Gameplay

General strategy

Use pilots to hype your achievements before you complete contracts. Build a pool of engineers and scientists to maximize VAB/R&D output.

Player decisions

Managing crew

• MAINTAIN 2+ crew members of each type, particularly pilots.
  • REASSIGN untrained crew to other specialties so that you have a balance of scientists and engineers.
  • HIRE to max out your Astronaut complex capacity. Growth priority for the Program Manager and scout_talent for pilots yields hiring vouchers that make hiring often free.
  • OPEN a search when you are looking to enrich the applicant pool.
  • SPEND more on the search to draw a larger pool of higher quality applicants.
• FLY your crew in live events to increase their fame. Each crewed flight also gets free reputation and hype equal to the sum of the effectiveness of all crew
• SPREAD fame around so your highest profile crew members don't start to think they are too good for your program.
• FIRE low-profile crew members engaged in multiple feuds: they do more harm than they help you.
• MONITOR high profile crew for discontent if they are much more effective than their peers. SEND them in study leave or assign them to flight missions.

General Program management

• IDENTIFY a prospective PM, and make them famous with a high profile flight contract before assigning them.
  • Pilots PM are deleterious to research, but strong on high launch tempo.
• PRIORITIZE with your PM for greater effect.
  • CONSIDER prioritizing growth in early career as an investment.
  • PRIORITIZE reputation to emulate a campaign without taking the risk of a live event. It may affect KSC output, however. onboard.
• AVOID operational death as they will throw off the program, and maybe lose crew members to resignation.
• AVOID putting inept crew members in charge of anything. They are dangerous. Send them on forced study leave instead.
• TASK high profile crew as mentors before they consider quitting if everyone else is much less competent.

Reputation and Hype

• MAXIMIZE hype to build reputation with media blitzes.
• LAUNCH in broad daylight when possible as hype fluctuates with KSC's local time.
• INVITE the press if:
  • You have enough hype for the highest rep reward contract you plan to complete within 4 days, but not enough to hype all contracts.
  • And/or, you need to concentrate media appearances to build hype rapidly
  • And, you are willing to lose the pledged reputation gain if something goes wrong.
• HIRE charming pilots to optimize media blitzes.
• RELEASE secret achievements when you have enough hype to match their reward. You may delegate to the PM to do it at the best possible time.