Is money in the game new?

[Deseoso]

I ask if money is new because I got Kerbal Space Program when I was playing on my dual core 32 bit system on Windows XP. When I was playing then I was following Scott Manley's youtube tutorials and I managed to get to his 4th tutorial about getting an orbit around the Mun and I hadn't even considered the money in the game. I don't think I had even looked at how much I had or how much things cost.

Now I have build a new computer and I am playing on an i5 Quad Core machine running windows 7 64 bit and I am only up to Scott Manley's second tutorial and I am totally out of money in the game. What is going on? Having to acquire science to be able to get new parts is fine. I don't mind that but then being further limited by money constraints has seriously lowered my opinion of the game. I want to play the Career mode but the money situation sucks. Can it be switched off? If not then is there a money cheat because I wanted to play this game to learn about the science of space flight, not how to balance NASA's bank account.

[Belphegor]

once you get a few 2-3star contracts its quite easy to get money.. but yeah.. alt+F12, there is a contract section somewhere. just accept a bunch of them and click the 'complete' button next to the contracts in the alt F12 menu and you get the rewards.

did it once early in the game and i started a new carreer after.. it's just not as fun without the money element imo..

[Red Iron Crown]

Money was just added in the last update. If you want to follow the tutorials, start a "Science" mode save, that will have the science mechanics without money and contracts.

[Murph]

You can certainly money-cheat, but you may well be better off choosing either sandbox or science mode. Sandbox is completely unrestricted playing around with rockets from day 1. Science is unrestricted by money, but requires collection of experimental data to unlock the parts progressively. Full career mode (introduced in 0.24) is science plus parts cost money and contracts provide a source of income to fund your launches.

It's up to you, no shame in choosing one option over another. KSP's rules are whatever you want them to be.

[Zylark]

I like having the money restraint. Makes one prioritize a bit more, and it finally makes sense to go all out with in-situ resource utilization. Previously you could go all Battlestar Galactica on all your spaceships and mission. No need for SSTOs to haul crew and small cargo to space apart from the coolness factor. Now you got to think budgets, and rather than go big, try to go as small as possible. Even sacrifice some functionality to save mass and thus money. The big cost is getting stuff to orbit - the heavier the more it cost.

My current career write-up (link in sig) gives a general overview of how the funds go up and down after various missions.

[Murph]

I like having the money restraint. Makes one prioritize a bit more, and it finally makes sense to go all out with in-situ resource utilization. Previously you could go all Battlestar Galactica on all your spaceships and mission. No need for SSTOs to haul crew and small cargo to space apart from the coolness factor. Now you got to think budgets, and rather than go big, try to go as small as possible. Even sacrifice some functionality to save mass and thus money. The big cost is getting stuff to orbit - the heavier the more it cost.

My current career write-up (link in sig) gives a general overview of how the funds go up and down after various missions.

Yeah, I should have said something like that in my post above. You absolutely should give career mode a serious go once you have the basics of KSP's learning curve behind you. It's fun figuring out how to be cost effective, or at least some of us think so.

My one complaint (and it's not that major), is that there's no recovery of stages dropped during atmospheric ascent yet (yeah, I know there's a mod…). On the one hand, I've just had to be creative and use huge recoverable SSTO launch rockets using the new 3.75m Kerbodyne parts, but on the other it's a little unrealistic. In real world terms, it would be much more efficient to have multi-stage to orbit and recoverable lower stages parachuting down into the ocean. I have a strong feeling that Squad will address that issue in a future update (hopefully).

[Pecan]

...What is going on? Having to acquire science to be able to get new parts is fine. I don't mind that but then being further limited by money constraints has seriously lowered my opinion of the game. I want to play the Career mode but the money situation sucks...I wanted to play this game to learn about the science of space flight

Career mode adds money. Science mode was old career mode adds insanity. Why would you want to play career or science mode if you wanted to learn about the science of space flight? Do you really think it makes sense to invent the manned rocket before the ladder, let alone the wheel?

Sandbox mode for any sanity.

Science mode for grinding to 'win' KSP.

Career mode for, well, whatever Squad are going to change it to next - but presumably, 'Space tycoon'; it's what they've always said they want the game to be.

