Completely New

[oneofthelost]

Hello all! Im a big sandbox/space sim fan, and while I'd heard about Hardwar, I never took it seriously as I figured it was far to old by today's standards. (Which is silly considering I just got into Frontier First Encounters.) In my search for a new sandbox game, I remember some folks mentioning Hardwar. The game was a bit before my time. (Or more accurately I was playing a different genre at the time and it slipped my notice somehow.) So I decided to give it a look. After finding and downloading the game, I went through some issues getting it installed properly which is what lead me to this site. First of all, you guys have an EXCELLENT write up on everything Hardwar, and I wanted to thank you for that! It really helped me get the game up and running, as well as learning the basics. That being said, I need some help.

I found the .pdf manual, as well as looking up things around the site, but a few basic questions are left unanswered. While I have no problems flying about, and shooting things, I have big issues with various other features. Ill number these to make this a bit easier.

1. Is there some sort of .. 'status' screen? I havn't seen a control for it, but it would be nice to have a screen that shows faction relations, ship equipment, cargo bay contents, number of kills, etc. etc. Does Hardwar not have a screen for this kind of thing? I figured every game had an equivalent to Privateer's PDA.

2. Where does one find scrap? I could shoot ships yes, but after trying (and utterly failing) to kill a bounty with a 32 rating, I decided to keep out of combat for now. At least until I have a better hang on things. Is it possible to just find it? Or should I be on the look out for battles?

3. How do you turn the Autopilot off? It seems to stay on after pressing A, regardless of my inputs.

4. Is there any way to communicate with other ships, or some piece of equipment to tell who does what? Like telling the pirates from the traders?

5. How do you tell if you are on the police 'wanted list' Just check it and look for your name?

Basically Im having a bit of trouble starting the game. I chose Salvager, but its rough going with my ignorance to properly salvaging.

Thanks for any and all help you folks can provide! In the meantime I will start to read up on trading, and how to use my drones.

[Pilot]

I am assuming you have UIM6 installed.

1. Yes and no, You can press U to view the kills you have made, and the cash on hand, (I think it also works offline.)

2. Scrap is found for a (SHORT!) while after a ship is destroyed, you are not the only scavenger out there, you can also buy scrap at a Trade center which the nearest one will always show up in you Navigation screen opened by pressing N.

3. There are two types of Autopilot one which auto docks you at hangars, and another which flies to your target or fights your target which is turned on by pressing A to turn it off simply press A again, if you are referring to the the auto-docking autopilot, you will need to go to a Software Shack or Software Refinery to get it removed. (Or don't start as a trader.)

4. No communications in Hardwar other than the emails you get, press M, and you will definitely get the message of which factions hate you and how much. When you target someone you can get a decent idea of who they are if you look for just a few things, Pirates, Factions, and usually Police have Laser turrets equipped on top of their moths, factions' combat moths are usually Neo Tigers and so are a lot of pirates, factions' traders use a Hawk.

5. If you are a enemy to the police kill a pirate (amnesty) or pay the fine, if it is a faction you'll need to destroy an opposing faction's combat moth, to clear up the previous misunderstanding, which is best to check the neutral faction's wanted list before doing so for a pirate they hate, so you can get neutral with them after clearing your name with the other.

To use your drone press D or whichever joystick button it is assigned.

Another tip is to press H and it will cycle through your H.U.D. And change a small section of text on your mid-right side of the screen. Changing between Weapon's data, Cargo Data, Equipment data.

[oneofthelost]

Thank you for the reply! You are correct in that I have UIM6 installed. I was a little confused, but now everything is crystal clear!

Thank you.