ENGINEERING / VISUAL FIELD GUIDE
Become useful at the engineering console
Read the ship, coordinate power and keep the crew informed.
01
STEP 1 OF 10
Walk the ship before the emergency
Locate the engineering console, component access, relays and escape route before departure. On small ships, management is primarily through MFDs; larger interiors can support a dedicated engineer.
Our crew drill: the pilot names a system, the engineer finds it and reports back. Practise without combat first.
- 1
Walk the ship before taking a job
Separate controls: F Ask the owner to show the engineering console, accessible components, relays, repair supplies and exit routes. Interact with the console while the ship is safely stationary.
What you should seeYou can reach the equipment you are expected to service without asking for directions during an emergency.
CIG Engineering Gameplay Guide, includes 4.8 availabilityThat did not happen
If a component is not physically accessible, plan around that limitation. A console diagram is not a doorway.
Repair tool and RMCSpare fusesFire extinguisherSealed suit
Read the complete guide as text
The same published instructions in one readable view. Use the steps above for controls and practice panels.
Walk the ship before the emergency
Locate the engineering console, component access, relays and escape route before departure. On small ships, management is primarily through MFDs; larger interiors can support a dedicated engineer.
Our crew drill: the pilot names a system, the engineer finds it and reports back. Practise without combat first.
Walk the ship before taking a job
Ask the owner to show the engineering console, accessible components, relays, repair supplies and exit routes. Interact with the console while the ship is safely stationary.
Expected result: You can reach the equipment you are expected to service without asking for directions during an emergency.
If it did not work: If a component is not physically accessible, plan around that limitation. A console diagram is not a doorway.
Name the component behind the symptom
Power plants supply power; coolers manage component temperature; shields provide protection; radar identifies nearby signatures. Weapons consume their assigned resources. The failing feature and its underlying component are related, but they are not the same observation.
Make a baseline before launch
SC Nomads comparison drill
Record your ship variant, fitted weapons, visible power allocations and healthy status. Keep the same view available for the next practice step.
Expected result: You have a reference to compare with a failure.
If it did not work: Do this while parked. If the screen is unfamiliar, ask the owner to identify one known component before changing anything.
Separate fitting from saving an insured loadout
The Alpha 4.8 notes changed the flow: VMA customizes ships stored at your location; ASOP saves the loadout snapshot. Fitting a part in VMA is not the insurance-save step.
Customize the local stored ship
mobiGlas > Vehicle Manager
At the location holding the ship and parts, open Vehicle Manager, select the stored ship and its intended slot, then inspect the offered compatible items. Apply the intended customization and recheck the slot.
Expected result: The intended component is fitted to the intended ship.
If it did not work: Check location, slot size and available item before replacing anything else. Do not assume a more expensive part fits.
Save the retrieved configuration
ASOP > retrieved ship > save icon
After retrieving and checking the configured ship, use the ASOP save icon. Inspect its confirmation. A new snapshot replaces the previous one.
Expected result: The intended configuration is the saved snapshot.
If it did not work: A later insured claim excludes ammunition and missiles. Plan a separate rearm; do not treat an insured ship as automatically stocked.
Use the console to establish a baseline
The console exposes ship layout, configuration and presets. Read health, available power and system demand before changing anything.
Record your normal configuration. Change one allocation at a time and tell the pilot what you changed so a lost shield or weapon is not mistaken for enemy damage.
Read a problem in the Rooms view
Open the console's Rooms view. Locate the damaged or unhealthy area and compare it with your physical position. Tell the pilot which system or room is affected.
Expected result: Your report names a place and condition rather than only saying the ship is broken.
If it did not work: If the display is unfamiliar, identify one known room first. Avoid changing every system while trying to discover what the colors mean.
Change one setting and observe it
With the pilot's agreement, inspect Config or the available power presets. Change only the setting needed for the current problem and watch the resulting power or temperature state.
Expected result: The intended system improves without silently removing power from something the crew needs.
If it did not work: If another system becomes unavailable, report it and restore the prior setting before attempting another change.
Change one power allocation and read the result
Power allocation has both system minimums and a finite pool. More demand than the weapon pool supports can leave a fitted weapon greyed out. A bigger power plant alone is not proof that every loadout will work.
Increase weapon allocation one step
Flight - Power > Weapons - Increase. Latest inspected CIG default: 4.9 LIVE, compared with 4.10 PTU. Your saved input may differ.
While safely stationary, note the weapon allocation, tap once and compare the display.
Expected result: You can identify the changed allocation.
If it did not work: If nothing changes, stop and inspect mode, pool limits and current inputs. Do not mash the key.
Restore the assigned baseline
Flight - Power > Reset Assignments. Latest inspected CIG default: 4.9 LIVE, compared with 4.10 PTU. Your saved input may differ.
Use Reset Assignments after the experiment, then compare against your recorded state.
Expected result: You can tell whether reset restored the expected allocation.
If it did not work: Reset is not a repair, and it is not proof that a custom crew preset was restored. Report any remaining difference.
