Guide to Space Exploration

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So you want to explore space, huh? Better familarise yourself with Z-levels and everything you need to become a proper spaceman, as well as how to maximise your ruin-finding potential. Space exploration is not easy and can be frustrating, but you will get to explore areas infrequenlty visited and may get some incredibly rare items. Or you could die in seconds.

Introduction to Space

Space has three qualities that make it harmful to human life - the lack of pressure, the freezing cold, and the lack of oxygen to breathe. In order to go out into space for any significant length of time, you will need to find solutions to these three problems. The lack of pressure and cold can be solved by an EVA suit, as these protect from lack of pressure and have integrated temperature regulators for keeping warm. However, the cell of the suit will eventually run dry and need to be replaced. But really, the suit can keep you warm for long shifts. The next problem is oxygen, and this can easily be solved with a basic internals mask and a large oxygen canister that can be found almost anywhere; it will fit in your suit storage and last for a very long time. Pack a jetpack too, and preferably find a canister to get your hands on more fuel.

What will you need?

Essential :

• EVA suit - get from EVA. I beg of you, do not use a MODsuit. The cells run out stupidly fast.
• Oxygen - duh

Highly recommended :

• Jetpack - Get one from EVA.
• Tools - You can find them in the Derelict in either the singularity wreckage and the south solar array.
• Combat Gloves - You can get them in Syndicate toolboxes, such as those in the Derelict - they allow you to fire guns, remove lights, AND greytide.
• Flashlight - I mean, you could, but PDA light works perfectly.
• A GPS - You do not "space explore" without this.

Useful :

• A retro laser gun - you can frequently find this in ruins.
• Meds - even the best space explorers take damage sometimes and it is best to go around at 100% HP when possible. These can sometimes be found in ruins.
• Food - If you find a pressurised ruin with food, chow down.
• Oxygen/gas canister - to refuel your jetpack. These can sometimes be found in ruins.
• Power cells or inducer - recharge your hardsuit. These can sometimes be found in ruins.

Easy mode :

• Hand teleporters make you the God of the void, able to hop between the White Ship and the station in seconds. ALWAYS get this if you can.

What's a Z-level?

Z-levels are areas. Every time you leave one you are teleported to another. This z-level teleportation is random each round (like space ruin placement), but consistent within the round - so if you go far enough in one direction you will loop back around to where you started. CentCom has its own z-level that cannot be accessed through space exploration because there's literally a pulse carbine there. Notably, radio messages cannot transmit across z-levels and need a relay to link to the station's telecomms. Testing the radio once you cross into a new z-level (can be checked by looking at the 3rd number of your GPS location) can notify you of a ruin with an active relay in the z-level, or you can just hear someone.

Optimal Strategy

• Spawn as assistant - nobody will give a shit.
• Break into EVA using a toolbox and some metal - the shutter button is your enemy.
• Get an EVA suit, helmet, and a jetpack.
• Break into the teleporter, optimally secure the hand tele (unless the Captain already ran off with it like a scared bitch)
• Set it to 'Abandoned Teleporter' and use a handtele portal to get in so some dumbass doesn't wander through and fucking die.
• Get a GPS from the abandoned tele closet and set it to your name.
• Hop between distant signals. If you see a few asteroids surrounded by carp and some shuttles, stay the fuck away unless you know what you're doing. That's the traderoute, and it doesn't have a signal for a reason.
• Focus on locating a Syndicate toolbox, meds, a retro laser gun, and a whiteship. These are some of the best items of loot in space. Or if you are very good at mauling simplemobs to death you can go to the Trade Route and snag a pirate's energy cutlass, which is identical to an esword (but can't go rainbow), or, if you REALLY know what you're doing, you can loot the rightmost ship for a 40mm grenade launcher that can instantly win any fight. (Spare ammo is on the pirate cutter.)
• Return to station and get mauled to death by shitcurity for having combat gloves.

Tips

• If anything shoots you, either flee or dump a retro lasergun into it.
• Most simplemobs/basic mobs (blame coders) you find will be hostile, but you might occasionally find a friendly cat in an EVA suit.
• There are very few people in space. They are likely to be friendly, but if any are wearing a Syndicate hardsuit, go ham, because that's a simplemob from the Traderoute that drifted from its home.
• Ruins are often given a Distant Signal GPS. If you see one on Z-2 (station Z) you may want to investigate.
• DO NOT SPACE EXPLORE AS AN IMPORTANT ROLE OR I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU