Building a starter ship
To build a space-worthy ship, you will first need some essential components. Assuming you have set up a factory on a starter planet, these shouldn't be a problem to make:
Necessary components
- HyperDrive - Allows you to travel faster than light. It is important for traversing around the universe. You will be unable to go to other regions (excluding planets and their orbit if you are in either of the two) without it.
- StarMap - Important for navigating around the universe. It will allow you to view your surroundings (nearby stars and your solar system).
- AirSupply - Provides oxygen for you to breathe. Remember; you can't breathe in space! Without this component, you would quickly suffocate in the void of space, or in planets without a breathable atmosphere.
- VehicleSeat - The vehicle seat allows you to control your ship by rotating it. You can configure it to use the mouse, or WASD + Q/E; whichever you prefer.
- SpawnPoint - Allows you to spawn back at your ship after dying. Make sure that it is locked.
- A propulsion device - You can choose between a Rocket, IonRocket, or a Thruster. Make sure to provide sufficient cooling while they are active, as they generate heat.
Optional components
- GravityGenerator - Provides gravity in space, without it you will not fall down. It is highly recommended, but optional.
- Telescope - The telescope allows you to view the properties of planets. It's recommended so you know the conditions of the planet you are entering, and its resources.
- Anchor - Allows you to anchor your ship, which makes it immovable.
- StudAligner - Useful to stud align your ship. It's recommended you stud align before working on your ship.
The ship you'll build following this guide uses all of these components. Go ahead and craft them. Once you are done, return to this wiki page.
Building the ship
⚠️ Before crafting anything, always make sure to lock nearby, so you don't accidentally use your ship's parts ⚠️
To begin, try to find a large, open clearing near your base. It'll be easier to lift off if there are no obstructions; especially if your ship has large wings to house solar panels.
After you've found a suitable spot to build your ship at, begin by placing a small pillar. You will place our ship's base on it. If the base was on the ground, you wouldn't be able to unweld it later. For the material, grass or sand is fine; it just needs to be a few studs high. To this, attach and resize a piece of iron which will serve as the baseplate for your ship.
For your ship to operate, it will need a source of power. We will use PowerCells to store it. One PowerCell should be enough; however, in this example 2 will be used. Craft them, and place them onto the ship.
You will now set up controls and life support. Craft 2 Switches, 3 Buttons, 2 Antennae and 1 Polysilicon.
Grab the VehicleSeat you already crafted, placing it onto the front of the ship.
Attach the buttons to the VehicleSeat, and configure their KeyInput (the keybinding you'll use to activate them). Set it to whatever you prefer.
Attach the switches to your power cells. On one of them, place your life support (AirSupply and GravityGenerator). On the other, you should place your propulsion device and coolers. Attach an antenna to the button you'll use for toggling your engines on and off. Attach the piece of polysilicon (cofigure it to be FlipFlop) to the switch used for your engines, then attach the second antenna to it.
Connect your StudAligner and Anchor to the other 2 buttons.
You only need to place a few more components. First, place your Telescope and StarMap; after that, your HyperDrive. These can be wherever you prefer. Activating the HyperDrive will require a button. Craft one, and place it on the HyperDrive.
You should now ensure that they are getting power. If possible, connect them to both PowerCells. You may want to have your navigation systems on a switch, as they use power. You should also craft and place a spawn on your ship. If you don't like seeing it, you can always place it right below your base plate. You'll still spawn on top.
The only remaining step is to power it! SolarPanels are used in this guide, as they are relatively cheap and require no upkeep. This makes them a great choice for your first ship. Other sources of power would also work, though.
Simply connect some SolarPanels to your PowerCells using wires. You'll want at least 6 or so, though more is advisable if you can afford it. Make sure they are resized to their maximum size for the best power output.
Where to go from here
Hooray 🎉! You've built your first ship! All that's left to do now is to charge, and then reach for the stars! If you have any resources left at your base, you should pack those onto your ship. Don't forget to turn on your life support systems before going into space.
Once you feel you're ready to depart, remove the pillar you built your ship on, turn on your engines, and point your newly built ship at the sky. You will eventually reach the planet's orbit. From there, your next goal should be to find a suitable planet to build a base on. Consult Finding A Planet for more details.
