Getting Started

### First Start

When you first start up Interstellar Rift, you'll be presented with a popup tutorial menu. It is highly recommended that you play through the tutorials to learn the mechanics of the game. They're not very complicated, and don't take much time to do (only a couple minutes per one).

### Main Menu

After completing the tutorials (or closing the pop-up menu), you can then edit your player be clicking on the "Player Options" button on the main menu. From there you can pick your gender, hair style, and face style. You can then color you body suit to your liking by clicking the color palette right next to "Body" at the bottom, and do the same with respective armor pieces on the same menu. Don't forget to click the "Apply Changes" button at the bottom when you're finished.

Navigating the settings menu can be a bit complicated, but easier to use once you're used to it. Settings are categorized by several categories. Each has respective sub-categories (some only have one) that you must click on to access the settings for that category.

### Starting (or Joining) a Game

When you start your first Interstellar Rift game (either joining a server or starting a solo game), you'll be presented with the option to select a starting faction. The factions available to you are:

- ***Hurles Co.*** which specializes in mining and shipping

- ***Galactic Trade Network*** which specializes in trading and hauling of materials and precious resources

- ***Sentinel Security Systems*** which specializes in patrols and galactic salvaging operations as well as weapon production

- ***Drifters*** which specialize in illegal mining and scavenging operations, with the possibility of smuggling.

After selecting your starting faction, you can accept a request from any faction to raise your reputation and start earning money or use the starter station's *Mining Hub* to start gathering ores to produce resources to sell (or to build/upgrade ships). All factions provide you with a starter vessel (that you buy with the starter money, of course!) which varies depending on the faction's specialization. You can (at any time, especially death) buy a new starter ship, although it will add onto you debt rather than taking your money.

## Additional Starter Info

### Debts and Loans

*Debt and loans* are an aspect of the game that allow you for immediate (or emergency) money.

### Personal Tools

*Personal tools* allow for early game (as well as emergency) reparation and fire extinguishing, or on-foot combat (Ship Raiding). It is always a great idea to make sure either you (or your ship's racks/lockers) have some personal tools and ammunition in case you need it.

### G.R.I.P Omni-Tool

Your wrist-bound G.R.I.P. Omni-Tool is your best friend during your experience in Interstellar Rift. For more info, see *G.R.I.P. Omni-Tool*.

### Terminals

Terminals are the means with which the game processes transactions or activities. All buying and selling activities, as well as quest acceptance/completion activities happen at a terminal. Note that only delivery and transport requests require delivery and completion to a terminal. Most ship functions also use terminals, such as the *Engineering Terminal*. Most basic ship functions (such as status check) can be done from any basic ship terminal on-board the vessel.

All terminal screens in the game are navigated with the mouse, and click for activating buttons on the terminals (so make sure you aren't holding personal tools in your hand, or risk wasting ammo). When you're ready to head out on your first adventure, select your ship on the large teleportation pad in the main hub area to move to your ship. Don't forget to double check your ship's *Hydrogen*, *Oxygen*, *Nanobots*, and *Ammunition* and take some from your *Vault* to your ship before leaving a station (if needed).

Sometimes while completing quests, Players may find encrypted data cartridges. They can be put inside of a Data Decoder at a station, which will reward the Player with various resources to their vault while decoding.

### Companies

Aside from factions, *Companies* also exist within the universe.

For more ways to proceed early-game phase, please visit *Time to work!* or *Where from here?*