Kerbals should get paid

[Baenki]

???As I understand it we get paying space tourists in 1.0.???

I actually can not find the source anymore. Maybe it was wishful thinking.

So it may be time to also give payment to the Kerbonauts to add to the money management in career.

My idea is to give them wages depending on their experience/skill level.

Maybe an option of promoting Kerbals if they collected enough XP. Wages will rise.

A lvl 3 Pilot should earn more than a lvl 1 pilot.

Maybe add the option of hiring higher level Crew, with a higher initial pay than Kerbals you trained yourself, from the astronaut complex if the player passes a certain reputation threshold.

Additional suggestion: Bonus for the Kerbal if signing an employment contract (sth. like an entry purchase)

(Wages/month, week or other time unit + bonus for time on missions.

A regular wage makes sense because your crew that doesn't fly at the moment is still employed and "training".)

Edit: Maybe a per mission approach is better because of time warp.

I think something like this should be in a Tycoon-ish career game.

Also: I checked the what not to suggest/ already suggested lists and searched the forums dor similiar suggestions (I'm not very good at that).

If this was discussed before, feel free to close or remove this thread.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Baenki

[Bill Phil]

May cause problems when heavy timewarp is used... But that can be solved if there's an annual budget a la NASA.

Also, I think we should choose where to put the VAB and the other buildings like in a Tycoon game.

[SaturnV]

They got payed once when being hired, that will works.

However these changes need Squad reconsidering whether ksp is a fligh simulator or a program manager simulator.

[Sirrobert]

Space tourism? I missed that, where did you read it?

The problem with this suggestion is the same problem with all time baised drain things. Parts of the game involve timewarping for big stretches of time. Like if you want to play with your Duna lander NOW.

While there are people who don't like to timewarp for longer than a few weeks at a time, there are also people that do. A time based drain on any recourse would limit the way you can play this game, forcing you to interupt timewarp every month or so to do grind contracts that achieve nothing

[Panzerbeard]

Space tourism? I missed that, where did you read it?

The problem with this suggestion is the same problem with all time baised drain things. Parts of the game involve timewarping for big stretches of time. Like if you want to play with your Duna lander NOW.

While there are people who don't like to timewarp for longer than a few weeks at a time, there are also people that do. A time based drain on any recourse would limit the way you can play this game, forcing you to interupt timewarp every month or so to do grind contracts that achieve nothing

Maybe make it so Kerbals are paid per mission, instead of it being time-based? The fee could increase depending on what they actually do on the mission; for example, going to Duna and back would merit a higher commission than, say, orbiting Kerbin for a few days. You could have their salary increase the longer they're on a mission, but put an upper limit on it, so even if you timewarp for a year you're not going to go bankrupt by accident. They get paid when they safely return to kerbin or when they die (in this case you could say that the money is going to their relatives, or something. It's just there to discourage killing off kerbals at the end of a mission).

You could even put it a new strategy that can reduce/remove kerbal wages at the cost of reputation.

[Baenki]

Space tourism? I missed that, where did you read it?

I searched it again and didn't find it. I was actually sure I read it somewhere, but it seems it was wishful thinking...

----------

Yes maybe a per mission payment + entry payment + fixed bonuses are better than a time based approach.

[Louella]

space tourism was mentioned in the recent squadcast for stuff that should be coming in the next version, according to this:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/108305-Squadcast-Summary-%2824-01-2015%29-The-Valentina-Edition

[Wabbit]

An interesting mechanic! I also think Jeb will be happy to have some money pushed his way from all these years of constant death.

[Vaporo]

To my knowledge, the cost of paying astronauts is trivial compared to the cost of launching rockets. It may have such a slight impact (if it's done realistically) that it just isn't worth implementing.

[Fel]

To my knowledge, the cost of paying astronauts is trivial compared to the cost of launching rockets. It may have such a slight impact (if it's done realistically) that it just isn't worth implementing.

Realistically, the costs would skyrocket the instant you break Kerbin's orbit. Fewer and fewer people would actually be willing to go into deep space with only sporadic contact with other people (aside from the crew mates, and I would imagine almost no one would want to take a journey alone).

Of course, no one really wants to play "Kerbal Probe Program" so ignoring the costs of sending a single kerbal, alone, to the edge of the universe is probably for the best. We don't want to question his mental state when... IF he comes back.

[Joonatan1998]

I think it would be an good addition if the cost is low enough that interplanetary missions (even to Eeloo) aren't impractical.

Having a reason to use the faster methods of transfer sometimes would be good. (life support would work too.)

[Baenki]

I actually don't mean it that way that a single interplanetary flight would cost you half your budget.

The idea is to take money away in a way it's recognisable but not programme crippling. I just have the feeling that something is missing if you can have umlimited Kerbals employed without noticing it somehow.

If it would be combined with leveling the Kerbal yourself, if enough XP is reached instead of auto-leveling, it also could have an impact on your strategy.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Baenki

[rkman]

Without something for Kerbals to spend their money on, what would be the point?

[Capt Snuggler]

the Kerbals are clearly in need of some kind of economic stimulus. their entire planet is completely bare...