- Other inspected allocation inputs
- Tap F6 increases engines; tap F7 increases shields. Left Alt with F5/F6/F7 decreases the matching allocation. Use one change at a time.
Field note: Different input? Open Options > Keybindings, choose your device, then Advanced Controls Customization. Read the named action before changing it. Submit corrections through this guide’s normal edit proposal.
Check mode before diagnosing a silent weapon
SCM and NAV are master modes. The HUD also identifies an operator mode, such as guns or scanning. NAV is for travel and restricts combat systems; switching back requires a transition.
Read the mode transition
Cycle Master Mode (Long Press). Latest inspected CIG default: 4.9 LIVE, compared with 4.10 PTU. Your saved input may differ.
Check the HUD label before and after changing master mode. For a controlled weapons check, wait for SCM and its available systems.
Expected result: The HUD confirms the intended master mode.
If it did not work: Do not switch blindly during danger. Read the transition and current status.
Choose the intended operator mode
Next Operator Mode. Latest inspected CIG default: 4.9 LIVE, compared with 4.10 PTU. Your saved input may differ.
Cycle once, read the label and continue only when the intended gun mode is active. In a permitted practice setting, left mouse fires the selected weapon preset.
Expected result: The selected mode and weapon preset match the task.
If it did not work: Check mode, weapon power and ammunition before blaming the firing input. A gunner’s controls belong to that occupied station.
Compare protection, contacts and scans separately
SC Nomads drill: record shield status, armor/health status and the contacts you can identify before a trip. Do not interpret an empty contact list as proof that a route is safe.
Inspect a contact without firing
Toggle Scanning Mode. Latest inspected CIG default: 4.9 LIVE, compared with 4.10 PTU. Your saved input may differ.
Enter scanning mode, aim at the object you intend to inspect and hold left mouse for the scan. Read the returned identification.
Expected result: You can name the object the scan actually identified.
If it did not work: A mode switch is not a completed scan. Check aim, range and target identity, then return to the mode your next task needs.
Report the missing reading
SC Nomads fault report
If shields or radar appear wrong, report the exact missing reading, active mode and last change. Ask the engineer to compare with the baseline.
Expected result: The crew has a specific fault to investigate.
If it did not work: The 4.10.2 advisory identifies a Drake Command Module radar fault with an undock/redock workaround, and an Idris-P laser-shield fault without a listed workaround. Neither establishes a universal fix for all ships.
Communicate the consequence, then act
Suggested callout: “Shield system damaged, repairing, request disengagement.” This tells the pilot what matters and what you are doing.
Keep the route to the damaged system clear. Assign a second engineer a distinct area or task so both people do not abandon the console for the same component.
Assign diagnosis and hands-on work separately
Read the console, name the failing component or relay, then send an engineer with the appropriate tool or spare. Tell the pilot when you leave a station unattended.
Expected result: The person doing the repair knows the target, access route and intended result.
If it did not work: Do not send two people to change unrelated settings without coordination. Recheck the console after each intervention.
- Ship layout learned
- Normal status checked
- Damage communicated
- Change verified
- Relay
- A point in the ship power network that uses fuses. A fuse problem is not repaired by spraying every component with RMC.
- Station
- The occupied seat or console that exposes particular controls. A solo pilot cannot operate a remote repair station while still flying from the cockpit.
Service the ship and verify the result
Weapon ammunition, ship damage and fuel are separate service needs. A successful arrival does not mean each has been replenished.
Use Landing Services from the pilot seat
mobiGlas > Landing Services
After landing at a location offering services, remain in the pilot seat. Choose the required repair, restock and fuel options, then Confirm. Recheck ammunition and system state after completion.
Expected result: The requested supplies or condition have changed.
If it did not work: If the app or result is wrong, note the location and state before buying repeatedly. An icon change alone is not proof of a successful refill.
- Correct fitted ship
- Saved loadout deliberately checked
- Ammo and fuel inspected
- Current mode understood
- Crew informed of remaining faults
Before you commit
The official guide distinguishes basic, partial and fuller engineering implementations across ships. A flyable hull does not prove every physical component is accessible.
The guide also marks the full wear-and-tear system as future work. Do not treat every described future mechanic as active in your build.
Sources & guide information
Sources checked 14 Oct 2026; dated latest-known controls. Submit build-specific corrections through peer review.. Reference information, not a claim of current-patch playtesting.
CIG Engineering Gameplay Guide, includes 4.8 availabilityCIG Welcome Back Pilot: released features and dated eventsCIG input data via Subliminal: 4.9 LIVE cl12248363; 4.10 PTU comparison, 22 Aug 2026CIG peripheral keybindings, updated 17 Feb 2026CIG Alpha 4.8: ASOP loadout recovery and Vehicle Manager changes; checked 14 Oct 2026CIG Personal Inventory, updated 10 Jun 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026CIG Alpha 3.23: master/operator mode labels; controls compared with later input dataCIG Vehicle Maintenance Services, updated 28 Jul 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026CIG Alpha 4.10.2 Known Issues, updated 9 Oct 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026CIG Missing Ship and Personal Equipment, updated 28 Jul 2026