Getting Started - OuterSpace

How to begin

Download OuterSpace
- If you are on Windows, Download the Windows Client.
- If you are on any other Linux system, download the Linux client. Then download and install: Python (version 2.3.2 will work) and Pygame (make sure you get the dependencies).
- If you are on Mac OSX Tiger, download the Linux client. Python 2.4 should be preinstalled. Download and install Pygame (make sure you get the dependencies).
- If you are on Mac OSX Leopard, download the Linux client. Python 2.5 is preinstalled. Install XCode (found on your Leopard install disk). Follow these special instructions for compiling and installing Pygame.
Run OSC.EXE (windows) or OSC.PY (linux, through Python).
Sign up with a username and password.
Select a galaxy to start in (generally you want the newest galaxy, see http://www.ospace.net to determing the newest galaxy: "Game Overview" at right).
You are set to go!

Questions? Go take a look at the Outerspace FAQ. It has far more tips than you will find on this help page.

Time is shown in DD:HH. This is in game day (DD) and game hour/turn (HH). (A game day is 24 game hours/turns. A game hour/turn is either 1 or 2 ordinary Earth hours).
On weekdays a turn is processed every hour. On weekends a turn is processed every 2 hours. You will need to experiment to find out exactly when the weekend starts and ends for your time zone.
Generally these are refered to as Turns and Days for ease of reference.
This makes it easy to determine estimated build times. A structure taking 2:14 to build means that it will take two and a half days to build (assuming no weekend is involved).

Note: During major holidays gamespeed is sometimes reduced to as slow as 1 turn every 12 hours.

Normal resources: Minerals, Energy, and Environment. These exist on all worlds.
Strategic resources: Titanium, Uranium, etc [See symbols ]. These occur only on occasional worlds and are defended by Renegade, Pirate, or E.D.E.N. defenses. You will need these resources for some technologies. They are mined once a week on the same turn that elections are held.
Production resources: Food, Power, Construction (CPs), and Research (RPs). These are converted from normal resources by various structures.

You can build the following: Structures, Ships, and Projects.
Structures are built onto the selected planet (selectable). They can output Food, Production, Power, and Research, or improve Moral. Some structures provide fuel for ships, scanners, or even improved interplanetary travel.
Ships can be civilian (unarmed Scouts, Colony Ships, and Fueling Ships) or military (Fighters, Bombers, Warships, Frigates, Cruisers, etc).
Projects can improve a planet, repair ships, upgrade ships, or create strategic resources.

Research can improve the effctiveness of structures and ship technologies. It can allow access to more advanced technologies such as improved weapons, more powerful factories, large ship hulls, etc. Research is important, but a good balance between research and production is best.

It is best to learn how to play in a brand new galaxy (independent player in galaxy where time is stopped). If there isn't a new galaxy available, join the youngest galaxy. You will probably be killed off. Don't dispair - it will happen when joining late even to the best of us!
You can build offworld onto other planets in a system by selecting the planet to build onto. It will cost double what it would to build on-world.
Expand quickly. You have to beat everyone else!
Research techs initially that will improve production, research, etc rather then ship techs. Its better to get a good base then go for ship techs at the start. Do that later...say a week into the game. Note that excess government power yeilds a lot of bonuses to production, so research Government Center fast.
Don't build farms on low Env (environment) worlds, unless you plan to go Bio Tech Tree (DNA) and the EN level is between 50 and 100. Use Outposts for food instead on low Env worlds. Once you have better food production technologies that aren't dependent on Env you can use them instead of outposts.

Use the shift key in the starmap interface when hovering over your fleets or your enemy fleets.
You can message more than one player at a time. Simply click on the name of every person you want to message. But be aware: unless you specify so in the content of your message, they will not know anyone else was sent the same message.
Your construction dialog is not accessable until you research both Small Hull and Cockpit; however, it isn't useful until you have FTL and stuff to put on your ships.
You can sort any table by clicking a column in the header of the table.
By right-clicking on an event in messages you can go to the event.
By right-clicking on a planet or fleet in the planet or fleet dialogs, you can go to that planet or fleet.

Hope these tips help :)

Outer Space 0.5 Help

Getting Started

Understanding Game
Interface Symbols

Research and Technology

This page has been accessed 6,183 times. This page was last modified 01:55, 21 January 2008.