Firststeps
From AfterWiki
Newcomers
Here are two videos that will help you understand how to play AfterWorld and explain more about what is on this page.
Welcome to AfterWorld
Hello, and welcome to AfterWorld Alpha! This guide will help you through your first steps in the AfterWorld environment. Any game can be confusing when you play it for the first time. Several questions typically arise, to which it can be difficult to find answers without the help of an introductory guide such as this. How do things work? What can I do? How do I do X activity? And so forth. Luckily, this guide is available to help you get started, and there are many players in AfterWorld who are happy to answer additional questions that you may have. Get ready for some serious fun!
Upon logging in for the first time, you will arrive in a city designed for newcomers in Quarantine Zone A1 (called QA1, Q1, or A1 in-game).
For a list of basic keys, such as movement, see the Keyboard Commands page or press F1 in the game.
Chat
To chat with other players, press ENTER on your keyboard and you will see the bottom of the chat window change. Type anything in a press ENTER again and everyone within Quarantine Zone A1 will be able to see it. So it might be a good idea to think about what you've typed before pressing ENTER that second time. ;-)
If you want to send a private message to another player, you must open another chat window by clicking the player to open the controls window, then click the player again or click the "+" button, then choose "Chat." To type in this new window, click the small grey button in the bottom-right corner, or hold SHIFT and press ENTER.
For AfterWorld related abbreviations in chat, see the Abbreviations page.
Voice Server
AW has a built in Voice Server.
Radar
You will notice that you have a radar, located at the bottom-right corner of the screen, which informs you when other players or creatures are within viewing distance of your avatar. Different colors of dots are used to represent different things, as follows:
- Red dots are living creatures.
- Blue dots are noobots on their journey to another zone.
- Green dots are other AfterWorld players.
(You appear as a green dot on the radars of other players.) - Purple dots are NPCs (Non-Player Characters).
(Some of these automated characters will help you learn the game.)
Tutorials
If you want to go through a guided tutorial inside AfterWorld, right click one of the following NPCs, all of whom can be found at different times in south-east part of QA1 town: Lieutenant L D Valto, Lieutenant B Cook, Captain B Parin or Major V Ivanov. Choose "Who are you? Where am I? I don't remember anything." to start the Tutorial. The NPCs work in 4 hour shifts, but each of them performs the same task.
Later you will need to speak with 2 more NPCs:
- For a tutorial on refining, speak to Natural Resources Manager M Behrmann or one of the Resource Refining Engineers (B Willis, T Rensalier or A van Buuren);
- For a tutorial on crafting, speak to Chief Engineer Petrovich or one of the Shift Engineers (S Noshkin, E Putachev or N Svetloff).
You will receive a step-by-step explanation of how to collect resources, how to refine them, and how to craft an Iron Pick or Iron Axe. You will be asked to demonstrate the process as it is explained to you. This is your only chance to craft until you become a citizen.
There are four problems that newcomers commonly encounter during the tutorial:
- Finding where Iron Stone can be picked - check Zone Quarantine A1 Map;
- Finding the location of different buildings - check Map of Quarantine A1 Town;
- When you are refining resources as part of this demonstration, you will not be required to pay the fee normally associated with refining resources. (However, you need to use the exact quantity you are asked to refine, otherwise refining will not count as part of the tutorial and you will be asked to pay for it. Be careful in how you cancel the process because of the problem below.);
- There is a bug in the crafting tutorials which makes it impossible to finish one or more tutorials - if you put a CD (ASP or MFP) into a crafting terminal and then cancel the crafting process without manually removing the CD from the terminal, the CD gets transfered to the storage in Saransk Town, which you can't access until you become a citizen.
Tutorials are optional - completing it does not give any rewards and is not necessary to progress, but it gives some useful insights into the game's mechanics.
The Trash Can
Trash Cans provide some free, basic tools for you to get started. There are three Trash Cans in Quarantine Zone A1. Trash Cans are rust brown in color and can be found near buildings in town, on the side closest to the revival pad. You can find iron axes, picks, and knives inside of them.
You can take items from the Trash Can as often as you need. The Trash Can is never empty and always has all three types of tools. Right-click a Trash Can to access it, then click the item you wish to take. Take several copies of each item from the Trash Can; they are free, and will come in handy very soon.
