Manual?

[neofit]

Hi,

I can't find no manual nor a wiki nor anything.

I am supposed to build stuff, I have very very limited resources, and no idea how to mine for more. I am supposed to have been trained for this mission, which implies manuals both in-game and out-of-game. The AI has no info on that. I don't have a dialog option to learn this through Comms.

I have found some rocks around the outpost. I thought that maybe the pickaxe could be used to get something out of them. The description on the item is not very useful to learn about what it's for. After a cursory check on the rocks I did not have the option to mine anything. I could only use it on the landing module, which is telling me that I was wrong in choosing it as a priority build.

So everything all activities from now on require some expenditure of materials, but I have no clue as to where to get them from :).

Another thing. I gained a level and was presented with a choice of perks. On the next level-up will I have the same perks that I did not choose at level 2 + something new, or a completely different set of perks? Like right now I am torn. Nihao seems like a good choice, but then, Applied Physics is not too bad either. On the one hand I don't think I'll need Chinese before the next level up and Applied Physics is something I could use right now, but on the other, if it's a one-time deal, I don't want to waste my only occasion to learn Chinese.

[Franky]

The manual is in-game. Just press F1 and select the topic you want to learn about from the dropdown menu in the top-left corner. IPMS asks you if you want to read the manual as soon as you start the game.

You can gather minerals by searching for them in areas like where you found the rocks, find them by traveling the world map with a higher exploration skill or by random chance in excavating rooms in the base module, even though that's more of a bonus. You can recycle empty batteries or things you don't need.

You can also buy minerals when contractors and other factions start to orbit Titan after a few months. Or get them from the Chinese.

You can mine minerals and other special items with the pickaxe at certain locations, it's definitely a useful item. Also, building one is worth it for the stuff in the lander alone. Recycling the empty battery you find in there will get you most of the resources for it back anyway.

You can always choose a perk later, you get one every other level. There might be a better perk available by that time, though. Some perks are gated by minimum skill levels. Both NiHao and Applied Physics are very useful. Just pick one, they're not mutually exclusive.

[neofit]

Originally posted by Franky:

The manual is in-game. Just press F1 and select the topic you want to learn about from the dropdown menu in the top-left corner. IPMS asks you if you want to read the manual as soon as you start the game.

F1 and the IPMS show the same manual page. It says "you can gather materials by exploring". Good, I've explored, here are some rocks, I did a Cursory Search, what's next then? I don't get a green cursor anywhere, I can't use or equip the pickaxe from my inventory. I've tried using the robot LTAM just in case. I still have no idea on how to pick up and lift one of these rocks. I only have the looking glass icon to search more thoroughly but with 1 in exploration I can't do any more of it. If mining these rocks is done by a left side icon, I don't have it.

If I read the email about my first shipment being due on Sept. 15th before going out, I have the icon to hack into Karen's email, even when outside, and even with 0 in hacking. But no other icon.

[neofit]

Oh, I've noticed that one rock got into my inventory without me noticing it :). Is it how it works then? There is a whole bunch of rocks littered around, you do one search with Exploration 1, and only get 1 mineral out of the pile? Weird, it is going to take a LOT of piles then :).

[neofit]

Also, what is the scanner used for? Its description does scroll. I take it with me to rock piles to get more out of each? I can see rock piles from farther away?

[neofit]

This one is more of a suggestion. In the build interface, we have to be told about each room we are going to build what exactly we are building. What will be the output and the consumption. I don't know how it plays late in the game, but in the beginning we have very limited resources. So before I commit anything to an inside or an outside hydroponics bay for instance, I need to know what the input and output of each of these will be. Or a computer room, or any other room. Thank god the interface is huge with huge letters and icons, so there is more than enough to add a whole wikipedia article for each item.

[neofit]

We do need a real manual or a wiki. Stabbing in the dark with minimum information is boring.

"Your Logistics level does not allow you to set up more than 3 waypoints".
OK, in the next level up I assign a precious skill point to Logistics.
"Your Logistics level does not allow you to set up more than 3 waypoints".
FFS, how about you tell me how many points per waypoint? I could have used this point elsewhere for more immediate benefits.

