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[tjimindie]

HI

Excited to try this indie game for the first time. I was wondering what is the best way to experience this game. Should I start fresh or jump into mods right away. Also are there any lists of mods that I could explore so I could add those all together?

Should I play with or without mods for a new experience?

Are there any mod lists that have put together?

THANK YOU,
tjimindie

[tjimindie]

Oh, I wanted to add that I normally like a lot of mods to spice up games I play.
ok ty again!!

[Hiruma Kai]

Welcome to the forums.

The game is complicated enough that I recommend to people that their first play through should be a vanilla playthrough.  Do the tutorials first (from the main screen which covers basic, advanced and fleet combat), try a few missions from the main screen to get used to piloting (or even run through all of them - although some missions are honestly hard), and then jump into the campaign and don't skip the tutorial for it.  Do the campaign storyline at least once (some mods effectively eliminate it).  Once you feel you understand the game and are getting bored of the work in progress end game, then start adding on mods.  Understanding the base game will also give you insight into what kinds of mods you might enjoy, as well as how to evaluate mod faction ships.

There's everything from changing the game into 4x conquest game (Nexerelin), making the game harder (Ruthless Sector) or easier (advanced starts in Nexerelin), more random bonuses (Starship legends), more variety of ships (whole pile of faction mods), unique bounties and ships (Varya Sector and Ship/Weapon Pack come to mind), as well as quality of life mods.  If you play the game, and come back and say you're interested in more X, then it's easier to recommend mods to you.

[cytokine]

So I'm new-ish to starsector, bought the game in July, am currently on a Nexerelin play-through with a few content mods, but played 100+ hours with just enhancement mods. It was not super easy to get started modding. When modding games with its player base on the nexus or steam workshop, it's easier to go straight to the all-time favorites, because those sites will sort mods by popularity automatically, which tends to put you on the right track.

I'd advice against content mods for your first run, since the base game have plenty enough ships and weapons to familiarize yourself with. And there are no 'essential' mods. I do however have some recommendations.
Speedup: For speeding up the slower parts of combat. Definitely my first pick.
Interesting Portraits Pack: Vanilla has a bit too few portraits for you not to notice.
Detailed Combat Results: If you like tweaking loadouts, and look for underused weapons on your builds. No downsides otherwise. Needs the RAM limit increased, like most mods.
GraphicsLib: No downsides unless your graphics card is old. If so, try disabling bloom.
QoL Pack: Has a few quirks of its own, but it's better than getting salty over failing to reactivate your shield too many times. I don't use it currently, but it's worth a try.
LazyLib: Required for Graphicslib and QoL Pack.

Have fun!

[Yunru]

Other than graphics and QoL (like listed above), I recommend playing vanilla until you feel like you really know your stuff.

[Wyvern]

Actually, there is one mod I'd recommend for a new user: Console Commands.

Specifically, if you don't know what you're doing, it is very easy to, say, forget to fill up on fuel/supplies and then go wandering off somewhere and discover that, actually, your fleet is dead now because you did something wrong ten minutes ago.

Console Commands can do a lot of really complicated stuff, but at its most basic, it offers you the ability to cheat: adding more credits, supplies, fuel, or crew - or even just letting you 'dock' at a planet you're nowhere near and pay for your restock. Given that the game's 'easy' mode (also recommended for new players) doesn't actually help* with the game's logistical challenges, having a backup option that's not 'reload your last save from half an hour ago' is a good anti-frustration measure.

*Well, okay, technically it boosts salvage amounts, which is... not exactly zero help with logistics. But it only helps when there's something around to salvage, and usually, if there's something around to salvage, you don't have a problem in the first place.

[Daynen]

Play vanilla, learn the rules, get the hang of the fun quirks of the game, such as hyperspace storms, sensor profiles, flux management and supply/fuel consumption.  Find your groove.  Once you don't feel completely at the mercy of the game mechanics, THEN start looking for mods that fill your desired gaps.  Get the three Libs first; virtually everything requires them.  Then hit up the mod index.

[Demetrious]

Actually, there is one mod I'd recommend for a new user: Console Commands.

Specifically, if you don't know what you're doing, it is very easy to, say, forget to fill up on fuel/supplies and then go wandering off somewhere and discover that, actually, your fleet is dead now because you did something wrong ten minutes ago.

Console Commands can do a lot of really complicated stuff, but at its most basic, it offers you the ability to cheat: adding more credits, supplies, fuel, or crew - or even just letting you 'dock' at a planet you're nowhere near and pay for your restock. Given that the game's 'easy' mode (also recommended for new players) doesn't actually help* with the game's logistical challenges, having a backup option that's not 'reload your last save from half an hour ago' is a good anti-frustration measure.

*Well, okay, technically it boosts salvage amounts, which is... not exactly zero help with logistics. But it only helps when there's something around to salvage, and usually, if there's something around to salvage, you don't have a problem in the first place.

I will second this. The mod is a powerful QOL enhancer and makes newbie mistakes painless, allowing you to learn the ropes without having to gnaw your way through them. In addition, I would suggest playing through the game's story/campaign (which starts at Galatia Academy) as the writing of the story is superb and, of course, meshes well with the vanilla game balance.

Once you've gotten the tour-de-force of the game's mechanics and setting interactions on both tactical and strategic layers you'll have a much better idea of what the game is, and thus how you'd prefer to change it.