These tools are good for starting out, but do not allow you to gain valuable skills, which can be gained once you reach Citizenship by using crafted Tools like the Steel Axe, Dagger Pugio, and Steel Pick.
Free Tools
- Iron Axe - Used to chop down trees for logs.
Some trees can be chopped down, but most cannot. Try to walk into a tree; if you cannot pass through it, then it can be chopped down! Approach the tree and use your Iron Axe to acquire its logs. Each type of tree provides only one type of log.
- Iron Pick - Used to mine stones for ores.
Stones are found in many zones. They vary in size, color and shape. Only exposed stones on the ground can be mined using this tool. You will find that multiple types of ores can be extracted from a single stone and that the specific types depend on the stone's location.
- Hedging-bill LA knife - Used to cut flowers for medicinal plants.
Acquiring resources from flowers works similar to trees. Run into a flower, and if your avatar jumps onto the flower (as opposed to walking through it), then you can use your Hedging-bill to acquire medicinal plants from it. If you watch your avatar closely while walking and running, you will find yourself "popping up" on top of these "cuttable" flowers while doing other things.
In the top half of the chat window, you will be informed of how many resources you you acquire, if any, each time you use one of these three types of tools.
Quick Bar (Using items)
Another handy feature is the Quick Bar (Hot Keys). Drag an item that you use often to any spot, and you can equip them quickly. If you choose not to do so, you will need to open your Inventory and drag an item to your equip slot each time you want to equip it. You can equip hot-keyed items by pressing the corresponding number on your keyboard. If the item is already equipped, pressing the number will cause you to use the item.
There are actually ten "sets" of quick bars, which can be change by clicking the green circle in the center of the square near the left end of the quick bar. This drops down ten red buttons, numbered 1 through 10, each of which can have up to ten items "saved" to it, allowing for up to 100 different items to be set up, ten different arrangements of the same ten items, and anything in between. To quickly change between sets, hold SHIFT and press the number that corresponds to the set you want to see (press 0 for set 10). If this does not work, see the Game Options - Miscellaneous section below.
WRU
You can add other player to your Friendlist by click them with Mouse and choose Button "Friend". After the other Player accept his Name will be show in Friendlist with online/offline Status and you can send Private Message to him with Button "Chat".
Collecting Resources
To collect resources, it is easiest to use the first-person view. To switch to first-person view, press TAB, and a cross hair may appear in the middle of your screen. If the cross hair does not appear, you can press SPACE to make it appear.
Then find a fir or birch tree, a white and yellow flower, or a stone that can be mined. Once you have found one of these you can begin collecting resources! Aim at the object with the cross hair and use the appropriate tool on it and you will see messages above the chat window telling you how much resource was collected or if the attempt resulted in no resource collection. As long as the stone/tree/flower has not disappeared, there are more resources to be collected from it.
Only solid stones/trees/flowers can be collected. If you can run through them, then they are only decorative and you know they are not collectible.
You can split a stack of resources by double-clicking it, typing the quantity you wish to separate from the stack, then pressing ENTER. There are red buttons that also appear when double-clicking a stack. If "Top" is selected, the split amount will be placed into the first open space at the top of your inventory. If "Here" is selected, it will go into the first open space in the same area as the original stack.
Storage
You can also use Storage to store excess items if you are having problems with weight. You can find four storage lockers in the small building in middle of town, where the revival pad is located. Storage is important because carrying too many items at once will reduce your running speed, prevent you from jumping, and increase the damage dealt to you when you fall from a high spot.
Note that Storage is not global between zones, so what you leave in one particular zone will only be accessible to you when you are in that zone! There is no way to transfer items between storages except to move it from the original storage to your inventory, run to the new storage, and move it from inventory to the new storage.
Autoclicker
Afterworld has a built-in Autoclicker, which is useful for many activities. Getting used to it may save you a lot of effort and will quickly become second nature.
Steel Picks
Another notable item which you can usually acquire early on is the Steel Pick. Using it to gain resources from stones is faster than using the Iron Pick from the trash. You can buy or trade for Steel Picks from other players in the game and taking advantage of the opportunity to do so is HIGHLY recommended.
