The Alters experience can be merciless if you are off to a bad start. Many new players will make mistakes in figuring out the tools of the game to various in-game mechanics that act like pieces of dominoes. Getting to the other day without your crew complaining or research drained to nothing will be a blessing in the game. And to help you do exactly that, we have compiled the best tips to get started in The Alters.
Carry x2 Suit Battery and Drill Cartridge for Exploration
One of the many frequent obstacles you will face in the game are the piles of rocks blocking your path, and cliffs that require a grappling hook that uses your suit’s energy. Having at least x2 Suit batteries and Drill Cartridges will help you get past most of the obstacles in the area. Even if you forgot to craft them, don’t worry, you can craft them almost anywhere in the game. Whenever you are outside the base, craft the item by using the Production tab. After a short while, you will get the item into your inventory.
Hunt for Goodies
When you are out exploring, always be on the lookout for destroyed spaceships. Here you will find suitcases filled with goodies. These goodies will not be materials or anything crafting-related; they can be gifted to any Alters in your base. This helps increase their mood, making them less anxious and more productive.
Quickly Build a Greenhouse
While creating plain mush in the Kitchen to feed the people in the base seems good at first, soon, people in your base will start complaining about the quality. If you ignore their complaints for too long, you will easily create a chain reaction that will make all the people turn rebellious. Focus on building a greenhouse, which allows you to create raw food. You can then take the raw food and cook a proper meal for the people in the kitchen. While feeding a proper cooked meal might not seem enough but trust me, it will save you from getting thrown out of the base. Not feeding the people will also put them at a higher risk of getting sick.
Overtime Work is not bad for you
You can always work beyond the time limit; you will take a long time to craft an item during overtime, but it is worth it. Your character doesn’t get sick or complain, you are your own boss. I didn’t face any negative consequences of working myself to exhaustion in the game; the next day, you will wake up around the same time, on the same bed. So always work beyond the proper time limit to get the stuff done, or at least get close to the finish line.
Always use the Shortcut for Crafting
Never go to the base to craft or research items in the Workshop, Refinery, Greenhouse or Kitchen. If you are outside of the base, open up the Tab menu and head to the Production tab to add any item you want to craft. While you will not be able to do the crafting manually, you can add the crafting task to a queue and assign an Alter or people to the work via the Assignment option. This will save you plenty of time in the game, so that you can focus on doing anything else.
Set up a Research Hub to Research New Technology
Focus on building a Research Lab as soon as possible, as almost all the major upgrades for your base are tied to the Research Lab. Also, the good thing is that starting a new research project via the Research Lab doesn’t come with the cost of materials, you just need to have a scientist on board.
A typical new research project will take around 6 to 10 hours to finish. You will get a notification once the research is completed. Just like crafting, you can quickly pull the Research tab via the Tab key and research any new technology without having to go to the hub in the base. This saves you plenty of time from heading into the base to carry out the tasks.
Prioritise in Unlocking the Scientist Alter
Speaking of research, one of the worst ways to begin the game is to fill up all three Alter spaces without a scientist on the list. Since you are running on a limited number of Alters at the beginning of the game, without the option to research will severely hinder your survival potential. The second Alter you should focus on is the scientist, who will work at the Research lab to upgrade your base with new tools and bases. Just get 20 Rapidium and head over to the Quantum Computer to create an Alter.
Have Radiation Filters in the Storage
If you have played Frostpunk, then you must be aware of the snowstorms and how they will probably ruin your base in a matter of days. In The Alters, the danger comes in the form of Magnetic Storms. These storms don’t last for long, but they drastically increase the radiation in the air. During Magnetic Storms, Radiation Filters run out of juice quicker than on an average day.
Hence, having a backup of Radiation Filters will help your crew stay healthy for a good amount of time. These storms also increase the potential of Rapidum research farming, so keeping the workers safe once they return to base after a day of work is a big help here.
Craft a good number of Repair Kits
Magnetic Storms can also jeopardise many of the buildings inside your base, leaving them useless and broken. Here, having repair kits will be incredibly helpful in fixing many of the problems before they ruin the base and bring down the mood of the people or Alters in your base. A single piece of repair kit only costs 10 metals, and make sure to keep plenty of them in the storage. In tough times, they will prove to be incredibly helpful in minimising the problem before it takes a larger shape.
Always Save Game & Go for Mock Runs
If you are not happy with the production for the day, or you found a new spot but it took you longer to find the area, then always load the previous save file. Loading the save file will put you at the beginning of that particular day, but you will have the advantage of knowing the places and secrets. We recommend that you always do a mock run when you land in a new area. Doing mock runs is a great way to find mining spots in the new area.
Finding the spots will take some time, mining spots are often far away from the main base. Once you have memorised the routes to the mining spots for Metal, Organic, Minerals, and Rapidum, load the previous save file and run to the spot immediately to save a huge amount of time for the day.
Spend time with Alters
Most times, you will be out of the loop on what to do in the game here; talking to the people or Alters in your base is the best way to figure out use the new tools and objectives. The game will not outright tell you about everything in its database. It forces you to talk to the people to know more about them and figure out most of the new tools, objectives, anomalies, and other details to make the game a bit easier. If you are feeling stuck, then talk to the alters; you will get a clue on what to do to continue the objective. A perfect time for mingling with the Alters would be after work schedule, even when you are sleepy, you can still hold a conversation with the Alters in your base.
Build Tons of Pylons and x5 Mining outposts for Fast Travel
Gather enough materials to build Pylons and Mining Outposts, which are a one-time purchase and the best investment in the game. You can always carry them to the next location without having to build them all over again. Whenever you enter a new area, look for a dig site for materials and put a mining outpost in the area and connect the outpost to the base via Pylons. The first day in any new area should always be setting up the mining outpost, then quickly you can assign the Alters on the outpost to start working on them.
