Personal details
- Vitals monitoring
- External atmosphere
- Vehicle status
- Tracked mission status
- Suit status
This guide is a work in progress, as such not all sections are yet written. It will be kept up to date to match any changes with future patches.
This guide is written with the intention of answering all the questions new players will have, in the likely order that they will be asked.
Ideally, new players will be able to follow it as they progress through their journey in-game, akin to a virtual guide.
Links to external guides will also be included below, as well as a link to CIG’s official ‘Guide’ program, which matches a personal guide with new players.
Through all these resources, players will be equipped with the knowledge to act confidently and independently in any role they choose in-game.
Content outline
Select an option to jump to its respective section.
- Basics
Basics
Main menu
The main menu provides access to the Persistent Universe, Star Marine and Arena Commander.
On the right hand side is the Spectrum friend interface, which shows all friends (online and offline) and allows you to add new friends. Below this is the notifications panel, which displays a log of all received notifications, even those received in-game. Invitations can be accepted or declined within this interface.
On the bottom left hand corner you can access [options] and quit the game.
Joining a server in the Persistent Universe
To join the Persistent Universe, select the 'Universe' tab on the top left hand corner. The first time you do this, you will be taken to the character customisation interface.
Once you have created your character, you will be returned to the Universe section. In here you can select your starting location from one of the four major planets, or Port Olisar.
This location is where you will first spawn in the game, however whenever you travel to a new location that has spawning capability, your spawn location will change.
From this point onwards, when you select the 'Universe' section from the main menu, you will only have one join option listed under 'Space Ports', which is Stanton. When you select this option you will be placed in the last spawnable location you visited in-game, or in the last ship bed you logged out in.
Getting started in-game
Basic on-foot controls
First up, we will run through some basic controls below, which will allow you to navigate around the locations in the game on-foot.
Star Citizen uses a tactile interface that requires the player to 'mouse-over' UI elements which appear as holograms in-game, these UI elements are used to interact with objects in the world.
For example, if you want to interact with a button in-game, you hold the interact key (default F), move the circular icon that appears on screen over the button, then press Mouse 1 to confirm the interaction.
Default bindings
| Control | Binding |
|---|---|
| Walk forward | W |
| Walk left | A |
| Walk right | D |
| Walk back | S |
| Jump | Space |
| Crouch | Ctrl |
| Sprint | Left Shift |
| Open interaction interface | F (hold), Mouse 1 to select an item |
| Increase/decrease movement speed | Mouse wheel scroll up/down |
| mobiGlas | F1 |
| Use text chat | Enter |
Using mobiGlas
The mobiGlas system is a holographic wrist interface given to all players, and is a key tool for interacting with the game world.
In it, you can do the following:
Commlink
- Manage all social functions, including text chat, voice chat, adding contacts, contacting landing services and accepting or declining invitations.
Vehicle Loadout Manager
- Manage vehicle and ship loadouts, including weapons, jump drives, coolers and power plants.
Equipment Manager
- Manage personal equipment, including clothing, armor, weapons and utility items
Skyline
- View the in-game map system, which allows you to plot routes to locations, as well as view all planets, space stations and even surface landmarks.
MO.Trader
- Trade in-game currency with other players
Contracts Manager
- Accept missions
Vehicle Maintenance Services
- Request repair, rearm and refueling for your vehicle
Journal
- Read journal entries that provide details about the world as you explore it
mobiGlas keybindings
| Control | Binding |
|---|---|
| Open mobiGlas home screen | F1 |
| Open starmap | F2 |
| Open contacts | F11 |
| Show/hide chat | F12 |
Spawning your ship
Reaching your departure location
Now you have spawned in to the Persistent Universe, you'll likely be wanting to spawn your ship, regardless of which location you spawn at, you will need to access a fleet management terminal.
If you spawned on one of the major planets, it will be located in the starport. If you spawned in a space station, it will be located in some central location.
An example of a fleet management terminal.
