FAQs- SpaceStationSim

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I can't seem to run my copy of SpaceStationSim, what should I do?
Q. Why does my game look jagged or pixelated?
Q. My astronauts won't do their tasks, what should I do?
Q. How do I improve my astronaut's stress levels?
Q. Why can't I keep my game view centered?
Q. How do I know what button does what without reading the game manual?
Q. How can I tell if my astronauts are about to abandon ship?
Q. Why can't I add a third astronaut, I thought we were allowed four?
Q. Why did my experiment fail?

Q. I can't seem to run my copy of SpaceStationSim, what should I do?

A. Check to see if you computer has the system requirements:

Minimum:
Windows 2000, XP or Vista operating system
1 GHz processor
256 MB of RAM
3D graphics card with 32 MB of RAM
500 MB of hard drive space for installation
DirectX 9 (included)
DirectX-compatible sound card
Media Player 9.0.0.2980 (included)
Recommended:
Windows XP or Vista operating system
2 GHz processor
512 MB of RAM
3D graphics card with 128 MB of RAM
500 MB of hard drive space for installation
DirectX 9 (included)
DirectX-compatible sound card
Media Player 9.0.0.2980 (included)

Q. Why does my game look jagged or pixelated?

A. SpaceStationSim's display configuration options (as well as audio and input) can be found by clicking the "Configure" button in the game launcher before starting the main game. From the configuration window, you can change the game resolution and visual effects that the game will use:

Increasing your screen resolution and/or enabling multisampling will help reduce any jagged look you might be experiencing.
Higher refresh rates can help reduce monitor flickering and eye strain, but if it is set higher than your monitor's maximum refresh rate, the game will not display at all.
Enabling Mipmapping will cut down on texture grittiness.
Anisotropic filtering improves the look of textures that are viewed at an angle that is near-parallel to the camera.

All of these options can help improve the visual quality of the game at the cost of frames per second (FPS) on slower computers. You may want to experiment with the settings until you find the optimum balance of visual quality and frame rate.

Q. My astronauts won't do their tasks, what should I do?

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A. There are a few possible reasons why your astronaut will not complete a task. Astronauts in bad spirits or health may refuse to do their tasks. You have to address the health or spirit issue first. Check an astronaut's stats by clicking on the astronaut's class icon in the lower left of your screen. You can find it in the HUD next to the selected astronaut's picture. If the Astronaut stats are "in the red," you need to figure out how to improve his health or spirit. Also check the Atmosphere and Supply stats for the station, because these affect health and spirit as well. If your astronaut is not in bad spirits or health, another possible reason he will not do his task is that another astronaut may be performing the same task or blocking his way to that task. You need to redirect the astronaut whose task is less important.

Q. How do I improve my astronaut's stress levels?

A. Stress levels can be considered a "warning light" that the atmospheric mix or supplies are in need of adjustment.

Q. Why can't I keep my game view centered?

A. You probably have a conflict with another device like a joystick or game controller. Please update your game at http://www.spacestationsim.com/products/game1/updates.html for the fix. If this is not the case, play the tutorial; it will explain how to move your view with your mouse.

Q. How do I know what button does what without reading the game manual?

A. You can download the update at http://www.spacestationsim.com/products/game1/updates.html . It will add tooltips, which will create "help balloons" for the majority of the clickable objects in the game. These tooltips have a short description of each control and a keyboard shortcut that can be used in place of mouse clicks. Tooltips can be enabled or disabled in the pause menu.

Q. How can I tell if my astronauts are about to abandon ship?

A. An important part of the game is keeping a close watch on yours stats. Check your Astronaut, Atmosphere, and Supply stats by clicking on the astronaut's class icon in the lower left of your screen. You can find it in the HUD next to the selected astronaut's face. If the stats are "in the red," you need to figure out how to improve them before the astronauts decide to leave. Our latest update, downloadable at http://www.spacestationsim.com/products/game1/updates.html , also adds a flashing warning to the HUD. Whenever astronauts shock themselves or freak out anywhere on the station, or when you are in danger of losing the game, the HUD will flash so that you know about it immediately.

Q. Why can't I add a third astronaut, I thought we were allowed four?

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A. Check to see if you have a Soyuz (SYZ) vehicle available for launch. New astronauts are sent up using the Soyuz vehicle, and you may have a maximum of four astronauts onboard your station. You must also have escape vehicles attached to your station. As an escape vehicle, a Soyuz capsule can only hold three people at a time. Your station starts out with one Soyuz, and one seat is reserved for tourists. It is a violation of safety standards to have astronauts on board without a means for emergency escape, so you will need two Soyuz vehicles docked on your station in order to have more than two astronauts. Launch another Soyuz module before attempting to add a third astronaut. You can also dock an X-38 vehicle in order to have more than two astronauts as well.

Q. Why did my experiment fail?

A. Experiments are only successful when performed by an experienced (leveled up) astronaut who is the same class as the experiment. Example: a BioMedical astronaut will successfully run an Animal Facility experiment after accumulating experience on the station. However, even an experienced BioMedical astronaut cannot successfully run a Glove Box experiment, which is a Materials Science experiment. Experience is metered in the field to the right of his picture in the HUD, and the experiment level is displayed to the right of the experiment class icon on the right HUD panel when the experiment in question is highlighted. An astronaut must be no less than one level below that of the experiment in order to be successful.