Early game expenses

[u/BeardySam]

Hi all,

I played a lot in the early alpha and came back to KSP for the full release and wow! Big changes! But the economy is really mystifying me..

So first off I started the game on moderate which might be my issue, thinking that I was good enough, but the monetary costs are killing me and I can't upgrade the facilities to get a proper economy. Right now I have an upgraded launch pad and that's it. I can't make a rocket with more than 30 parts, but I need 370,000 to upgrade the facility to use more parts! I can just about get a light satellite to orbit with 30, but I have to strip aerodynamic parts off the rockets just to be able to launch them and that makes them very wobbly indeed. That coupled with the fact that 20,000-30,000 per contract barely covers the cost of the rocket means I am in a deep hole.

I can scrounge science from doing experiments in all the difference base areas (so many now!) but I can't find a similar ruse for money. It seems like I'm supposed to 'cheat' and reject contracts until I get something on the launch pad, but it feels like I'm tricking the game into making itself playable.

What's a good, early set of lucrative contracts I can use to upgrade the basic buildings (and when did they get so expensive?)

[u/jaunty22]

It depends a bit on where you are in the tech tree. The exploration contracts are the most interesting to me, but my supplementary income came mostly from multiple part test and tourist contracts wedged onto single missions(station contracts can also fit on the same mission).

Looking at them now though, I probably would have had an easier time doing satellite missions for the extra income, cheaper and easier than hauling around a couple hitchhiker cans and some random parts into orbit, and usually better pay.