they will be full.

Capsules are not cheap, due to being complex (life support etc.). Engines are not cheap, due to being complex (injector plates, turbo pumps, etc.) as well as using exotic materials (regenerative LH2 cooling of actively ablating expansion nozzles… and we won't even thing about what's needed to get something like a NERVA working, at high-thrust, reliably). I'm not counting on the LV-N being cheap. And it will be a pain to recover as well (heavy to bring back, normally not attached to the crew areas).

Then the question becomes, rebalance costs based on driving players towards an assumed set of strategies, or set costs to something realistic and see what happens? Should be interesting.

[cantab]

IMHO fuel should be pretty cheap. Expensive fuel will encourage staging rather than using SSTO rockets, which might seem good. But it will also discourage deorbiting and recovering stuff in general - what's the point if most of the worth is burnt up already? Expensive fuel would also make spaceplanes, already quite likely to be very cost effective, even more so.

Assuming fuel is cheap, then the LV-N I think should be one of the most expensive parts, pricey enough for you to consider using a less efficient engine with more fuel as an alternative. I reckon the most expensive part is between the LV-N, KR-2L, and the quad cluster. The ion thruster ought to be cheaper than the LV-N per kN of thrust, not least because it needs a power supply too, but still more costly than LFO or monoprop engines. Xenon might also be expensive, but then you don't need much of it. The RAPIER will cost a fair bit - more than a turbojet and an LV-T45/aerospike combined - but I think in the grand scheme of things there'll be many things more expensive.

Cheap parts I think should be the science gear (making that expensive just seems mean IMHO), the ancillaries like ladders and lights, and the structural parts.

One I'm uncertain about is wings. Really not sure how to price them.

As far as mods go, the nuclear pulse rocket will be just about the most expensive thing. And should include an uncancellable "contract" that gives you a massive funds and rep drop if you use it at KSC.

[GusTurbo]

I think the LV-N will likely be one of the most expensive parts.

As far as jets, I don't think they should be expensive. I feel like the difficulty of creating a useful SSTO more than makes up for any gains from reuseability. Returning from orbit and landing on the runway isn't a trivial task, especially when compared to a simple splash down with parachutes.

[panfish5]

Pretty sure the RAPIER will be the mmost expensive since it is at the end of the tech tree. If not that the LV-N.

[rexscates]

watch cupcakes videos on youtube he can go anywhere in the system now with his new 22 ton ssto and land back at the runway

He will be RICH!!

Not sure how Danny will fair money wise?

[Woopert]

watch cupcakes videos on youtube he can go anywhere in the system now with his new 22 ton ssto and land back at the runway

He will be RICH!!

Which of Cupcake's models is this? I'd like to use it once 0.24 comes out. Oh, and thanks for mentioning this. I've always liked Cupcake's work but I never tried it, so I probably will be using them in First Contract.

[WWEdeadman]

If the Nuclear Engine ends up costing a whole lot, it could actually become relevant to re-use old transfer-stages, and refuel them, or bring them back down to Kerbin on chutes. Even if they were still in a window of "I can afford to dump this" I will probably do that, just for the challenge.