Starsector Thread FAQ

http://poal.me/tu23dr
Vote for compilation/faction mods you would recommend, changed to allow mods that aren't up to date.

[0.0] Starsector Thread FAQ (WIP)
[1.0] What is Starsector? Is this Starfarer?
[2.0] How much does it cost? Is it on GOG/Steam?
[3.0] Any starting advice? How do I stop getting wrecked?
 [3.1] Starting advice for Mods
[4.0] Do I need any mods to play?
 [4.1] Brief Description of various Mods | http://pastebin.com/MER1LQki

Thanks to the anons who have helped get the pastebin this far. If you have something you want improved post it in the thread if there is one.


[1.0] What is Starsector? Is this Starfarer?
http://fractalsoftworks.com/

Starsector (formerly Starfarer) is a 2D sandbox RPG in space that is currently in development. Everything takes place in a sector cut off from the rest of the galaxy long after The Collapse. You come in as a captain of your very own ship, free to exploit the worlds and systems around you for fame or fortune. There is currently a heavy focus on combat, with basic economy and trading features to keep you company until the upcoming Industry update.

[2.0] How much does it cost? Is it on GOG/Steam?
Right now the game is $15 USD, you can pre-order it through the website using BMT Micro. Right now there is no release date set, and no official plans on putting the game on Steam or anywhere else. If you want to pirate it before committing a purchase there's a 0.7.1 mega and key, and below that, a crack you can use on the latest version. If you like the game and find it worth the money, buy it and support the developer.

Starsector0.7.1a-RC5
R2STF-YAAAA-LJA0J-AZR3R

Version 0.7.1
https://mega.nz/#!2FsQTBSZ!XXeucjemdqJ_cQUE3poZP1svJkHBIakkP2eUjQXq8SQ

Crack (and mirrors)
https://mega.nz/#F!GopDkDYC!ufH8JP9Cyvl59Yo7D-BjCw
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=36252129925617876303
https://www.4shared.com/archive/FmONLyGSba/com.html


[3.0] Any starting advice? How do I stop getting wrecked?
Campaign
/General tips
* Do the Tutorial if you haven't already.
* Make sure help popups are enabled when you start a new campaign.
* Turning off your Transponder makes you harder to detect by other fleets, so its easier to stay anonymous but some Patrols don't like that.
* Choose Easy in your campaign, until you have a better handle at combat.

/Fleet
* Note the Burn level of your fleet. This will get lower with the bigger ships you have, making you easier to chase for other fleets.
* Augmented Engines (Mechanical Engineering [7]) and Ox-class tugs help raise burn of your slowest ship, but makes your fleet more visible and consumes more fuel in hyperspace respectively.
* Level Leadership aptitude and Fleet Logistics when your fleet gets bigger to lower its supply consumption.
* Increase Field Repairs to 5, Reconstruction will greatly increase the chance of bringing disabled ships back after battle. Does not apply if you disengage.

/Trading
* Black market trading is best when your Transponder is off, lowering suspicion and letting you trade illegal commodities. So keep your Transponder off far away from markets like you would to avoid Patrols.
* Trading in a system that has two or more factions that are hostile with each other will result in reputation loss with non-recipients. Large transactions may result in hostility with the faction(s) you didn't trade with.
* Take a commission from a faction if you want to be paid and gain further reputation for fighting its enemies, and to gain access to military-grade equipment in their markets.
* Look out for market stability. Unstable markets will make prices very low or high to make for profitable trading without the need of a procurement. Excessive black market trading and interrupted mercantile fleets will reduce stability.


Combat
/General tips
* Practice using your ship and fighting others in the risk-free simulator. Press R to Refit, then N to Run Simulation.
* Deploy only what you need to win a battle without taking hull damage. Deploying too much or taking hull damage will cost more supplies than necessary, possibly more than what you can salvage.
* Bigger ships are more susceptible to being surrounded and flanked. Take advantage by getting more frigates and/or fighters to swarm and surround them.

/Ships
* Low-tech ships like Pirates and Hegemony fleets generally have weaker shield and flux stats, but higher hull and armor values. These can take plenty of ballistic weapons.
* High-tech like Phase or Tri-tachyon fleets favor energy weapons and have stronger flux and shield stats, but are much more fragile underneath.
* Mid-tech ships like what the Sindrian Diktat or Independent use are a balance between both, sharing a mix of both ballsitic and energy weapons.
* Phase ships excel at flanking and using strike weapons against their enemies, and equip unique ship systems like an EMP Emitter to increasing the damage their target takes.
* The Afflictor phase frigate can force a ship to overload for a short time disabling its weapons and shields. This forces even a Paragon and its Fortress Shield down.
* Phase ships are vulnerable for a couple seconds after uncloaking, use high velocity or beam weapons to make short work of them. Missiles will force these ships to cloak and/or stay on the defensive.
* Ships with Fast Missile Racks like the Vigilance, can excel at quickly putting out a swarm of missiles. Combined with reloadable or unlimited ammo missiles for high bursts of support fire.
* Bomber wings like the Dagger and Trident carry torpedoes, reloading at carriers after deploying their payload. Despite their size and fragile hull, they are dangerous to destroyers and even capital ships.