[Wanderfound]

I ask if money is new because I got Kerbal Space Program when I was playing on my dual core 32 bit system on Windows XP. When I was playing then I was following Scott Manley's youtube tutorials and I managed to get to his 4th tutorial about getting an orbit around the Mun and I hadn't even considered the money in the game. I don't think I had even looked at how much I had or how much things cost.

Now I have build a new computer and I am playing on an i5 Quad Core machine running windows 7 64 bit and I am only up to Scott Manley's second tutorial and I am totally out of money in the game. What is going on? Having to acquire science to be able to get new parts is fine. I don't mind that but then being further limited by money constraints has seriously lowered my opinion of the game. I want to play the Career mode but the money situation sucks. Can it be switched off? If not then is there a money cheat because I wanted to play this game to learn about the science of space flight, not how to balance NASA's bank account.

As mentioned above, Sandbox and Science modes do not involve funds. There is also an option in the debug menu to edit your bank balance (alt-F12, then hold down alt for five seconds).

However, if you do decide to stay in Career mode, some quick and easy ways to accumulate vast amounts of √:

* Stick a satellite in orbit with a probe core, a battery, a couple of solar panels, a thermometer and a radio. Whenever a "transmit science from orbit" contract comes up, switch to the satellite and send in a temperature scan.

* Stick a satellite in orbit that consists of a dozen or so cheap "escape pods": probe core, one man capsule, battery, parachute, RCS fuel and thrusters. Whenever a "rescue a Kerbal" contract comes up, detach a pod and send it to get him. You only need a tiny amount of ÃŽâ€V to rendezvous and deorbit.

* Leave a Kerbal sitting in a permanent base on the Mun. Whenever a "plant flag" contract comes up, get him to walk outside and add to his forest of flags.

[juanml82]

Yeah, I should have said something like that in my post above. You absolutely should give career mode a serious go once you have the basics of KSP's learning curve behind you. It's fun figuring out how to be cost effective, or at least some of us think so.

My one complaint (and it's not that major), is that there's no recovery of stages dropped during atmospheric ascent yet (yeah, I know there's a mod…). On the one hand, I've just had to be creative and use huge recoverable SSTO launch rockets using the new 3.75m Kerbodyne parts, but on the other it's a little unrealistic. In real world terms, it would be much more efficient to have multi-stage to orbit and recoverable lower stages parachuting down into the ocean. I have a strong feeling that Squad will address that issue in a future update (hopefully).

Well, dropped stages in real life require extensive refitting (ie, the shuttle's SRB). Even if SSTOs become a reality one day, they will also require a lot of expensive maintenance once they land.

So I think it's an issue of game balance: you don't recover anything but your contracts give you more money, you only recover things with probe cores (is it a feature or an exploit?) or a mod/Squad implements a system of refurbishing expent stages and, yes, ships returned to the launchpad (which, in turn, can push players away from SSTOs, so it maybe a realistic option not necessarily adequate from a gaming perspective) but contracts hand out less money.

[Wanderfound]

Well, dropped stages in real life require extensive refitting (ie, the shuttle's SRB). Even if SSTOs become a reality one day, they will also require a lot of expensive maintenance once they land.

So I think it's an issue of game balance: you don't recover anything but your contracts give you more money, you only recover things with probe cores (is it a feature or an exploit?) or a mod/Squad implements a system of refurbishing expent stages and, yes, ships returned to the launchpad (which, in turn, can push players away from SSTOs, so it maybe a realistic option not necessarily adequate from a gaming perspective) but contracts hand out less money.

The 100% recovery for spaceplanes is a bit broken. They should be more cost effective than staged rockets, but not by that much.

Not going to stop me from taking advantage of it while it's there, though...

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90337-Economic-Fuel-to-Oribit?p=1361984#post1361984

[Deseoso]

Well, I read all your advice but it doesn't make any sense. I've only done 3 missions so far in career mode and I now have only just over $1000 for the next mission. There are no contracts available for me to do so no way to make any more money. I'm really not impressed. I really liked this game before they implemented the money. Now, I'm not sure I will play it again. Really disappointed. Oh well, this won't be the first game I've spent good money on and then never played again.

[Belphegor]

i think you're doing it wrong.. i had plenty of money to start messing around after some missions :s

anyways if the economics turn you away from the game why don't you try science mode or sandbox as stated on page 1?