Or

"Please choose between these two candidates..."
#1 has 2 Science 1 Exploration for instance. I have 3 and 2 respectively. So? I am supposed to choose based on what? First reaction: why do I need this extra mouth to feed plus all the drama for someone who is worse than me in all areas? Does the game pool our skills together so everything will be done with 3+2 and 1+2 respectively? Does it only add to the pool the points that the newcomers will have above mine? Will he be just useful at working at 2 and 1 skills when alone in the base when I am out exploring? How am I supposed to know? Moreover, when I click on reply, the only options are: choose #1, choose #2, and "cancel everything right now and forget I ever asked". So no way to postpone the decision to look things up.

[Franky]

Resources are explained in the Construction Station Instructions. These are accessible by pressing F1 and selecting Construction Station from the drop-down menu in the top left, or by hitting the question mark button in the top right of the construction station itself if you have help enabled in the video settings. Would a dedicated 'gathering resources' page on the manual help? The manual is already pretty thorough, but there's always room for improvement.

Most decisions aren't binary, although some choices are obviously better than others given a certain set of circumstances and your character build. Some people have described what you call 'stabbing in the dark' as an element of mystery that they really enjoyed in the game. The game is too non-linear for a single walkthrough, by the way.

That said, I agree that having a wiki would be great. A complete list of items, quests, solutions etc.

I have been keeping tabs on things that players have found confusing -a lot of which is now made more clear in the game itself- and I'll probably aggregate those at some point. One player has also started to make a guide on the Steam community hub for the game, but there's not much in there yet. I'll see if I can help with that. If I have time, I'll set up a wiki so we can channel those efforts into cohesive documentation.


As for your questions:

• Yes, most searches will yield more than the single mineral you find right outside, but that's how it works. You find some minerals (or other items) and they're added to your inventory. You can process those at the base, after which they're added to your resource pile. You can find more searchable areas as you explore new locations and walk around. Again, you can also recycle/process stuff like empty batteries, import/buy resources, have your companions look for them (this will yield x amount of minerals per day) etc.
  
  
• Those rocks next to the elevator platform are just mundane water ice rocks. Don't worry, there are plenty of places where the pickaxe will be useful. There's some heavier materials scattered in there, which is what you find when you do a cursory search. Other nearby searchable areas can be found at the Cryovolcano, at a tholin mound behind the space elevator and near some rocks you'll see if you walk past the rover from the Outpost entrance. There's also one next to the liquid methane puddle at Feia Lacus, and plenty at Polelya Macula. You will soon get exploratory missions that usually yield quite a few useful resources.
  
  
• The scanner does what it says on the label and the item description. It raises your awareness for the purpose of searching, which means you'll search faster. More difficult searches can take a lot of time and your battery is finite, after all. It also has some situational uses, but it's most useful for players with higher exploration skill.
  
  
• The hack button for hacking an email will disappear when you click on 'OK" for the email. I'll change it so it will also disappear when you exit the comms panel directly.
  
  
• Construction descriptions are clear enough for the player to get the general idea. What were you confused about? It's pretty obvious that building a Dormitory when you have two beds available and you're alone is not a good investment early on, for example. All the others available at the start have immediate benefits.
  
  
• You get one extra waypoint per point in logistics, which you assumed correctly, but I think you ran into a rare bug I just fixed. If you level up while the logistical map is open, the maximum waypoint value won't refresh automatically until you exit and enter the command center. I've now made it so it refreshes when you click on 'add waypoints'.
  
  
• Companion skills stack with yours if you're both working on a subsystem. You can also have one working on research while you work on construction, or while you're out exploring. Plus, they have bonus benefits, shown underneath their skillset. It is an extra mouth to feed, but usually it's worth it. If you cancel that selection, you will be able to reconsider later when the Shani arrives in orbit. If your negotiation skill is high enough you'll even be able to get both

[neofit]

Hi,

Resources:
By "Resources" I did not mean Polymers, these are pretty straightforward and well explained. I was talking about mining minerals, and that part in not explained. I was a bit surprised to get some by just walking around the base, and searching a pile of rocks. Then others that looked like piles did not show icons.

