Beginner's Guide
First steps: travel modes, docking, crew, trading, mining and missions.
1.Basic Controls and Modes
- F5 is quicksave; also save manually in different slots.
- Press H for in-game tutorials — seriously, do them.
- Shift+1 travel mode (fast flight), Shift+2 scan mode (secrets/lockboxes), Shift+3 long-range scan (stations and other big objects; hold R for 2s).
- Backspace is a full stop — it brakes far faster than switching off travel mode, and is a must in the spacesuit.
- Interplanetary superhighways (blue ribbons on the map): approach, lower with S, lock on and race at very high speed; X speeds up, Z slows down.
2.Docking
Follow the green lines to the docking zone, then line up with your pad. Look for the hologram: roll with Q/E, hold mouse1 and turn to face with the ship's nose, use Z/X (or mouse wheel) to throttle forward/back onto the pad center, then press S to descend and land. A Docking Computer helps; the MK II does it entirely by itself.
3.Crew: Hire and Fire
One of the first things to do is hire a captain — even if kidnapped, you can command your ships from the map. Talk to any NPC walking a station and hire them; right-click the ship to assign them to, confirm the selection, then pick role → captain on the right. To fire crew, go to the ship's details, right-click → comms. Find better crews by docking on capital ships.
4.Trading and Mining
- Stations don't buy/sell unlimited amounts; they offer a set amount at a set price. Hover the color-coded text on the trade screen to see % above/below average price.
- For autotrade, right-click the ship → autotrade. Cargo must be empty — autotraders won't sell what's already in the hold.
- Mining can be profitable. You need a ship with a mining laser. Click an asteroid to see its yield (a range scan may be needed first).
5.Missions and Licenses
- Get missions from the map screen, not by talking to people. Mission icons appear on radar as you fly past stations; open the mission interface with Shift+M.
- Signals revealed with scan mode (Shift+2) offer hidden, better-paying missions.
- For licenses, reach at least level-10 standing with a faction (do missions, destroy smuggling drones, trade). At level 10 an invitation mission can promote you and unlock some licenses.
6.Player-HQ and Spacesuit
- For your Player-HQ, start the scanning tutorial, find the signal and follow the Boron's instructions. Put the antimatter on the correct ship (it will be destroyed), have your main ship follow you, fly the antimatter ship to the coordinates, get out and into your main ship.
- The spacesuit is very useful: exit into space via your ship's teleporter console (doesn't work at stations). Its repair laser makes repairs — buy a hand laser and reassign the repair laser to a fire group. To capture a ship (pilot has fled), get out, scan the ship and decipher its signal, then enter with Shift+D.