/Weapons
* High Explosive deals 200% damage to armor, 50% to shields. Kinetic 200% to shields but 50% to armor. Energy deals 100% to armor and shields. Fragmentation deals 25% to both armor and shields.
* Torpedoes like the Reaper and Atropos cause massive damage and allow you to more easily disable ships larger than yours.
* Point Defense weapons with charges like Burst PD Laser are excellent at destroying missiles but can be overwhelmed by missile spam or waste charges on fighter wings.
* Flak weapons are limited in range but are very powerful at disabling groups of missiles and lightly armored fighter wings, but are usually exclusive to ballistic and hybrid weapon slots.
* The Machine Gun family of PD weapons are flux efficient kinetic weapons but struggle with range. Ships struggle to keep their shields up when within range of these weapons.
* Using Expanded Magazines will greatly help maintain high DPS of burst weapons with charges like the Autopulse Laser, Thermal Pulse Cannon and Guardian PD.

/Hull Mods
* If/When you do get a Destroyer or Cruiser, make sure you have enough frigates or a carrier and some fighter wings to support it.
* Carriers are ships with a flight deck. Flight decks let you replace destroyed fighters and re-arm bombers in combat, they also keep you from losing fighter wings permanently.
* Put on Unstable Injectors or Augmented Engines to go faster if you struggle to chase or retreat from enemy ships, using Safety Overrides stacks with this at the cost of active flux venting and peak operating time.

/AI and Officers
* Avoid attaching Aggressive officers on ships you don't want to get destroyed. Placing them in durable ships or larger ships like cruisers or battleships lets them do their job as close-ranged brawlers and shrug off damage.
* Cautious officers will engage if they have better range than their enemy, and Timid officers tend to avoid direct combat. Timid officers will survive well in carriers and more fragile missile boats.
* Combat Aptitude will lower the CR deployment cost and increase CR in ships, a skill both you and your officers can have to bring more ships into battle if the need arises.
* Under AI control, some ships may take undesirable risks if piloting a ship with systems like burn drive. There is a chance of them flying into the heart of the enemy fleet with the risk of being vastly outnumbered.
* The AI does not constantly use active venting like you can, so take note if loadouts for your fleet result in ships not shooting and passively dissipating high amounts of flux.
* To force a weapon to be allowed on autofire, place it in a weapon group that has 50% or more weapons that the AI will always set to autofire. Usually PD weapon group(s) are big enough for this.


Last but not Least
* Git Gud


[3.1] Starting advice for Mods
General Advice
* If you consider yourself a beginner (with or without mods) get Steiner Foundation for an easier start. http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10398.0
* If you find fleet bounties too low for the amount of systems you have, increase the value for "maxPersonBounties" at Starsector\starsector-core\data\config\settings.json to your liking.
* Some Starsectore-core config settings like level up speed, faction commission bounty can be found in the ...\data\config\settings.json of mods like DynaSector and Starsector Plus.

Starsector+
* Logistic support ships from Starsector+ like the Rook and Castle will refill Combat Readiness at the cost of its own CR up to a specific amount of supplies.
* Keep some spare credits to pay crew/marine salaries. Personnel left in storage won't cost you anything, and crew will cost more as they level up. This can be disabled in the config.
* Logistical Oversight in the Leadership aptitude increases CR recovery, reduces fuel consumption and more. Max this and Fleet Logistics to minimalize your fleet's resource demand.

Nexerelin
* Use Agents or Prisoners to improve your relationship with factions at their market. This will prevent you from becoming Vengeful with factions and a target for dedicated kill fleets.
* Joining a faction will sync your relationship with it. You can use this to take advantage of alliances for trading, or to improve or destroy relationships.

Extra System
* You can save on fuel and supply usage by upgrading your ships' Logistics. Press Ctrl+Q to open the menu to inspect and upgrade your fleet.


[4.0] Do I need any mods to play?
It isn't essential, and it is recommended to play the base game first before you do. When you feel comfortable with vanilla Starsector, look at the Mod Index for an organized list of mods you might want. Check the poll to get a second opinion and vote for what mods to get, and take what you see with a fistful of salt. All the mods listed are compilation and faction mods from the Mod Index, not all of them are up to date or work the newest version.

Recommended Mods Poll (General - last updated 1 April, 2016)
http://poal.me/tu23dr

Previous Mods Poll (0.7.2 - last updated 30 March, 2016)
http://strawpoll.me/7231818

Mod Index
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=177.0

How to Use Java 64-bit / Increase Memory Allocation / Out of Memory
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8726.0

Before running with mods, make sure to download the required libraries. You can find out what libraries you need from the OP of each mod you're downloading for lib requirements and mod compatibility. Each mod's thread should have enough information and images to let you decide if its the mod for you. Check the latest post by the OP if the download links aren't updated. Version Checker is a useful utility mod to help keep you up-to-date, you can also just lurk the Mods section.


[4.1] Brief Description of various Mods
http://pastebin.com/MER1LQki

There are plenty of mods that will catch up with the newest version of Starsector between each big update, here are a few brief descriptions of each mod. I try to keep things concise.

Have a better description or can help describe a mod not listed? Feel free to post it in the thread. Harder to describe if there are little to no faction pros/cons for me to copy paste.