Salvage Specialist
WIP
Cargo Department
Salvage Specialist
- Access: Cargo, External, Maintenance, Salvage
- Difficulty: Medium
- Duties: Retrieve materials from wrecks, score some sick loot
- Supervisors: Head of Personnel, Quartermaster
- Subordinates: None
- Guides: Salvaging, Space Navigation, Shuttle Construction
As a Salvage Specialist, your job is to explore various wrecks from the space and retrieve any loot that you might find inside them. Use the #Salvage Magnet to pull in a wreck for a limited amount of time and don't get killed by space carps or your own idiocy! Be sure to bring a GPS and memorise current coordinates so that you do not get lost in space.
Finding the Salvage
The location of the salvage is unpredictable. As such, you can use computers to help you locate it or simply jetpack out into space around the #Salvage Magnet and hope you see it.
Some maps will start you with a #Mass Scanner already built. If you don't have one, make sure to remind Scientists to get you a circuit board which you can then use to construct one.
Alternatively you can use the visuals provided by the Cargo Shuttle Console.
Equipment
The most crucial items in your job are the spationaut hardsuit, a breath mask and a breathable gas tank (oxygen for most species or nitrogen for slimes). You will not survive in space without those (though you can try if you're brave).
| Image | Name | Description |
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Spationaut suit | The obvious component; without it, you will succumb to the low pressure of space. You will find a spationaut suit in your suit locker. After you equip the suit, you'll have to close the helmet via the action menu on the left. |
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Salvage hardsuit | A less common suit which you can find on debris. It has more armor and brighter headlights, but will slow you down more. |
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Oxygen tank | To survive in space for longer than a minute, you will need to breathe. Equip a full tank in your hand, pocket, or suit storage slot to be able to properly use it with your breathing internals. Make sure to check if the tank output pressure is correct (the safe amount is 17-22). You can refill your oxygen tank by putting it inside a oxygen canister (just make sure to close the canister's valve afterwards, or the canister will empty itself into the room). Do not fill your tank with plain air as the gas pressure will be insufficient for your character to breathe. |
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Nitrogen tank | Slime people breathe nitrogen instead of oxygen. Otherwise functionally identical. |
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Gas mask / breathing mask | To be able to receive precious oxygen from your oxygen tank, you will need to put a breathing mask on. Once you have it equipped, you can turn your internals ON from the shortcut bar on the left. |
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Magboots | Equip and turn on magnetic boots to gain a steady hold on the wreck's surface. You might walk a bit slower, but at least you won't clumsily fly off into space so easily. |
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Utility belt (and tools) | Typically comes fully equipped with a screwdriver, welding tool, wrench, crowbar, multitool and wirecutters. Use those tools if you wish to retrieve anchored items, dismantle empty crates or barge through obstacles like closed doors. |
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Pickaxe | Sometimes, the salvage magnet might pull in a rocky asteroid. Use your pickaxe by repeatedly clicking on the rock to break through and reach for the stashed away goodies. |
| Mining Drill | An upgrade from a pickaxe that can be used to mine ore quicker. Obtainable from a Scientist using their Protolathe, or can sometimes be found on debris. | |
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Shovel | |
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Ore bag | Allows you to store mined ores. Click on the floor to pick up all ores around this spot. |
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Fire extinguisher | The poor man's jetpack. Fly through space by aiming and shooting the extinguisher's nozzle on the opposite direction of where you wish to fly. You can refill it with water once it runs dry. |
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Jetpack | |
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Grappling gun | For those who wish to fly in style. You can obtain it from the Science department once they research it. Get into Combat mode to shoot it, then right-click to reel yourself in. You can detach the grapple by cycling the gun. Note that this "gun" is completely harmless and will not damage hostiles. |
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Global Positioning System (GPS) | Shows your current position as (x,y). Note that negative numbers are different to positive numbers, (x,y) is not equal to (-x,y). You can use it to return to the station coordinates in case you get lost in space. |
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Kinetic gun | Your main ranged combat option as a salvage specialist. You can use it to fend off hostile lifeforms such as Space Carps. You can also use it to propel yourself backwards in space, in case your jetpack runs dry. This gun has unlimited ammo but very long reload time. |
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Combat knife / Survival Knife | It is usually a bad idea to fight hostile alien lifeforms in melee range, but you use this knife as a last resort. |
Salvage Magnet
This console is used for pulling in salvage wrecks, which you can scavenge for loot. The salvage magnet pulls wrecks towards the general area it is facing, but that doesn't do much to narrow down the area. If the magnet is facing the wrong way or is installed too deep inside the station, then you won't be able to pull anything in.
Usage:
The console can be interacted with at any point in time either to start it or get its status.
- Interact with the console to start the pull sequence. The magnet sends a corresponding message to the Supply channel.
- Wait for a wreckage to be pulled. The magnet sends a message once the debris is ready. You can use the Mass Scanner to locate the wreck.
- Your team has a limited amount of time to get to the wreckage and haul loot back. The magnet sends a message when 30 seconds remain.
- When the timer expires, the wreck and every item present on it vanish. Any crew remain at the same coordinates but may be spun around.
- The console enters a short cooldown period, indicated by the small green lights on it. One they are all lit the console can be used again.
Before installing this too far outside in space, consider protecting it against meteors, aggressive space fiends and antagonists.
Mass Scanner
A computer that shows you a non-interactive map of the station, the shuttle location and any unidentified debris / wrecks marked as "Unidentified". Up is not necessarily north. You will see the computer's location (your location) marked in green.
Ore Processor
A machine that takes ore that you have mined (with a pickaxe or mining drill) and when enough has accumulated enables crew to extract a full of stack of material. e.g. 30 steel plates. Can store steel, glass, plasma, uranium (but not plastic).
Tips and tricks
- Throwing something in zero gravity will fling you in the opposite direction. This can save your life if you are stuck in space without a jetpack.
- You can find a spare small oxygen tank inside your survival box. This small tank fits in your pocket, leaving your hands free.
- Holding down Control, and Right-Clicking on a tile near you while pulling something lets you move it around while standing still. In zero-gravity, you can fling objects such as crates/gas tanks towards the station by timing your release with Q accurately. This is not hard to figure out but is tricky to pull off consistently.
- Know what Cargo and other departments currently need, and prioritize your loot accordingly. Machinery usually fetches a higher price than small items, the Science department loves alien artifacts, and raw materials are always in demand.
- You can cram a lot more items in a crate than in your backpack.
- If you have time, you can use your survival knife to butcher the alien lifeforms you find on the wrecks. The Chef always appreciates when they're brought rare delicacies such as bear or carp meat.