Navigating to the fleet management terminal at each location can be tricky the first time, as such there are a number of short videos below which provide a walkthrough for each major location, as well as space stations.
---Add videos below for each location---
Spawning your ship via the fleet management terminal
The fleet management terminal interface lists all ships you have available, including details on cargo space and role, as well as their current status and location. On the far right side of each ship's row will be the current available action, as this is the first time we have spawned a ship, the 'Retrieve' option will be available. Selecting this will spawn the ship and provide a hangar/pad number which we can follow to reach it.
An example of a ship shown in the fleet management terminal
Once we have the pad/hangar number for our spawned ship, we can access it via the pad/hangar elevators. These will be located in the same area as the fleet management terminal.
Once in the elevator, interact with the elevator button and select the hangar/pad number that was given by the fleet management terminal. Once you arrive at your ship's hangar pad, it is time to take off.
--- Link to page listing videos which show how to enter each ship in the above note. (Also need to film these videos and create page) ---
--- Need to create fleet management terminal page with details on UI and mechanics ---
Basic ship controls
Now we are ready to take off in our ship of choice, we need to understand some basic controls for flight. Below are some of the important keybindings to memorise which will allow you to navigate your ship around the locations in-game.
Default bindings
| Control | Binding |
|---|---|
| Flight ready toggle (turns on power and other systems necessary for flight) | R |
| Strafe forward | W |
| Strafe backward | S |
| Strafe left | A |
| Strafe right | D |
| Strafe upwards | Space |
| Strafe downwards | Ctrl |
| Roll left | Q |
| Roll right | E |
| Raise/lower speed limiter | Mouse scroll up/down |
| Toggle VTOL mode | K |
| Raise/lower landing gear (toggle) | N |
| Activate/deactivate cruise control (toggle) | C |
| Spool quantum drive (activates QD interface) | B (tap) |
| Activate quantum drive (jumps ship to selected location) | B (hold) |
Taking off
Contacting ATC for takeoff
Depending on where you are taking off from, you may need to request takeoff permission to leave your hangar. If you are on a space station, and your ship has been spawned on an open pad, you do not need to request takeoff permission.
If you are in a location where your ship has been spawned within a hangar, follow the instructions below:
Using your mobiglass, press F11 for commlink, then on the top left hand corner select 'Friends'. Within the friends list will be an ATC contact, e.g. 'NB Intl. ATC', on the bottom right of the ATC contact card will be a button to hail, select this button to request landing/takeoff.
The ATC NPC will speak to you saying 'You are clear for takeoff', or 'Please land on assigned landing pad' (these lines will change based on location). Once ATC has been contacted, the hangar doors will open and you will be clear to take off.
If you are at a space station, you will be free to navigate as soon as you exit the hangar. If you are taking off from a spaceport on a planet, follow the instructions below:
All spaceports on planets have a protected no-fly-zone surrounding the take off/landing hangars. The only way to enter or exit this zone is through a route that will be marked for you, called a spline.
This will appear on your screen as a series of concentric holographic rectangles creating a pathway outwards from the landing area you have taken off from. Once you have left your hangar, look around for this exit spline and navigate through it.
Once through the no-fly-zone spline you will be clear to navigate freely (except within the no-fly-zone itself).
All items from here on are yet to be put in proper order
Gameplay loops and missions
In the Star Citizen Alpha Persistent Universe, there are a number of activities available to players, including combat and non-combat, lawful and unlawful. The following section will cover each of these in detail.
Ship combat
Combat missions
Bounty hunting
General PVP
Trade
Functionality
Example routes per-ship size
Mining
Deliveries
Delivery basics
Route management & mission chaining
Mission running
Official missions
These are legal contracts offered by the UEE and the local company jurisdictions. As such, actions necessary to complete the mission, i.e. destroying ships, are sanctioned and will not give the player a crimestat rating.
These missions are listed under the 'General' tab in your mobiGlas Contract Manager, and are widely available.
