Tutorials/Galacticraft Getting Started Guide

This tutorial will cover the basics of making your first machine to landing on Mars.

Before we begin: Mod Compatibility Notes

Some points that you will be interested in if you are using Galacticraft in conjunction with other mods.

Ore Dictionary

Galacticraft's ores and fluids are registered with the ore dictionary, thus making them compatible with other mods that register the same ores to the ore dictionary. Thus, Galacticraft Copper Ingots and Tin Ingots are interchangeable with Forestry copper and tin, while Galacticraft Oil and Rocket Fuel are interchangeable with Buildcraft oil and fuel.

Power Sources

Some Galacticraft machines need power to function. This can be provided in the form of:

Galacticraft Kw ( from the Coal Generator, Basic Solar Panel, or Advanced Solar Panel
Buildcraft Mj (Minecraft Joules)
Universal Electricity's UE units
IC2's Energy Units (EU).

Step One: Gathering Resources

Overworld Ores

The first thing is to gather Tin Ore, Copper Ore, and Aluminum Ore (which can be smelted into Tin Ingots, Copper Ingots, and Aluminum Ingots respectively, and Silicon Ore, which is rarer than the other three ores and forms at deeper levels (smelts into Raw Silicon).

Oil

If Galacticraft is the only mod that you have installed, you will need to wait until we can create Empty Liquid Canisters and a Portable Oil Extractor before you can gather oil -- we'll get to these in a minute. If you have Buildcraft installed, the recommended method for gathering oil is by using a pump and Buildcraft or Railcraft tanks. Buildcraft also adds the ability to gather oil in buckets. Forestry gives you the option of using tin cans, which are cheap, but single-use.

Or, you can wait until we've created the Galacticraft tools necessary for oil collection.

Step Two: Power Source

In order to make most of the Galacticraft components and tools, you need Galacticraft machines which themselves need power to run. If you already have a power infrastructural from another of the mods mentioned at the top of this page, you're golden. If you're limited to Galacticraft, you'll need to create a Coal Generator at this point, since Basic Solar Panels and Advanced Solar Panels require components that require power to generate.

Step Three: Crafting machines

Galacticraft has a quite a number of machines - usually the size of a crafting table - that perform some amazing functions. Although the orientation of a simple crafting table doesn't matter much, the machines you create using Galacticraft however have some unique sides to them. Some might require power input on a particular side, some might produce oxygen on another side, and so on. Usually right clicking on the machine will let you view their console - it may need some required materials added, or it may be unable to function until it has enough electricity to power up.

Circuit Fabricator

The first machine that you will want to build is the Circuit Fabricator, since it creates the Basic Wafer and Advanced Wafer which are the components of all the other machines.

Side Note: if you power a Circuit Fabricator via a Buildcraft kinesis pipe network, I recommend using an iron kinesis pipe to limit the power that it draws. It worked fine for me on an iron pipe at the lowest 2Mj setting, but connected directly to the power network, it drew all available power and caused other things to shut down.

Compressor

Now that you are able to create a Basic Wafer, the next machine to build is a Compressor, which compacts ingots into more durable, compressed versions of the material. The Compressor runs on coal, or other combustibles. Later you will be able to make an Electric Compressor that runs from a power source instead, but since it requires compressed materials to build, you need to make the coal-fired one first.

Step Four: Begin refining fuel

If you have not been using another mod to collect oil, now is the time to make an Portable Oil Extractor and some Empty Liquid Canisters so that you can collect it.

You will need either the Galacticraft Refinery or the Buildcraft refinery to (slowly, using much power in the process) refine the oil into Rocket Fuel / Fuel, which has twenty times the energy as unrefined oil.

Step Five: Collecting Oxygen

Eventually, you will be able to create oxygen while in space. But your first time up, it's a rather crucial resource to bring with you!

Oxygen Collector

First, you will need to create an Oxygen Collector, which likewise requires power to run. In the Overworld, you can place it anywhere to begin gathering oxygen; in a no-atmosphere environment, you will need to surround it either with leaves (which it will slowly consume) or growing wheat (which stops producing oxygen when it's full-grown, so needs to be harvested and replanted regularly.

But in the Overworld, you can place it anywhere. But then you need:

Oxygen Pipe

In order to do anything with the oxygen collected by the collector, you will need to create Oxygen Pipes using six panes of glass on the regular crafting grid - three across the top and bottom. You will use the Oxygen Pipe to feed the Oxygen from the Oxygen Collector to the...

Oxygen Compressor

You will need to pipe the oxygen into the Oxygen Compressor, which will use it to fill....