Universal Repair Kit/Trash
The Universal Repair Kit (URK) is the small icon with a wrench and a metal trash can at the bottom-left of the inventory screen. It can be used to restore the condition of items which have repairs left and to delete (permanently destroy) any item. You must load Common slag, Metal slag, or Scobs into the URK to raise its condition above 0.0% before using it for the first time.
To repair an item, simply drag and drop it onto the URK icon. You can repair any item that has at least one repair left (item condition of at least 1/0%). Nearly all items can be used until their condition is at 0%, so repairing before this point is a waste of AWD and resources. It is entirely possible to repair items with 100% condition, even if that item has just been repaired, so be sure you are repairing the item you think you are before clicking the Yes button on the repair confirmation window!
If an item has no repairs left, you can delete the item using the same icon. Any item with 0/X% will begin the delete process by default, and will ask if you are sure that you want to delete the item, so be sure to read the messages that appear when using it! In addition, any item of any condition can be deleted by holding the Shift key while dropping it onto the URK icon.
Performing any repair or deletion using the URK will always pop up a window asking you to confirm that you want to perform the action. The No button can always be clicked, while the Yes button is only available after a five-second countdown. As a result, you will need to be very aware of your items conditions while in combat - trying to repair your HK or weapon at the wrong moment could easily result in your avatar's death.
Promissory Notes
Promissory Notes (often called "p-notes" or some variation in-game) are gathered by communicating with Warrant Officers and/or Agriculturists, and completing quests to help them. You can complete quests for Promissory Notes up to 150 times. Any further Promissory Notes that you may need can only be obtained in trades with other players.
As you progress through the quests, you will also receive gifts in the form of random ASPs (Assembling Programs) or MFPs (Manufacturing Programs) along with every 10th Promissory Note given to you. These are simply CDs containing programs needed to manufacture items. Note that you cannot use them before getting citizenship, and that you can only use them in the Saransk zone.
Warrant Officers
Warrant Officers (often called WOs in-game) are grumpy gentlemen in the southwest corner of town. There are four officers working in shifts (same place, different times).
If the officer you are completing a quest for is not on duty, do not worry; he will return later. You can simply trade with the new one, and, as soon as the old one comes back, exchange the demanded stack of minerals for the Promissory Note.
The warrant officer will request a trade of 500kg (half of a stack of stones) of a particular ore or minerals for 1 Promissory Note. When you have gained some or all of the requested material, you must come back and visit the Warrant Officer again to trade. You do not need to bring all 500kg at one time; you may bring it in sections. Do note there are four Warrant Officers who may all request different stack of materials.
When you come back to trade the items you must place the resource that the Officer wants in the very first location in your inventory, the upper-left spot (where the ores etc are kept when gathered). You can continue to give the Officers your resources until you have given them 500kg of the specific resource requested. Once you have given them the 500kg they will hand you a Promissory Note and ask if you want to make another deal. If you say yes they will give you another stone type to pick and you are off with your pick again.
One way to speed up the process of getting Promissory Notes is to work with each of the Warrant Officers at once by keeping track of each of the officers' demands. This task is partially automated by a function within your PDA. Click the PDA button near your radar to access the PDA, then the Tasks tab.
Using AWD
To obtain AWD (AfterWorld Dollars), you can deposit (donate in pre-gold) some real money into the game, and/or sell items to other players for AWD. If you decide to deposit, the money will be converted to AWD at a 1 to 10 ratio (10 USD equals 100 AWD). Do note that a money transfer fee may be subtracted by the company handling your transaction and that when you leave Quarantine A1, you will need more AWD to survive and play the game, so it may be wise to deposit more than 10 USD, especially if you want to progress more quickly.
AWD is required to be in your AWD Wallet in order to use any crafting or refining terminals (except during tutorials) or to use the Skills Transfer Terminal. In order to trade it with another avatar, it must be taken out of the AWD Wallet by the same process used to split resource stacks. Taking out any amount less than 1.00 (or amounts between whole numbers - 0.33, 1.45, 5.66, etc.) results in AWC (AfterWorld Cents) being placed in your inventory.
