Always low on money, what am I doing wrong?

[Kethus]

When I reach level 4 or 5 missions they suddenly start requiring too much software. I always save money until I can afford the highest version of any software I need. So to have Proxy and Firewall bypassers I need 50k. But I also need a faster computer to run all this at the same time. I can't afford all this at my level and in the mission list I get either ones that I can't complete because a lack of proxy/firewall bypasser or beginner/novice missions that are too rare and I can't get the equipment in time for the main story.

[stix]

Please reimburse my 3 mill from account 1223115
Mission accepted
Hack bank
Transfer funds
Delete all logs
Write down account info of employer
Reply with confirmation
Job well done
.......
Hack the employers bank with the funds you just transferred
Send funds to your account
Edit/Delete logs
Profit

[[FU]Vuokko]

the above ^^ but this requires some skill if you're a new player. What you can also do is contact the employer and ask for all (or half) the money before accepting the job. If they say no, say 'no thanks' and try again. Eventually they all cave and give you money.

[Uxor Secundus Lillith]

If you don't want to do missions where you need things like Proxy Bypass and Voice Verfication, contact the employer before a mission and ask "What kind of security am I facing?" Always be aware that EVERYONE except InterNIC uses a monitor, but bypassing that only buys you a little time.

[subzerofrozenส้้้้้]

You can also speed up time for new missions to appear that are more your level.

[Kethus]

I've learned how to rob banks, but then the game becomes too easy and I just breezed through the story. So yeah, it's either barely enough money or more than you can spend money.

[Bravo]

One tip to make the early game easier is to download all the links from the directory server, then you have something like 100 servers to bounce off at the start of the game, giving you plenty of time for the early missions.

[Duckforceone]

play the game with low cash...

the joy dissapears once you hack the large bank account... the game just becomes easymode after that....

[Uxor Secundus Lillith]

Bank Hacking for personal reasons is a Death or Glory manuver. You either get away with it or you get disavowed. I don't recommend it.

Also, don't bother with the stock market. Unless you do a lot of waiting and time acceleration, it never pays off. I once tried having stock in OCP and when I sold my stock, it seemed like I was the only stockholder.

This is less of a "make money" tip and moee of a "spend wisely" tip. If you need a new piece of software, try and get the highest version possible. Unlike Gateways, you cannot sell back your software to make purchases of better versions easier. Introversion actually meant to do this, as if you could sell programs, you'd be able to make money simply by copying programs and selling them. Also, don't purchase the following programs:
Dictionary Hacker: Relies on passwords being real words, quickly outclassed. Stick to Password Breaker
Voice Analyser V2: V1 works just fine and you really do not need to save voice recordings
HUD_Internet Relay Chat: No one purchases this anyway. This causes players who do buy it to say that no-one's there and a vicious cycle repeats
Defrag: File Copier and File Deleter can work just like it. Also, ruins the strategy of saving mission files down the bottom so that they don't leave holes when you delete them.
HUD_MapShowTrace: Trace Tracker works better at higher versions, as it shows an exact time to failure.

[Gunboat Diplomat]

Eh, I disagree on that last point. Having the both trackers is handy, and the HUD upgrade doesn't cost anything to run (it, like all HUD upgrades, are always-on, using no resources). The tracker gives an audio cue when the trace starts so you know it's time to get your ass in gear, and the HUD upgrade lets you know how close they are to InterNIC (you did use InterNIC as your first hop, right? :p ), and thus letting you judge how much time you'll have after you close the connection to delete the logs on InterNIC.

[zhunGamerTTV (人^▽')～]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Kethus:

When I reach level 4 or 5 missions they suddenly start requiring too much software. I always save money until I can afford the highest version of any software I need. So to have Proxy and Firewall bypassers I need 50k. But I also need a faster computer to run all this at the same time. I can't afford all this at my level and in the mission list I get either ones that I can't complete because a lack of proxy/firewall bypasser or beginner/novice missions that are too rare and I can't get the equipment in time for the main story.

Try to take up all the tasks you can handle, and always try to ask the task provider for HALF OF THE MONEY.
That's pretty much it.

[Yak Armada]

Making money: Simply take as many low-level missions as possible and ALWAYS ask for more money before accepting a mission. Half up front is good if you're short on cash and can't afford the software required for the mission but I don't believe it affects the total amount you receive. Avoid LAN or database copy missions like the plague, since they take too long to pay back the initial HUD/decryption/memory investments. Also, prioritize "trace a hacker" missions so you can get to the server logs before your target goes back and wipes them.

Spending wisely: don't bother upgrading hardware until your bank balance has 6 digits in it. You don't need the fastest processor when you've got 30 proxies. My personal preference is InterNIC + all 8 banks (create an empty account in each of the other seven to bump up the trace time) + all ~20 public access servers + Uplink Test System + Uplink Internal Services. Similarly, only buy software when you're unable to complete any more missions. It might vary between playstyles, but my usual progression is:
1. SINGLE FILES: Password Breaker, Trace Tracker v4, Log Deleter v4
(low-level Decrypter if needed for copy missions)
2. RECORD TAMPERING: Decypher v3, something to get around proxies (disable v1 for a temporary fix, bypass v5 if you've got 40,000)
3. BANK/MAINFRAME HACKING: Voice Analyzer v2 (v1 if you don't mind the extra busy work), Firewall Bypass v5, Monitor Bypass
4. TARGETED ELIMINATION: IP Lookup, Log Undeleter, Log Modifier
5. LAN CRAWLING: LAN Probe v3, LAN Spoof v3, LAN Force v3 (Scan is redundant)

If the story missions are coming up too quickly: don't fast forward unless you absolutely have to. I managed to get myself to level ~5 with about $35000 of spare cash all before the first day was even over. Some employers will only pay you when your success hits the news, so just turn in all the other missions before fast forwarding to the next news cycle (about every 8 hours).

Unrelated tip: when you come across the administration screens with multiple requirements (e.g. decypher + password + voice) you don't lose progress from disconnecting/reconnecting until you've actually hit the final proceed button. If you don't want to pay for monitor bypass or upgrade your hardware just yet you can buy time by hacking one component at a time: log in, decypher, log out, clear bounce logs, in, password + voice, out, clear logs, in, proceed, do your thing, out, clear logs, done.

[zhunGamerTTV (人^▽')～]

I approve of your ways, I always add the Access Terminals too, however, as proxies.