#distantiafaq

This game guide for Constellation Distantia includes the following sections:

System Requirements

Combat and Flying

Karma

Starports

Mining

Crafting

Trading

Known issues & bug reporting

The flying model, distances and scales are tuned towards entertaining gameplay instead of an accurate simulation. That doesn’t equal easy cruising, however. The laws of physics play their part and the 6-axis controls of the jet spacecraft (called the Eagle-Owl) do require one’s full attention.

Check control mappings for your controller / keyboard+mouse in the game’s Settings menu. 

Worth noting is that during the first few missions, Eagle-Owl Two has no boost engine. When Eagle-Owl Three has been built though, you can get boostin’. While flying, click the Boost button for a few seconds of turbo speed, or hold the button down for continuous rocket boost. If this speed feels like child’s play, be informed that there are more powerful engines available in the Lab.

During one-to-one combat, the enemy - or enemies - posing a direct threat to your vessels, are marked with red squares on your HUD. Then again, there will be armies of ill-spirited Movers marked with yellow squares that might, or might not, attack you.

Since the targets are moving really fast in space, the important aspects to learn in combat and asteroid mining are:

To estimate the correct aiming lead

To reach effective shooting distance

It’s also highly recommended to upgrade the Eagle-Owl as soon as possible. Stronger rocket engines, better maneuverability and more powerful guns will improve your chances of survival in combat.

Low karma won’t kill you, but it will hinder your progress in many ways. In the opposite case, it works in your benefit. Your karma value affects at least, but is not limited to, the following aspects:

Nuking results

Mining results when using Eagle-Owl

Trading

Mover occurences

Starport attitude towards you

Dome habitations’ attitude towards you

Other vessels’ attitude towards you

Robbing results

Your crew’s spirit, e.g. blueprint studying speed

Think of it this way: doing your work in a humble and respectful manner will be good for you in the long run. You are a sphere miner. Driver Industries is expecting you to mine planets and moons as well as asteroids. Trading is also seen as a win-win business. 

There are three vital resources when operating the mothership Sapper One: Water, Hydrogen and Oxygen. On top of those, there is Sapper One’s Mainshield, a thin layer between life and deadly radiation. 

Running out of Water, Oxygen or Mainshield will kill the crew instantly. 

Running out of Hydrogen will set the vessel into a floating state preventing traveling.

All four resources are consumed constantly while not docked into a starport. Starport staff will take care of these resources up to certain levels. 

While on the job, the crew of Sapper One must use Lab to keep up Mainshield. The other three resources can be found for instance by mining.

The people at starport hubs are usually friendly and they will help you survive in the void of space. The amount of help is dependent on your Karma level. They won’t let you die, but if they despise you, they won’t give you much to refill your resources.

Additionally, if your resources aren’t running low, they will let you pass without refuelling.

Mining planetoids and asteroids is the bread and butter of Constellation Distantia. You can find vital resources like Water, Hydrogen and Oxygen deposits, as well as plenty of other useful substances needed for crafting.

You have a few mining options:

Use Eagle-Owl’s guns from close proximity to asteroids or planetary surfaces. While mining a planetoid, the gun angle can be switched to point downwards. 

Launching a nuclear missile from Sapper One (in this case, make sure you have a clear line to the planetoid). Select a planetoid using the Log, and click the missile icon to launch a nuke.

Check the control mappings in game’s Settings menu for Gun Angle Switch and switching between Uranium, Plutonium and Hydrogen bombs.

The released materials from mining are dependent on the dominant planetoid soil types which are visible on Sapper One’s Log. Life form planetoids typically hold more significant amount of substances compared to uninhabited ones.

The size of the planetoid and the extent of the detonation on it are important factors in terms of released deposit amounts. Bigger bombs - more destruction. But your karma has a play in here too: High karma is like a cloverleaf. 

Collect the released deposits by flying close to them with Eagle-Owl.