Game Options
There are many, many options that can be customized, from key assignments and mouse movement to video and audio and more, all by opening the Setup Options window. These can be modified at any time, but if you have specific preferences, now might be a good time to change them (if you haven't already) in order to make your time in AfterWorld more comfortable.
The Noobot Process
Citizenship
The AfterWorld State Security Bureau (AWSSB) has been ordered to help all newcomers in their application for citizenship. You must communicate with the Privates from the AWSSB to help with your application. They are located in the main town to which you have been transferred (QA1).
They will explain to you that there are two way to become a citizen. You will not be allowed out of this zone to play the rest of the game until you pass one of these two "tests." You must give one of the following to NPC Sergeant R Hripko (or one of his colleagues), who is in the east office building in town.
- Give him 50 Promissory Notes (received from the Warrant Officers and/or Agriculturists)
- Give him 100 AWD (from donation or selling resources)
The difference between these is that if you obtain citizenship through Promissory Notes, you will not receive an RIC (Realty Investment Certificate). So becoming a citizen by paying the 100 AWD is the preferable way.
Becoming a Noobot
The Translukater is a transformation system which helps new citizen to travel safely from Quarantine Zone A1 to Saransk. A noobot is a small flying robot which can only exist for 45 minutes outside of QA1. Noobots cannot be damaged in any way or killed.
Before you become a noobot, it is recommended that you obtain a bit of each type of resource available in Quarantine Zone A1, as you might need them for crafting later on. Do not leave QA1 too early or with empty hands as the return trip is not easy.
Once you have gained your 50 Promissory Notes or 100 AWD, you will need to locate NPC Sergeant R Hripko (or one of his colleagues) in the office building and give them to him. He will then tell you that you need to become a noobot. To do this, visit the large building on the west side of town and find a Translukater, step into it, and the translukation process begins.
The Noobot Journey
You have two choices on how to complete your noobot journey and become a full citizen:
- You can request a Courier to deliver you to a "noobot pad" (Noobot Delivery Center in LoD), which typically takes 30-45 minutes when successful. To do this, make a request in local chat to see if a courier is available. They will transport you to the revival and you will emerge as one of us!
- You can go on your own journey, which takes up to 45 minutes of online time. To do this, enter the building along the north wall of Quarantine A1, follow the hallway to the right, and you will see the exit door, which is partly open at the bottom, at the back-right corner. Once you go through it you will enter the Labyrinth of Death (LoD). At that point you have 45 minutes of play time to get yourself to a noobot pad. If you do not get there within 45 minutes, your noobot will explode, and you will teleport to Saransk by default.
A noobot can be picked up (willingly or not) by any person with a Courier License, and delivered to a noobot pad. Couriers are given a Scout Cheque for this service, so it is in the courier's interests to find, pick up, and deliver Noobots.
A noobot can be picked up by a courier only inside the Labyrinth of Death. If a Noobot is picked up by a courier, it becomes a sort of Inventory item. The noobot cannot move or do anything except observe the courier's run through the Labyrinth of Death and chat. If the courier is killed for any reason, the noobot gets released and can move freely again and can be picked up by another (or the same) courier. You can float freely around Quarantine A1 for as long as you like without being picked up or exploding.
A Noobot has a weight limit, just as a human does, so a noobot carrying heavy items will move slowly. It is possible to destroy items using your Universal Repair Kit while in the form of a noobot. A Noobot being carried by a courier does not add weight to the courier, however.
Citizenship
Welcome to Saransk
Once you arrive at Saransk, there is a whole bunch of exploring to do. You will want to acquire some basic items to help you survive for a while, including a weapon and a Heal Kit. You probably don't want to go back through the Labyrinth of Death yet as it is very difficult even for experienced players. Give yourself some time to learn the game before considering this task.
If you want to travel from Saransk back to Quarantine Zone A1 take a look at the "Way Back to A1" page.
Now that you are a citizen and have arrived at the city of Saransk, you can start to gain skills and Skill Advancement Units (SAU for short). If you have blocked Skills from collecting resources, you can now unblock them with SAU at the Skill Advancement Terminal.
You can also, if desired, join or create a society or corporation, craft at terminals, and use the Market Terminal to buy and sell items and resources.
