All in-game footage in this blog post is from an alpha build and may differ from the final game.
Welcome back, Vagabond!
Come on in, have a seat! How has Tycos been treating you this far? We got worried when you said that you were going to explore the caves down at Archeology Island. You see, a thicket of Flame Flowers seem to have taken root by the south entrance, and when we couldn’t reach you via the radio… well, let’s just say that we’re glad that you made it back in one piece. Remind me to call off the unit that’s preparing to head out and look for you.
Even though you startled us, we are very pleased to see that you’ve started to master the Utility Wasp, and that you’ve managed to travel to some of the floating islands nearby. It can be quite the challenge to pilot sometimes, eh? Especially through turbulence… If only we could get those PACE highway gates up and running again…
Hmm, where was I? Ah, yes! To be able to travel even further, you’ll need to learn the basic functions of your portable camp, which tools you need to bring and how to use them. You can consider this the second part of your training as a Vagabond.
Suit
The suit you are wearing has carefully been developed over the years to protect us humans from the high levels of radiation Tycos is being exposed to. In contrast to the biomes of this planet, us humans have not adapted to these levels and thus we need to protect ourselves. Most of us wear suits identical to one another, but some Vagabonds have been lucky enough to find abandoned but still fully functional suits and helmets in various shapes and colors. Make sure to keep an eye out and collect what you find: We can definitely make use of all assets we get our hands on.
Your suit is equipped with a backpack. This backpack allows you to store a limited amount of items and materials that you might find whilst scouting the planet. The backpack holds a built in battery that can be charged up by standing in sunlight or close to bioluminescent plants, as it is equipped with a small solar panel. The generated power is consumed by using the tools at your disposal, which we’ll go over in a minute. Your backpack also contains a small container for reserve fuel, which is used when fueling your Wasp.
On your back, you are also carrying a jet pack. The jet pack has its own fuel regeneration device by converting hydrogen gas present in the atmosphere to liquid hydrogen which is automatically stored in the jet packs internal storage. Even though it is regenerating, your jet pack can only sustain shorter flights. If you have the skills and materials needed, you will be able to upgrade your jet pack to keep you in the air for a longer period of time.
A portable camp
As we’ve already touched upon, the Utility Wasp is the only Wasp class that can store and power a small camp. Maybe you haven’t made use of it yet, but as your journeys grow longer and your piloting skills grow slicker, you’ll notice that you will reach islands so far away that you won’t bake it back to headquarters during the same day. As you’re probably already aware of, our Wasps require both maintenance and fueling quite regularly. Setting up camp thus not only gives you somewhere to rest and regroup, but also allows you to repair, fuel and sometimes even upgrade your Wasp.
The power that the Utility Wasp holds is unfortunately not unlimited. When setting up your camp, it’s important that you know how many power units your Wasp can sustain. Power units are always measured by the usage per second. For example, a small battery stores 100 power units. An extractor tool consumes 1 power unit (per second) which means that it can operate for 100 seconds before depleting the battery. The same principle goes for all camp equipment that uses power.
The camp hub is one of the most central pieces of equipment. The hub acts as a bifurcator that connects the Utility Wasp with all camp equipment. It enables distribution of electricity across the camp and powers all connected buildables requiring power via the Wasp. All Utility Wasps are equipped with a hud as opposed to the other camp equipment, that you sometimes will have to craft yourself. The hub is foldable to perfectly fit into the storage space of the Utility Wasp.
The crafting table is what you need for creating new pieces of equipment to your camp. This apparatus shows you what kind of materials you need for each specific object, and also lets you know both which materials you already have in your possession as well as the quantity.
Out in the world you’ll sometimes stumble upon different artifacts. While we’re not entirely sure of their exact age or origin, we know that these once belonged to an ancient civilization here on Tycos. We don’t know much about this civilization or what happened to them, but some traces of its former glory are still left to be found in this world. What’s good about these artifacts is that we can research them using a camp research desk, which mostly yields new, useful craftables. Without the research desk these artifacts are more or less useless to us, so the research desk is essential when you travel to new, unexplored islands.
As we already went through in our earlier training session, the camp equipment also contains or holds storage for a hydrogen refinery, which is crucial for converting hydrogen crystals into fuel for your Wasp.
Apart from these facilities, you will also be able to craft tents, campfires, lamps, solar panels, trunks and tarps. If you ever get hurt or even wounded, we’d like to recommend a good night’s sleep in your tent. Sleeping out in nature does wonders for your health. Lamps and campfires light up your surroundings and if you know how to cook, you can do so by the campfire. Solar panels are an excellent piece of equipment to use if you can’t sustain all your camp equipment's power consumption by just using your Wasp.
