That's how I've taken it too. Like the setting and the general feel of things despite it being infested with chinese players in the early morning or late night. I picked up Bounty Hunting since it seemed like a decent enough starting role. What would you say is the next best? I was thinking Trader initially as I enjoy hunting, gathering, and fishing since I tend to take it as a chill thing rather than a focused hunt.
I've just heard Collector is a good way to make money and gold if you read up on how it works. Neither's unlockable perks push the decision one way or the other for me. I just know that paying a high price for working for that Naturalist shrew doesn't appeal and the Moonshiner stuff seems built for someone who actually has a social web in game. Which I do not.
Yeah, Bounty Hunting is a simple, decent starting point, avoid the bounties with more than three suspects if you're playing solo though (Two is manageable enough if you put one dude on your horse and drag the other one via lasso, three susses are tough, but manageable if you're fast enough, use some bolas to trap the third guy for a while, bring the first two in, and then go back for the third before he runs away)
Second best option could go either way between Trader and Collector as far as making easy money goes, they both overlap if you're the type to wander around the map a lot, since you can hunt around and look for treasure at the same time.
I'd suggest going for Trader if you want to get money faster, you will have to put some work in, but the cash comes in as long as you're working it.
Some tips for Trader:
-Your cart is your biggest priority, upgrade that shit as soon as you can, it'll let you get more money
-As soon as you can afford to, it's better to buy the goods it asks of you for a sale rather than getting them through missions, as there's a good chance you'll get a mission asking you to hunt for a specific animal before the timer runs out. This mission is so common and such a time waster, that you'll get sick of it quick even if you enjoy hunting.
-When planning to do a long distance sale, set your camp up in an area with low player count, i usually go for Grizzlies. The road might be harder to drive around in, but it's generally safer. Short distance sales hide you from other players, but you earn less money.
-Always have explosive ammo with you, works wonders against griefers. If you dont care about your honor level then dont be afraid to shoot at their horses. Exp. Ammo is given out every now and then during events, but you can also buy the crafting pamphlet from a fence and craft it yourself.
-This one's for PS4 since it's what i play it on, but if you're certain your cart is not gonna survive an attack or an accident, immediately close application and start over, that way you wont lose your merchandise.
On the other hand, if you don't mind taking it slow, Collector is more of a passive job. It's also one of the best ways to get gold in the game. Just find a treasure map, search for the location, dig up! Keep in mind you will need a metal detector for some of these though.
Only tip for this one is to try and sell your collectibles after you've found the complete collections, the money is much better that way. Of course, nothing wrong with selling them individually if youre short on cash.
Some players created this handy real time map for RDRO, helps a lot for treasure hunting, but... Honestly, i like looking for stuff myself better. I'll link the map later, but it's not hard to find.
Moonshiner would be the fourth best option, and contrary to what you've heard, most of the shiner content is perfectly soloable, from story missions to the sales, as the distances you travel are much shorter. Sure, it's easier with friends, but you don't really struggle or miss anything if you go solo. Pretty kino to have a bar your friends can visit, drink and dance in tho.
Naturalist... Yeah, this one's the last you should be getting. A lot of investment, not much in return. I like it enough, but it's not something you'll get rich out of. You can use it to get easy legendary animals though, and if you're that type of person, after a certain level you can learn how to cure wounded animals too.
Yeah, this one's more of a roleplaying thing. It can wait.
That might be it, in short: Go for Trader if you want to make faster cash while putting work, Collector if you wanna take it easy and patient. After you get both go for Moonshiner, and lastly, and optionally, go for Naturist if you want it.