If you paid for your citizenship using AWD, there will be a RIC waiting for you in the Office Building to the north of the revival pad and storage building. Talk to the Sergeant on the first floor to pick it up.
Map and Zones
The map changes as new zones come and go, but there is a map of the current zones as we know them. If you press "O" on your keyboard, your current location will be displayed.
If you enter a zone for the first time, the team, society, and/or corporation chats (if you are part of any of these) will not work until you visit the Retransmitter in that zone.
You can set you own map markers on the in-game map to find places again by opening the Map and clicking the Control Panel button (or by clicking the right-most red button above the radar), then New. You can choose from any of the symbol types and colors, then type in any text and click the OK button. Once created, the marker will always show on your map unless to "de-select" any or all of the symbol types at the top of the Control Panel window.
Saransk is another town like Quarantine Zone A1, but it and all of its terminals are fully functional. It is also the home of many Societies. Lots of trading and crafting occur in this zone, where PvP is not possible and there are no creatures.
All of the other Saransk zones (N, NW, W, SW, S, and E) look similar and are PvP-free, but have a different types of creatures and underground mining resources. Good zones in which beginners can hunt many small Creatures are Saransk N and Saransk W.
The Deadly Forest and Turfary B zones have thick forests full of creatures and underground mining.
Chemy 25 is a dangerous place to go to. The air will kill you unless you are wearing a Gas-mask Mil with a gas mask filter. If you are not, you may die, in which case you will have to be rescued by a friend or society member with Anti Toxic Shots. On the far side of Chemy 25 you will find Zone TL1, which looks like a moonscape with many volcanoes, large creatures, and requires lots and lots of running.
To the west of Saransk W you will find a group of zones including Desert Peak, Skull Valley, Frozen Anomalies, and Snow-covered Frontier. These zones are connected to each other from south to north. Going from the south to the north you will find both an increase in damage dealt by mobs, and a decrease in temperature. Far to the north, the mobs are very large and the air is very, very cold. You will need some help to get in and out of the final zone (Snow-covered Fontier) until you become a high-level AfterWorlder.
Labyrinth of Death is a very dangerous maze. We recommend only going there with several experienced citizens.
Professions
Sometimes you need a job to make a few AWD. Well the following professions are part of what your fellow citizens do on a daily basis:
- Miner - Both above and below ground, metals and minerals are some of the most needed crafting items in game. See the Mining tutorial for more information about mining.
- Hunter - Yep killing creatures is always fun, but in AfterWorld they also give some very valuable items needed by crafters! See the Hunting tutorial for more information about hunting.
- Medic - He or she can offer medic services to a hunter who wants to hunt something bigger than his own Heal Kit is capable of handling alone.
- Crafter - Crafting is not as simple as clicking, as each CD is complicated and contains multiple items and other CDs to successfully complete. The benefit? All items crafted are limited and must be repaired and/or re-bought when they break. So crafters are ALWAYS in need. You can craft Weapons, Armour, Tools, Clothing, and a lot of different Components needed to craft the other items. See the Crafting tutorial for more information about the crafting process.
- Reseller - Although the game has a market, many players are out in the middle of nowhere, busy with their own tasks. Citizens are needed to purchase items and resell them out in the far reaches of the AW zones.
- Courier - Items have to be moved, but some are very, very precious. Licensed couriers are hired to move the most valuable cargo (noobots) and they receive payment from the AW government.
- Noob Helper - Yes those poor noobs in Quarantine Zone A1 need information and resources to get them their citizenship. Helping them feels good but is also a great method of gathering resources. Maybe you can help a noob today!
- Rescue Squad - Some of the creatures can really pack a punch and some do a very good job of preventing your escape. Rescue squads move around in AW helping out citizens for a kind thank you and the excitement of the battle.
- Police Squad (not yet implemented) - Yes its true, you too can save the world .. ahh, well .. you can make sure anyone being bad gets what's coming to them. The AW Police squad is in charge of checking on citizen requests for help and problems in-game.
- Cartographer - Record a useful map containing key points (terminals in cities, gates, places of interest, etc) on it and sell it to interested citizens.
What else is there? You tell us! We want to know what job you have in the AfterWorld!
Have Fun in Afterworld!
