Game Manual
The essentials of life in the 23rd century. New here? Read Getting Started first.
The basics
StarQuest is a persistent sandbox. You play a single person who walks around stations, cities and starship decks. There are no instances: the world keeps going when you log off, and what players do stays done.
You carry items in your hands (left and right) and your pockets and backpack. Credits you're carrying sit in your left hand; the rest stays in the bank.
Talk to other players with the chat bar. Some things in the world are operated by walking up to them and using their console: lifts, doors, vendors, ship stations and computers.
Factions and careers
Pick a side, or none. Serve as a fleet officer and rise through the ranks, or work for yourself as a trader, smuggler, bounty hunter, pirate or ordinary civilian. Faction ships patrol the safe zones; out past them, anything goes.
Rank and experience come from duty, missions and skill use. Skills improve as you use them.
Starships and bridge stations
Ships are crewed by people. Each bridge station is a console a player (or the ship's crew) operates:
| Station | Job |
|---|---|
| Captain | Command. Gives orders to the crew and the ship. |
| Helm | Navigation: courses, warp, docking, towing. |
| Tactical | Weapons and shields; targets and firing. |
| Engineering | Power, repairs and damage control. |
| Ship Operations | Sensors, transporters, tractor beam. |
With no players at a station, you can give the ship's crew orders by talking to them, for example telling your helm where to go.
Combat
Personal: PvP is open outside safe zones, which are patrolled by police and security forces. If you die, you respawn and pick up the pieces.
Starship: shields have facings. Knock the shield facing toward you down, then hit the hull. A disabled ship can be boarded and captured.
Money and trade
Credits come from faction pay, missions, trade and salvage. Vendors buy and sell; prices differ from world to world. Haul goods where they're scarce.
Colonies and housing
Players can own housing and found colonies. Only a colony's owner may build on it; other players can visit, but can't build there.
Science and discovery
The galaxy is full of elements and compounds, and planetside substances that affect different races differently. This manual will name things you can find, but never what they do. Working that out is part of the game. Share your discoveries, or keep them to yourself.
Server rules
- RULE #1 FOR FOLKS: LET IT GO. It has been a long time coming. Bury the hatchets and ignite the spark. Reclaim your sense of fun, unleash your spirit of adventure, or channel your relentless pursuit of science or keen sense of exploration. And let's not forget those plucky pirates and mad militant masterminds!
- No cheating, exploiting bugs, or modified clients that give an advantage.
- Found a bug? Press F9 in game. The F9 bug reporter is the preferred way to report bugs: it sends a screenshot and the details straight to our highly trained team of 23rd-century time-traveling Bug Smashers, so they can get right to work on it. Crashes are reported automatically. If the game won't start at all, post in the Discord instead.
- Only a colony's owner may build on it.
- Game Masters have the final say.