In Ostranauts, players can simulate owning and operating a spaceship in a solar system cut off from Earth in the same universe as NEO Scavenger. The player will need to work hard to make their living and survive the harsh conditions of a new galaxy. They must also manage a crew and keep their people happy and as fulfilled as possible. There are many required tasks in the game to keep the ship and the crew functioning and profitable. One such task is activating reactors to launch dilapidated ships and begin the adventure. Once players learn how to do this the first time, they can repeat the process on any reactors.
At the start of the game, the player will need to perform several choose your own adventure style story missions as a Shipbreaker to make some friends and find their first ship from the junkyard. Once they reach the ship, they will still need to gain access to the reactor and make it flight-ready. Luckily, everything they need can be found by exploring the ship. The control panel for the reactor can seem confusing and daunting at first, but provided the player follows this guide each time, they shouldn't run into problems. Here's how to find the necessary equipment and start the first reactor in Ostranauts.
Start the First Reactor in Ostranauts
Players will need three items to start any reactor in the game. These are:
- D20 Canister
- HE-3 Canister (Liquid Helium Canister)
- A battery with at least a little charge
For the first reactor, these are already attached. Players will, however, need to use brute force to remove some obstacles and doors in this first ship, because, without power, the locks cannot be overridden to reach the reactor. To do this, players can destroy a crate with a fire extinguisher, move through a door and down a long hallway, find a drill in the ship, and use it to uninstall one of the ship's locked doors. This should grant them access to the reactor.
Once at the reactor's control panel, players will want to perform the following steps:
- Switch the PWR BUS to Battery (located in the middle left).
- Turn the Core Purge knob to RGH (located in the bottom right).
- Wait until the LAS Cap light stops flashing and turn the LAS Align switch on (located on the right side).
- Turn the Pell Feed switch on (located next to LAS Align switch).
- Turn the CRYO switch on (located above ignition).
- Press Fuel REG (located on the bottom right next to the Core Purge knob)
- Press the FWD button, then the Rear button.
- Turn the MHD switch on (located near the upper left of the CRYO switch).
- Watch the Capacitor Charge indicator (located in the top right). When it reaches ready, turn the Ignition switch on.
Players can use this method with any reactor they come across. If the battery gets low, they should change the PWR BUS switch to the CHRG (charge) position instead.
Ostranauts is in early access and is available for PC.