Delivery
Search
Investigation
Mercenary - Evict illegal occupants (fps) - Execution warrants - Retrieve stolen property - Claimjumpers - Halt illegal surveillance - A call to arms - Eliminating threats from space
Maintenance
Bounty hunter - Protem - NPC bounties - Player bounties
ECN alerts
Unofficial missions
These are missions which are sent to your account specifically, and are not from the UEE or local company jurisdictions. Typically these missions involve illegal activities, and may lead to the player incurring a crimestat rating.
These missions are listed under the 'Personal' tab in the mobiGlas Contract Manager.
Maintenance
Mercenary - Execution warrant - Mining claim - Disabling spy monitors - Force for good (fps)
FPS combat
FPS combat basics
FPS combat missions
Game settings and controls
---Outline the settings and controls listed in the ESC/main menu UI---
Social
Joining a friend's server
Once you have friends added to your contact list, an option to join their server will become available when you select 'Stanton System' under 'Space Ports' in the 'Universe' menu.
To join on friends, select 'Join Friends' on the bottom right of the window that appears. However you can only join on friends if their server is not full.
Joining a server with a party
Once a party has been created with one or more people (friends or otherwise), the party leader can execute a party launch by joining a server.
Any party members that are on the main menu at the time of the party launch will be automatically put into the same server as the party leader.
Any members of the party that are in other servers at the time of the party launch will get an invitation to join the party launch. Warning: Accepting this invite will imediately log you out of your current server, and into the same server as the party leader.
As such, the best method of doing a party launch is to have all party members on the main menu at the time of the launch.
Adding friends
Managing parties
Managing groups
Managing text chat channels
Managing voice chat channels
Game mechanics
mobiglas
- Chat channels (and members)
- Friends list
- Pending invitations
- Manager:
- Connect to audio for channel
- Send text to visor
- Channel text color
- VOIP send and receive volume
- Vehicle components editor
- Misc. (missiles)
- Propulsion
- Systems
- Coolers
- Power plants
- Shield generators
- Weapons
- Primary & secondary weapons
- Missile racks
- Personal (player) equipment manager
- Clothing
- Undersuit
- Weapons
- Armor
- Utility
- Grenades
- Medical consumables
- Oxygen consumables
- Utility items
- Technology
- Mobiglass
- Map
- Routing
- Player > player aUEC transactions
- Available missions
- General
- Delivery
- Search
- Service Beacons
- Investigation
- Bounty Hunter
- Mercenary
- ECN
- Maintenance
- Personal
- Delivery
- Maintenace
- Security
- Appointments
- General
- Accepted missions
- Mission history
- Player beacons
- Allows editing of ship components
- Repair
- Restock
- Refuel Hydrogen
- Refuel Quantum
- Jurisdiction messages
- Personal communications
--- Expand on dot points on all the different sections, as well as important keybindings for use ---
Fleet management terminal
Details on its interface and functions
---Include below information when creating the fleet management terminal page---
Retrieve - Spawns the ship from storage onto a pad/hangar, then provides the number of the pad/hangar it has been spawned on so that it can be accessed.
Store - After a ship is landed on a pad/hangar, this can be used to store it inside the station or starport. Items such as purchased cargo or mined resources, as well as any physical items within the ship such as boxes, will all be stored with the ship. These items will be available the next time you retrieve the ship, unless the ship is claimed.
Claim - This issues an insurance claim on the ship, removing it from wherever it is in the game world and putting it on a timer which locks out spawning until completed. A ship cannot be retrieved whilst the claim timer is in progress, however the claim timer can be expedited for an aUEC cost. Any items within the ship, including purchased cargo, mined resources or physical objects such as boxes will be lost forever.
Pay fine - When a parking violation has been committed in a ship, a fine must be paid before the ship can be retrieved again.
Persistence
Player and world items
Spawning and respawning
ATC and landing zones
No fly zones and splines
ATC functions
Flight mechanics
Physics
Functionality
Quantum travel