Out There Walkthrough

Game Introduction – Out There

Out There is a space exploration sim from Mi-Clos Studio. Gamezebo’s quick start guide will provide you with some tips and hints to help you survive the dangers of space.

Quick Start Guide

Getting Started

• Out There can be purchased and downloaded by clicking the “Available On” options at the top of this page.

• When you start for the first time your only gameplay option will be “New Game.” Click it to start a campaign.

• When you start a new game you can select to play through a tutorial or begin without it. This option will always appear, so you can replay the tutorial any time.

• If you play the tutorial, you will be dropped into a standard game. If you do not complete the tutorial you will still start with all the materials and equipment you would earn as if you did.

• Once you’ve started a game, you can select “Continue” from the main menu instead of “New Game.”

How to Play

• Out There is played across four primary screens: the galaxy map, star system map, planets’ surfaces and ship’s interior. The objective is to jump between star systems on the galaxy map to reach an eventual, mysterious destination.’

• Jumping between systems, landing on planets and blasting off all consume fuel, oxygen and sometimes hull strength. By exploring planets, launching probes and drilling for resources you can refill these gauges. However, if any of them becomes empty, you will lose the game and must start over from the beginning.

• In the ship’s interior, you can use resources from the cargo hold to refill fuel and oxygen, as well as repair and craft new modules. Certain events throughout the game will provide access to new ships and modules which you can hijack and construct, respectively.

Tips and Strategies

• Lucky Seven — Your ship’s drill and probe are two of your most valuable tools. Without them it’s almost impossible to gather enough resources to travel, repair equipment and craft new items. Unfortunately, they’re not very durable. When you use them to scavenge for materials, it’s usually best to crank them to setting seven. That’s the highest they can go without entering the red, dangerous levels. This maximizes your gathering but minimizes the risk of damaging the devices.

• Plan Your Jumps — There are times in Out There where you can wind up unable to jump to a new star and must backtrack to progress. This is absolutely the worst outcome. It wastes valuable fuel and oxygen without providing new resources. True, you can usually drill and probe the same planets to make back what you lost, but that comes with its own costs. Besides, what you really want is to find new ships, technologies and translations. To mitigate this, always think about whether your jump range outpaces the distance of the next planet on the star map.

• Save Your Iron — Iron (represented by “Fe” in your cargo hold) is a very valuable resource. Not only is it used as one of the primary components in crafting but it can repair the hull of your ship. That allows you to fly into dangerous atmosphere — like the surface of stars — without having to worry about your ship blowing up over time. It’s also used to repair damaged ship modules which, I can assure you, is very important. At the very least, keep four units around to rebuild your drill should the need arise.

• Know Your Limits — Ultraprobes, Wormhole Generators and any other number of specialized equipment is very useful. It’s also something you have to find on your travels before you can construct it. Don’t waste fuel, oxygen and hull strength flying into stars and black holes until you have the equipment necessary to exploit them. Once you do have that equipment, feel free to use them at your own discretion; they can lead to very valuable resources.

• Technology is Key — Fuel, minerals, oxygen — it’s all very important to traversing the galaxy in Out There. However, all of that is really just used to keep you alive and moving. The only real way to progress your ship in the game is by collecting new technology, ships and blueprints as you progress. As such, never pass up the opportunity to get something new in favor of the basics (unless, of course, you’re about to die without them). Speaking with aliens, exploring outposts and transferring your pilot to derelicts are uncommon occurrences so be sure to seize them when you get the chance.

• Do the Math — Jumping, flying, landing and taking off all require fuel and oxygen. Sometimes they can even deal damage to your ship. Out There doesn’t always tell you if what you’re about to do will end the game for you. It will, however, give you a couple of “last chances” in which you can take an action without the proper materials. If you find yourself in these situations be sure you’re using them for the right reasons. For example, if you’re about to run out of fuel and don’t have any hydrogen or helium in your cargo hold, jump to a planet with a rich atmosphere to probe it for more.

• Don’t Hoard — You should always have a some spare iron kicking around but there’s no point in keeping a cargo hold full of oxygen when you’re about to suffocate. Your ship automatically stores surplus resources if you use them to repair and refill, so use them liberally. This has the dual purpose of keeping you from dying unexpectedly thanks to random encounters and freeing up space on your ship for new equipment and exotic crafting minerals.

• Manifest Destiny — It may seem heartless but don’t forget to drill for materials on inhabited worlds. You should always take the opportunity to meet alien life (and learn about their technology) when the opportunities arise but don’t forget it’s a planet just the same. By drilling, you get the benefits of a mineral rich planet and possibly some new toys. Also, because inhabited worlds have breathable atmosphere, you even get a full shot of oxygen for your troubles. Breathable worlds really are your most valuable targets.

• Be Adventurous — At times Out There will ask you to make split decisions (which often boil down to just flipping a coin). When faced with the option to do nothing, it’s often wiser to take the bolder step and go where you haven’t before. At times, this will damage your ship or its components. However, if you’re lucky, you’ll get new equipment and blueprints out of the deal which far outweigh basic damage. If you’re keeping a solid supply of iron and other crafting materials you shouldn’t have to worry about ship damage too much anyway. Those items are replaceable; getting an Ultraprobe or Wormhole Generator might not be.

• Communication — In addition to technology, translating keywords is one of the best ways to progress your character. Any alien words interpreted over the course of a single game will automatically translate when seen again but if you die or restart all of that progress is lost. If you’re really ambitious, pop open a note-taking app (you’re playing this on a smart device, after all) and write down what you see. In future games you can manually translate alien dialogue to give you a better sense of what decision to make. By taking the randomness out of decision-making you can earn more technology at a faster pace and last much longer as you explore the galaxy.

Congratulations!

You have completed Gamezebo’s quick start guide for Out There! Be sure to check back often for game updates, staff and user reviews, user tips, forum comments, and much more here at Gamezebo!

Steven Strom

• 

Steven "The Future of Games Journalism" Strom plays entirely too much Dota 2. He sometimes plays games when he's not too busy writing about them and their place in our culture, and thinks maybe they're not just a fad after all.