Career

Career Game Mode
Name		Career
Contracts available		Yes
Strategies available		Yes
Parts unlocked with Science Points		Yes
Parts paid with Funds		Yes
Reputation to Kerbals		Yes
Since version		0.22

The career mode, available since version 0.22, is still in development and provides an alternative to Sandbox mode. The heart of Career mode is performing science activities. With 0.24 a second type of career mode was added, which adds contracts, funds and reputation. The Science game mode behaves like the career mode prior to 0.24.

Overview

The career game mode has an open Research and Development facility. The player has to design and complete missions while performing scientific experiments. These yield Science points which can then be used in the Research and Development facility where new parts can be “researched”. This will allow the player to purchase the new parts associated with the researched node. The player can use only parts which are already unlocked, so every game starts with the Start node unlocked.

Since version 0.24 monetary costs for each part are used and contracts are given by agencies to earn money to fund future missions of the space program. The Mission Control building is used to manage the available, active and finished contracts. Additionally, reputation as another measure of success is added.

Similarly, the player may access the Administration Facility, where there are business strategies to choose to influence the financial (), scientific (⚛) and reputation (★) income of the missions.

An important feature of this game mode is the kerbonauts' specialization and experience system, based on XPs gained by reaching achievements. These progresses can be observed most comfortably in the Astronaut Complex.

The buildings of the KSC starts fairly undeveloped, and have to be upgraded for funds () to be useful for further development.

In this game mode stock craft are available when playing on Easy difficulty level or by making them available using custom settings.

First missions

The easiest first mission is simply “launching” the Command Pod Mk1. This is similar to the earliest Apollo missions, though there was the fatal Apollo 1 fire.

The first rockets could go anywhere in the vicinity of Kerbin, especially with techniques like explosive decoupling. However, most early rockets will barely, if even, exit the atmosphere. Even so, landing in a new biome means a fresh opportunity for science activities.

It's easy to unlock the first four nodes of the tech tree by performing science activities around the Kerbal Space Center, even with only Start node parts. KSC comprises three special surface-only biomes. Regular biomes outside these special biome locations include opportunities for science while the vessel is flying or in space.

There are three science activities that can be done from the start:

• Crew Reports
• EVA Reports (on surface, unless you upgrade Astronaut complex)
• Surface Samples (not since 0.90, unless you upgrade R & D)

Crew and EVA Reports only yield science points the first time performed in a situation and biome. Surface Samples can be repeated, but with diminishing results each time up to six times. So, visiting the same biome multiple times without having new science modules on board isn't very productive.

Science modules

To accelerate the amount of science returned, it's wise to unlock nodes offering new science modules. With these it is possible to gain even more science to compensate for the fact that technology tree nodes become increasingly expensive.

Middle game

Later nodes will be difficult to unlock without visiting other celestial bodies. Kerbin's moons Mun and Minmus are primary targets for the middle game as they can be reached quickly and easily. Both also feature biomes, greatly increasing the amount of science that can be collected.

It will be important to unlock various batteries and solar power generators for transmitting data. Missions will generally be larger and demand greater mastery of the maneuver node system in Map view.

Late game

With good strategy and diligent "mining" to exhaust biome+situation combinations, it's possible to finish the tech tree with just Kerbin and its moons; but it's often faster and more exciting to figure out how to intercept with other planets. Eve and Duna are certainly reachable with conventional rockets. For manned exploration of distant planets, and the high multipliers for doing any Science on them, acquiring the LV-N Atomic Rocket Motor will be very helpful.

See also

• Tutorials on starting a new career game