Oxygen Tanks

You will use the Oxygen Compressor to fill Oxygen Tanks. There are three sizes of oxygen tank that you can build -- the Light Oxygen Tank, the Medium Oxygen Tank, or the Heavy Oxygen Tank. For detailed information on oxygen tanks as well as how to put on your spacesuit, head over to the Oxygen Tutorial page.

Step Six

...coming soon...

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Getting Started

Building rockets, space stations and colonies on new worlds may seem a little overwhelming, if you're just starting out. So here is a small guide to getting started with Galacticraft!

First Steps

Before you head into space, you will need a few items including the Tier 1 Rocket, Rocket Launch Pad, Oxygen Sealer, Oxygen Bubble Distributor, Oxygen Gear, Oxygen Mask, Oxygen Compressor, Parachute, Compressor, three or more Battery(s), Basic or Advanced Solar Panels, Refinery, NASA Workbench, Fuel Loader, Oxygen Tank x2, and Oxygen Collector, as these are the most vital necessities you will need on your journey into space.

Obtain Oxygen Apparatus and a Parachute

The four most crucial items you will need are the Parachute and Oxygen Gear and Oxygen Mask and Oxygen Tank. Once you have acquired this equipment you are almost ready. After this, all you need take with you are the Galacticraft machines.

Build Oxygen Machines, Refine Fuel, and Launch Your Ship

Lastly, it is necessary to build a few machines before going to the moon, some of them you will be taking with you. You will need to make the Oxygen Compressor, Oxygen Bubble Distributor, Oxygen Sealer, NASA Workbench, Refinery, three Battery(s), two or more Basic Solar Panel or Advanced Solar Panel, Oxygen Collector, and the Fuel Loader. Next, you will need to make the Rocket Launch Pad and Tier 1 Rocket, of course. (make the rocket in the NASA Workbench) Once you have the rocket and launch pad, you need the Fuel Loader.

Place the nine rocket launch pads you have on the ground in a 3x3 block shape. On top of them, you will place your rocket in the middle pad, so that there are eight launch pads surrounding the rocket. You will then place the Fuel Loader directly adjacent to the launch pad and rocket on any side of the launch pad. You are all but ready. If you haven't found any oil yet, go ahead and get some, which generates deep in the ground around the gold and diamond level. Once you have at least five-thousand (five) or more oil in the refinery, put a battery in the refinery and start converting the crude oil to Rocket Fuel. This process will likely require more power than your battery can store, therefore recharge it in one of your solar panels.

After you have converted all of the oil to Rocket Fuel, load it into the Tier 1 Rocket using a battery. You may now go to the moon! All you have to do is equip your Parachute and Oxygen Gear and mask. The items you will be taking to the Moon with you are your Oxygen Sealer, Oxygen Collector, solar panels, batteries, Compressor, Oxygen Compressor, and the Fuel Loader. If you are wondering what the sealer, collector's and bubble distributor's function and purposes are, the sealer is meant to lock oxygen in an enclosed room. To "enclose" your future Moon-base, you will need at least seven Air Lock Frame(s), one Air Lock Controller. Next, oxygen can be provided to your Moon-base through the use of the Oxygen Bubble Distributor and the Oxygen Collector. Breathable oxygen is created by planting two or more trees on the moon with a source of water nearby (preferably an unlimited water source) with the Oxygen Collector very close to the trees. Then, connect the Oxygen Bubble Distributor to the Oxygen Collector with Oxygen Pipes, so that the oxygen can travel from the collector to the bubble distributor. This is the preferred setup before the player has made a functioning Air Lock door to his or her base. After that, it is possible to use the Oxygen Sealer.

Like all Galacticraft machines, the oxygen providing machines require a source of power to work. The best source of power is the solar panel (which is why you are taking them to the moon with you), or batteries for off-and-on use. As soon as you have built your Moon-base, you can finally explore the lunar surface for Moon Village(s) or even the prized Moon Dungeon. Next stop, Mars!

Don't Forget!

Be sure to do a little research about the Moon so that you know how and when to land safely!

What Next?

There are tons of great things you can try out in Galacticraft, and more are being added all the time!

Here's a short list of things to try out:

Construct an Overworld Space Station and invite your friends.
Explore the Moon and make contact with a colony of Moon Villagers.
Make your mark, by placing a Flag on the Moon or try it on the Overworld.
Mine up some Cheese Ore.
Establish an oxygen supply system on your Space Station, or Moon Colony.
Continue on to Mars.