How to play guide for Hardspace: Shipbreaker

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I pray to the stars and heavens above,
To return my daddy to those he loves.
If there comes a time, when he and Death meet...
*... then bless the next cutter that takes his seat.*

This page will serve as a basic **how to play guide for *Hardspace: Shipbreaker***. While there is very little information available at this time, we urge you to check back often, as new information is being added all the time! Feel free to edit this guide with any tips, tricks, and suggestions.

## Controls

The controls propel the player based on the direction they're facing, and is Newtonian (i.e. holding the 'forward' button will accelerate the player forwards until released, and the player will continue to move on their current bearing until they hit something or move in another direction).

The options menu contains more information about the controls.

W = Prograde ‘forwards’

A = Anti-Radial ‘strafe left’

S = Retrograde ‘back’

D = Radial ‘strafe right’

Q = Rotate Anti-Clockwise ‘tilt left’

E = Rotate Clockwise ‘tilt right’

Space Bar = Normal ‘up’

Shift = Anti-Normal ‘down’

Ctrl (or Q+E) = Stop ‘brakes‘

## Tips and tricks

### Tethers

* Tethers are amazing. Don't be shy with them - throwing tethers on medium to large objects will save lots of time in the long run.
* Pay attention to where you attach the tether. For example, consider a deck plate on a Mackerel class that has been detached but has not floated clear of the ship. If you tether the near side of the plate to the center of Processing, the plate is likely to get stuck and drag the entire ship. If, instead, you tether the far side of the plate to the lower lip of Processing, the plate will likely swing out and away from the ship and get processed as desired.

### Demo Charges

* Demo charges are essential for cutting some parts of later ships which are too tough for your laser. NOTE: charges that go off too close to reactors and other volatile objects will detonate them. This range is bigger than you think it is, so dealing with volatile things before breaking out the charges is recommended.

### Moving around

* The grapple gun can be used to pull the player toward something. Sometimes it also propels the player upwards, so account for this when using it in anger.
* It is recommended to upgrade your thrusters early so you can move around faster, seeing as this is a huge part of the game.

### Making money/Paying off your debt

* Upgrade your suit integrity early. A couple of extra points in this category will save you from spacing yourself, which saves $150,000 a pop.
* You can see how much a ship is worth before beginning work on it. Choosing higher value ships is recommended for faster progression.
* When the player reaches certain certification milestones they are able to purchase their equipment outright from the equipment screen. This reduces the daily minimum payment by hundreds of thousands of $ when all of the equipment is purchased, so do that as soon as you can. It's recommended to save up your LT in advance of hitting these levels so you can afford it.
* The player can make small savings by upgrading equipment. Decreasing the wear and increasing the amount of something you can carry (oxygen, fuel, tethers, etc.) will save money on refills and repair kits.
* The game encourages you to salvage all of the ship you're working on (which is satisfying) but there's nothing stopping you from quitting early when you've salvaged the big-ticket items (reactors, power generators, thrusters, etc.). It's up to individual playstyle, but a player can pick up new wrecks after these salvages.
* Practice multitasking. Being able to move while you cut and throwing tethers on things while you work on salvaging others saves time, and time saved is money earned.