So far I've mostly been buying all the minerals I could. My exploration capabilities in a suit are very limited, and I cannot jump into a rover, drive like 1 km away, then go out and look for more rocks. I am not sure if I need to research and build some mining tools or a machine in order to really mine stuff.


Construction Descriptions:

The descriptions describe what the room does and how much resources its construction costs. But I'd need to know how much of what it will produce and what it will consume.

Here is my train of thought upon receiving the email with the work offer. I have expanded my reactor output to be able to simultaneously feed all the starting equipment plus a hydroponic bay and one polymer cracker. I have reduced my level of stress and micromanagement.

Now I am offered a be sent a guy with 2 Science and 1 Exploration = 3 skill points, or one with 1 Construction + 2 Logistics. To my 10 skill points, including 3 Science, 2 Construction and 3 Exploration. And I have to somehow make plans.

One the one hand, an extra person means adding at least an extra food source. I have figured out by trial how much a hydroponic bay produces and how much power it needs. But I have no idea how much the outside Greenhouse produces and consumes, or even if it produced any food at all. And I'd probably need a recreation room and/or a dormitory (how many people each). And I've go to weigh this against the good an extra person or two will provide to compensate.

I see no hard figures related to skill levels either. What will our combined (3+2) in science provide? Will the Research Station open new recipes that were unavailable at skill level 3? A million flat-earthers put together in a room will not make an Einstein, so I guess not, but it doesn't hurt to ask :). Will the non-assisted speed of research work at 5 speed, or just at my own 3 speed + what the newbie will provide if assigned to Research?
Will unassisted Construction go faster with our combined (2+1) skill, or only when we are assigned to Construction? And by how much? If it's like +5% I'll pass.
Will (3+2) in Logistics give me 2 extra waypoints? How about the unassisted amounts?
Exploration: will we be able to get out together to explore the rock formations? Will we do one common search at (3+1)=4, or will we be doing one search at 3 then another at one? And how much extra do we get if we search rocks with 5+ in exploratin, or is it capped at 5.

Also, I think that now that I've though a bit about it, I think that I may have misunderstood the speeds of unassisted construction, research, etc. I was under the impression that by raising my Research skill for instance, I would also increase the unassisted research speed. But what I think makes more sense is to have one basic research speed regardless of the character's skill, and then increase it when someone is assigned to research, based on the skill.

So here here we go.

And concerning the email where we are offered some companions, please consider adding a "Postpone decision" button.

Anyway, good job patching, and on Christmas to boot!

[Franky]

I see your point. The manual is provided to help new players get their bearings so they can learn by trial and error without needlessly dying.

It's not a comprehensive guide to aid playthrough optimisation. I think you're right that mineral gathering and food production could use more concrete descriptions. I'm not sure if exposing all these numbers in the game will be fun for everyone, but of course it'd be cool to create such a guide, and seeing your train of thought helps.

For now, I'll answer your questions here.

A hydroponics bay will yield 1 nominal amount of rations per day. Food production is calculated per second so it can be fractional. If a character consumes '1.5' food, that means you'll need two hydroponics bays to feed that character (and generate a surplus, which is also useful). So Deepak has a higher upkeep than Jade, but he will automatically gather a certain amount of minerals per week, more if you task him to explore. On the other hand, Jade basically generates money, so it's not an easy choice.

Construction and research speed for unmanned stations is based on the player character's skill level. If you man it, your skill level factor is increased. The same goes for companions manning it. If a companion is not manning a station, it will have no influence on that station. System efficiency will increase by 10% per companion skill point, but Jade has a hidden bonus so she gets a 20% boost to construction despite having only 1 point. There are two late-game companions that effectively double your output.

So yes, raising your character's skill will increase unassisted speed (though not to the same degree as manned), but companion's skills only work when they man something.

Content gating is solely based on your character's skills and not the companions'. There are two plot-related exceptions, but companions generally don't level up.

You won't go out together, they will go out on their own and gather x amount of resources per day if you send them out. It'll never be as much as your character hitting the jackpot with a high exploration skill and finding 20 minerals somewhere, but it's steady income, so in a way it's more valuable.

