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Something I hadn't realized until yesterday: Each pilots business skill contributes toward the squad's upkeep. Before I thought it was just the manager's skill. It is also a factor of titans, and rank of team. A while back someone commented that their team got too expensive to hold on to. I would suggest sending them all to a little bit of money management school!

Each jock uses his own business skill to modify his own (jock) upkeep (salary).

The WS Guide (that comes with the game) leads me to believe that a:

Jock's salary = 2000(Jock's rank) - 25[(Jock's Business skill) - 50]. The Jock's salary is modified by number of battles.

Correct me if I am wrong.

Base salary is 2000 * rank + 100 * battles.

This is modified by salary * (150 - business skill) / 100.

Therefore a rank 5 jock with 30 battles and a business skill of 40% will cost

13000 * (110/100) = 14300 $

Same jock with skill 80%

13000 * (70/100) = 9100 $

Hmm... Something still doesn't jive very well. I can add a point to the business skill and see a change in upkeep. If I add another point, it doesn't change. If I leave the pilot and come back to them, I can change it again. Does anyone else seem to have this problem?

Need the squad and a step by step guide to reproduce. 

On a hunch I reinstalled and things seemed to return to normal. I have two versions of the game going. One in Ubuntu and one on a flash drive for Windows computers. I just started syncing them with each other using a Linux program called Unison so that I could continue a game started on the other version. I think it overwrote some of my Ubuntu configurations when I first did it. Everything seems to respond well now. I think it came down to some sound issue because when I first clicked on it the sound would happen, then the next click the sound would not, but it would still take my DP points. I will send the file to you if you want to confirm that the upkeep value is correct now. I don't know if it totally recalculates every time, or just modifies the value listed.

The upkeep is recalculated so you should be fine. I can't see a problem on first glance. Btw. your upkeep is high and you have lots of money nevertheless. Guess you play campaigns, right ? Playing random battles my squad had financial problems most of the time. 

Yeah, you and I talked about this before. We really don't "cheat" either, by making too high of rewards. What are the victory settings on random boards made by the computer? I vaguely remember reading specifically what each victory condition means and how to calculate it. I tend to choose them to follow the story line. I think some of it was gained during the City Assault campaign, and then my a friend made another not as yet posted campaign that I was testing.

Okay, Larkin. I tested on a random battle. As you know, I had $5544836 going into it. After victory, and repair I had $5887740. I made $324904. That's enough for me to buy 100 tons of menacing fury and let it sit in my backyard until I'm ready for it. The battle was evenly matched in weight and skill. In 18 battles like that I could have the same amount of money as I do now if I started from zero.

I know cloning is expensive. That was the major downside to it. But I've really only had to clone when I've been ambushed by overwhelming odds in campaigns. In that respect a campaign is harder. Unless you set yourself up for that terrible of odds in a random battle, and then you are 'asking for it' anyway.[:-]

Then you are a better player then me and my friend. Damned and congrats ! [&o]

We use to play against a level lower then our average with 10-20% weight advantage for the enemy and definatly loose more often than you do. Of course we do not use special tactics like hiding behind a hill until the AI shows up with long range at 1 hex. [:D]

Currently we play Disciples 3 so TOS is shelved for a while.

Uh, yeah. One benefit of campaigns is on really hard missions they can reset when you lose. [:D]
I guess that is a big difference!
Though sometimes because of plot you still must make them the other way.

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have so much money without playing lots of campaigns. Once I played a squad through the campiagns and never had money problems so I was surprised the this time when struggeling. You can see it in the 1.2.2 changelog, I often tweaked income/upkeep. [:D]

ORIGINAL: Ghstbear

In 18 battles like that I could have the same amount of money as I do now if I started from zero.

This is twisted math as salvage isn't nearly as high for a starting squad. [;)]

I meant 'starting from zero' balance; as if my team were barely eking by, but with the same team.

I think the biggest part of it may in fact be never losing many missions. Since we make many hard missions as resets it keeps you in the black. I do know that when I have lost, it is severe. I am usually left with nothing, unless someone runs. That is expensive! I have to rely on all those titans 'in the backyard'! My next campaign I do plan to make almost completely non-resetting and with multiple choices for each mission depending on what your results were or how you choose to continue. It will be in succession to my last one, but could be played without the previous one. I have another team that has only played the first campaign, and only once for each mission. They are my gage as to how I am keeping the action.

Another factor is that campaign missions usually grant more rewards than random battles. Often you get extra money for success and/or a titan reward.

I've been playing against lower level AI.  This is how I have enough cash.  [:'(]
 
Question:  Is the salvage truly calculated on the amount/quality of mechs still operable (or semi-operable)?  Meaning, if I blow the heads off every mech, will my salvage be higher than if I disable every mech by blowing off a leg and torso?

Salvage is calculated exactly by what is left intact on the battlefield, modified by skills of the manager and mechanic.