FAQ
This article answers some commonly asked questions and addresses common points of confusion.
Gameplay
What does this item do?
While playing the game, you may come across some items or equipment that are not explained. Often, these items are part of systems that Introversion is still developing.
How can I move crew members, resources, or items between ships?
Currently, the only way to transfer items is by selling them to the Trader and re-purchasing them on the desired ship. Resources outside of canisters cannot be transferred. Selling tanks will destroy any resources contained within them. Crew Members cannot be sold.
Note: Your fleet only requires one FTL Drive. When activated, all ships—even those without fuel, engines, or crew—will enter FTL travel.
How can I get crew to newly purchased ships?
Before you purchase anything else for your ship, select the newly purchased ship and buy a matching number of crew members and space suits. If you purchase other items first, they will be stuck in the queue without anyone to move them. If you don't buy space suits, the crew members will refuse to leave the shuttle.
Can I dock my ships?
No. It is currently impossible to dock ships or directly transfer crew, items, or resources between them.
Can I sell a ship?
No. The only way to remove a ship is to target it with your weapons in the Tactical view and destroy it. Make sure to sell all items and resources on the ship first, as you can only loot boxed equipment, and some items may be lost after the ship is destroyed.
How can I repair damage on my ship?
To repair the hull on the ship, visit a Shipyard, then use the Construction menu → Shipyard → Repair. Drones can do a patch-up repair that will restore some hit points. To do this, you need a Drone Bay and some Logistics Drones. Once that system is set up, you must enable Repair in the Orders menu. A crew member will load Drones into the Drone Bay for repairs.
Crew members will repair equipment on your ship. Sometimes, they will not repair equipment. In this case, dismantle and reinstall to remove the damage. This appears to be a bug.
How can I build habitation? How do I add on to my ship?
Travel to a system with a Shipyard, then use the Construction menu to add habitation, hull, floors and walls.
How do I loot derelict ships?
To loot derelict ships, you need a Drone Bay and some Logistics Drones. Once that system is set up, you must enable Gather Resources and Gather Salvage in the Orders menu. A crew member will load Drones into the Drone Bay to gather the loot.
I earned money in Hyperspace, but it disappeared after I exited
There is a known issue with the Analyse contract rewards. In some cases, the reward money will be given while you are in Hyperspace, but the money will disappear when you exit Hyperspace. We are currently unaware of a fix for the issue.
The shuttle is docked to my ship, nothing is being unloaded, and it won't leave
A lack of storage space typically causes the shuttle to refuse to undock. There are things left that the shuttle needs to unload, but it has no room to place them anywhere. Use the Storage menu to assign general storage so crew members can continue unloading the shuttle. If lack of storage is not the issue, ensure that your crew is not prioritizing other tasks.
Why can't I place floor tiles?
To place floor tiles for your ship, the area in which you place them must already be covered in hull.
What can I do if I run out of FTL charges or fuel and am stuck?
If you are stuck in a system without access to the Trade menu and don't have enough fuel for power or FTL charges to make it to another system, you can cheat by editing your save file. Instructions for this are provided in the save file article.
System issues
Why doesn't my sewage pipe work?
The sewage pipe must be placed beneath a habitation block, and there must be a sewage pipe for each separate habitation block.
Blocked equipment (CO2 scrubber, air reprocessor) Thrusters don't work (rescue docking) (game speed controls)
Preferences
Where can I find a list of keybindings or controls?
All known keybindings are listed on Controls.
My monitor displays a "video signal lost" message when I start the game
This typically happens when the game incorrectly detects your resolution. The resolution is too large or too small for your monitor to handle. You can generally exit the game from this state by using <key>Alt</key> + <key>Tab</key>. End the game's process and follow the instructions below to manually change the game's resolution or switch to windowed mode.
How can I change the game's resolution or play in windowed mode?
You can change the game's resolution or enable windowed mode by modifying the `preferences.txt` file.
You can increase or decrease the zoom level of interface elements by using the - and + keys.
Streaming, modding, community
Is streaming the game allowed?
Yes! Introversion has encouraged streaming the game.
What community resources are available?
Aside from this wiki, there is a Discord server and a subreddit.
Is there modding support?
There is currently no official modding support.
That said, the main.dat file in the game directory is a standard ZIP file that contains most game contents. The configuration and save files are plain text in a plaintext format.
To make modifications, turn off automatic updating and modify these files. If you want to update the game, backup your changes, update and manually transfer your modifications to the updated files.
Development
Can I play the game on Linux or Steam Deck?
The game runs properly on Steam Deck. There is no information on a Linux port at this time.
Where can I leave feedback or report bugs?
The best place to leave feedback and report bugs is on the Steam discussion boards.
Will there be multiplayer?
Introversion has stated that plans for multiplayer are still unclear. If multiplayer were to be introduced, it would be late in the Early Access period.
Is the game based on Deep Space Industrial?
Loosely. Deep Space Industrial is the main predecessor to The Last Starship, but the game is based on several ideas explored in Chris Delay's FAIL Masterclass.
How can I view changelogs?
Official Introversion changelogs are available on the Steam announcements page. We also host the changelogs on the Version History page, which may include further notes from the community.