Getting Started in Scrap Mechanic - 1 Setting Up
Assuming you have a Steam account and have downloaded and installed the game you'll need to add a mod to the game. The Fant mod. This will make the game less of a grind when you play in survival mode. To install the Fant mod get it and follow the installation instructions at https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2251509391 Having done that go to the Steam Library, select 'Scrap Mechanic' and click 'Play.'
Before you press 'Play' again (you'll have to do this several times normally to start the game)
Before you pitch in and create a new world you might want to click 'Character' button. You can then choose the sex of your player.
Having chosen the sex of your player, let's live dangerously and click 'Play' This takes you to the 'Choose a game mode' page. You have loaded a mod so select at the top right 'Custom Game' and then 'New Game'.
You'll be given the chance to name your new game.
Pressing 'Play' will start your game with a short introductory video showing your spaceship crash landing.
Ever wondered about 'Jack the Ripper'?
Could he have been a time traveller?
Perhaps he killed to prevent a catastrophe?
Get the short story - a 12 minute read It was a Dark and Stormy night - Ripping Time
The Startup Tasks
Having survived the crash you wake up on the ground outside your ship. You have two items of equipment in your hotbar, a hammer and a lift. You can select either by scrolling or typing it's hotbar number. Your hammer will be used as a weapon. If you are lucky you won't need it as a weapon during the first task. If you find you do and get killed then you'll wake up on the ground again outside your space ship. If that happens I suggest you look at the Robots page before you continue for how to defend yourself.
Before you can really start the game you have a number of small tasks to complete. These help teach you basic skills.
- Put out the fire
- Power up the ship
- Download the ship's log
- Find the mechanic's station
Task 1 - Put out the fire
Your first task is to put out the fire burning inside your ship.
Look around and you will see you crashed next to a pond; it's marked with an exclamation mark. Go there to get some water.
On the way you'll discover a bucket which you need to right click on to collect. It will go into your hot bar. With the bucket selected you can right click on the pond water to fill the bucket . Return to the ship and enter it. Left click on the burning areas to throw the water onto the flames and extinguish them. You'll need to do this several times to put out the fire in the ship.
In your trips back and forth to get water you'll probably come across damaged crates. If you click these with your hammer selected they will break open revealing collectable items.
In this case the crate gave a component kit and a totebot bar. If you press 'I' to open your inventory and select the item there you'll get more information. The component kit is something you'll need lots of for upgrades and manufacturing. The totebot bar improves your ability to destroy bots for a short time.
Once you've put out the fire take some time to explore the ship. In the bathroom you'll find some cans of 'Sun Shake' which will replenish your food and thirst bars. Youll find those at the bottom left corner of your screen. In the bedroom youll find two bunks. If you right click one, your spawn point will be reset and so will the time of day. There are other things to find also but none of them are particularly useful at this stage. Later you'll need the radio. The storage cabinet will hold an extra 12 items and it can be moved. The microwave will hold one item. The scrap wheel is paticularly useless since it's not round.
You should notice that the onscreen instruction has now changed to 'Find a way to activate the ship'. As you explore the ship you'll find an area indicating you need a power cell to do that. You'll probably notice that the 'L' at the bottom right of your screen is flashing - press 'L' and you'll be invited to set a waypoint to the ship. Without such a waypoint you would quickly get lost outside.
Outside the ship you may notice that the exclamation mark no longer points to the pond but to a ruined building where you'll find the power cell. Before we go there, go back to the pond and explore the area.
At the pond you'll find a damaged crate, a wheelbarrow with seed packets, Some bags of soil, a shed with more seeds, a large sign showing the growing process, a spray bottle of fertilizer, an extra bucket and, on the ground, some soil plots, one possibly with a plant. Gather all the seeds, soil bags, bucket and any soil plots without the plant by right clicking them.
Now, as near the pond as possible, place nine soil plots/bags on the ground in a 3x3 block. Plant 5 carrot and 4 tomato seeds in these, use the fertilizer on each and water them. Although you probably have more soil and seeds available, don't be tempted to plant more than 9 crops because bots will find them and destroy them.
You can eat carrots to replenish your food level; they reduce some thirst also. Tomatoes do the opposite; they mostly quensh your thirst but do relieve some hunger. There's a third food source, red beets, which relieve hunger and thirst equally. Your health, hunger and thirst levels are displayed in the bars at the bottom left of your screen. If you are hungry or thirsty you will be reminded of this by hearing your stomach rumbling.
Next page - Task 2 - Powering up the ship
How I helped rescue the Blaire Witch
The idea of being zapped by lightning three times didn't appeal. Being dead appealed even less, which is why I agreed to time travel to 1785 and rescue a witch.
Get the short story - It was another dark and stormy night - witch time here