Companions (and other characters) can sometimes follow you around, but that is situational.

As for the world map, gathering rate is based on chance while driving around. The higher your exploration skill, the higher the odds that you'll encounter something useful along the way. You don't need to leave the rover for that. Unless you get a rare random encounter, of course.

A character with low morale will halve their output, and having too few beds will instantly slash their morale. Having a living room will increase morale across the board.

A dormitory will house 3 people. You can see three beds in the construction image. You can also see this when you walk around in it when it's finished. I know most games carelessly abstract this kind of thing and as an experienced gamer you've been trained not to rely on the graphical depiction, but when you see three beds, it houses three people.

The two beds you see in the command center also count, so you don't need to build a dormitory for your first companion.

The greenhouse's main purpose is further biological research, but it also acts as 1 hydroponics bay in terms of food.

I'll add a postpone decision button to the Ekta reply in the next update.

Thanks. I did manage to squeeze in a family dinner as well ;)

[neofit]

Thanks for the long explanations. You know like every game gets a thread within the first week titled "Things I wish I knew when starting up"? That's the information we need when starting the game.

Exposing numbers and game internals is important, I don't know how other people are playing in complete darkness. We are supposed to be trained at least technicians. I am pretty sure the *nauts in the current ISS know exactly what every switch does, how much and for how long, and in case of doubt they have comms with earth for an instant lookup. They don't just throw random sh*t against the wall and see what sticks (hint: without velcro, nothing :) ).

Which brings me to: we still need the production and consumption values for every construction once built. Now I am about to upset my power balance with the newcomer, what do I build, a normal hydroponics bay or an outside greenhouse? Even if they produce the same amount of food, and the greenhouse helps with research (none of which being obvious from its current description), but what if the latter needs 1 or 2 kW of power? It may take a long time filling that hole in my power budget, I'd take a different strategy depending on the what they would consume.

Deepak actually consumes more? Now that is a facepalm moment. With the minus sign in front of the 1.5 I presumed that it meant that he consumed less. My brain processed it as "50% less food consumed". Now after one very lengthy second of thinking, it becomes obvious that if he consumed a whole 1.5 less every day, that would mean that he actually produced food. But after another second of thinking, I am not sure how to calculate the end value. Does -1.5 mean he consumes exactly 1.5 food/day, or that he consumes 50% more, i.e. 1.5 food per day, or is it an absolute value and he is a complete glutton with a 2.5/day consumption? IMHO, a more unappealable description would be "Needs 1.5 food/day".

BTW I did examine the Dormitory picture looking for beds, but the 3 oversized ovens didn't strike me as some of those for some reason. Inside a ground structure I was expecting to see actual beds with white sheets :).

[Franky]

It's not comparable to ISS. It's a mission dictated by panic and desperation, everything is a last-ditch effort and the base is barely operational when you start. Also, communication with earth has a few hours delay.

The green and red 'item modifier' descriptions are concrete numbers. Adding those to the construction descriptions might be a good idea. Although I'm more in favor of a comprehensive guide right now.

'needs x food' is a good alternative.

The beds are the same beds you can see in the command center. They do have -orange!- sheets if you angle the camera. They're 70's sci-fi beds, but I like your 'oven' description!

[TheAlexander]

I put up a little starting guide. It's not much, but maybe I'll expand it later. I second the motion for a wiki. That would be nice to have.

[Franky]

Thank you, I'm sure that'll be of some use to people. I'll put up more documentation soon. neofit, you'll also be happy to know I've cleared up a few in-game ambiguities.

[neofit]

Originally posted by Franky:

neofit, you'll also be happy to know I've cleared up a few in-game ambiguities.

Cool, ambiguities like "how much is this thingy going to produce and what will it consume once buit"? ;)

[Franky]

For the companions, certainly. For the base modules: How much it's going to produce, yes. How much power it will draw, no. I want to do that with a power icon in the resource box which will require some UI realignment. Changes like those require a bit more time to get right and test properly so it's on the list for the next update.

Edit: It's now in.