Lastly, similar to the Fighter Wasp’s stunner flares, your camp equipment contains blueprints on how to make a stunner turret to keep hostile creatures away. The nozzle can be rotated 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees upward. While it can fire at a distance, the rate of fire is fairly low.
Tools at your disposal
Resources have been scarce since the collapse of the PACE civilization, and due to this, much of your camp equipment is not ready yet. You will have to find the right materials on your own in order to craft the equipment that you need. See it as a way to learn more about Tycos and as an opportunity to navigate the different islands.
… but exploring Tycos without any tools or equipment at hand is just plain stupid. Without your handheld tools, you won’t be able to gather the needed resources, you won’t be able to defend yourself and you certainly will struggle to orient yourself. To decrease the risk of anything going wrong during your expeditions, we are going to provide you with the most essential tools for maneuvering Tycos. Just like the Wasp classes, some tools will be more useful in certain situations.
The first, and in many ways most essential tool is the extractor tool. The extractor tool is a specialized equipment scrappers and scavengers use to break apart large chunks of scrap into finer materials using disintegration. It is a vital tool when salvaging the materials you’ll need on your journeys.
Once you have the materials needed, the welder tool might come in handy. Just like the name implies, this tool is used for repairing and upgrading. As it is a multi-tool, it can be used on both Wasps as well as your Cloud Cruiser. Just make sure that you have the required materials before trying to repair something.
When planning your journeys, the spotting scope will come in handy. The spotting scope is similar to a pair of binoculars but can give you additional information. The spotting scope has the capability to fixate onto an object, such as a specific building or island and then provide data on the target. The spotting scope can be upgraded to provide more sophisticated information on the located target.
Finally, to protect yourself and to call for help, you’ll have the stunner tool and the flare gun. The stunner is not lethal, which means that it won’t disrupt the natural wildlife of Tycos. The stunner can be used at range: It fires a high energy stun projectile, leaving the target immobilized for a moment. The flare gun fires flare ammunition that lights up its surroundings. It can be used to show your position and call for help or to scare away animals.
We believe that us humans should leave as small a footprint on the world around us as possible. Tycos is not our own, but a shared home for all creatures that inhabit this planet. If we don’t alter our way of living, humanity is bound to live through the same, destructive fate again and again. We are thus counting on you to continue your travels in symbiosis with this planet, and to treat its riches and resources in a respectful way.
Today’s quest
Since you now have had some time to make yourself acquainted with some of the Wasps, we thought we’d send you out on your first official expedition today. We strongly believe in learning by doing, and this quest will more or less force you to make use of all your tools at your disposal. And, of course, we also need more supplies and crafting materials for our base, as per usual.
On an island South-East from us, about 6 kilometers away, we’ve spotted a seemingly abandoned PACE warehouse facility. We’ve heard some rumors that they stored computers in the western building, and we are in need of more circuit boards at our quarters. Head over there and see if you can take a look, and hopefully even bring something back to camp. We haven’t seen any ongoing activity during the last week, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be guarded. The PACE drones are too small for us to spot at this distance, so make sure to bring your stunner with you. Stun the drones to neutralize them and then use your extractor tool on them straight away to prevent them from activating again. If you find yourself in need of help, use your flare gun. We should be able to spot the flare at this distance.
The facility does not seem to be guarded by any AA turrets, but as we haven’t explored the island yet, we can’t be entirely sure. These turrets are extremely powerful and have the capability to shoot down both Utility and Scout Wasps in a single shot. It is important to know that they have infinite ammunition and seem to be triggered by proximity. If you, against all odds, get fired at, it’s best to turn around immediately. You won’t get past them in a Utility Wasp by yourself so if you want to be extra cautious, land on an island closer to the facility and use your spotting scope to investigate the terrain from afar.
We’ve also seen the silhouette of what seems to be a field refinery. These refineries convert hydrogen crystals to liquid hydrogen, just like our camp hydrogen refineries, but on a bigger scale. If you can figure out if the PACE refinery is still functional, this might be a resource we can make use of in the future. Make sure to take notes on this and report to us when you get back. We are currently trying to repair a Cargo Wasp if you should stumble upon any larger pieces of scrap.
Don’t forget to refuel your Utility Wasp and check if any maintenance is needed before you take off. The weather looks somewhat stable so you should be able to go whenever you’re ready.
Make sure to report back to us and to stay in contact for frequent updates.
Good luck Vagabond, we truly hope to see you again!
// Apog Labs