Moving around the universe

How do I Dock?

Look for the S on the HUD and fly towards that.
When you get to the station look for the docking bay indicated by the blue triangles at the entrance.
Slowly approach the bay and when you are in the opening you will be given the command to dock.
Press the activate key to dock. (enter/return by default)

The dock with the solid blue force field is not the dock you enter to get into the station. It is the exit bay you fly out of when leaving the station. Do NOT attempt to enter the exit bay. Other ships may exit and crash into you and you will take damage from the force field and can be destroyed if you attempt it.

How do I Jump/Warp?

There are 2 different types of jumps, in system jumps and out of system warps

In-System Jumps

These jumps are made between sectors and require 3000m of distance between your ship and any large gravitational object in the area. At the bottom of your HUD you will see a distance readout that will turn blue when you are at a safe jumping distance. Please be aware that other ships in the area won't affect your 3000m requirements.

Go to the Navigation map (n by default).
Click on the sector you wish to jump into
When you are at 3000m select "Jump".
If you are not at 3000m close the nav map and fly your ship to a spot that has 3000m of clearance.
You can then press the activate key to complete the jump

Out of System Warps

These warps are made between systems and require a wormhole and a fully charged battery. In the 'sector' section of the navigation screen, find a square with a swirly blue circle. The swirly blue circle is the symbol that indicates there is a wormhole in that sector.

Go to the Navigation map (n by default).
Click on the Universe Map to show the different systems.
Click on the system you wish to jump into.
Select "zoom to system."
Click on the sector you want to go to in the new system. The Navigation computer will automatically enter the wormhole sequence you will have to follow to reach the selected system. This will be marked for you as a moving green line on the map.
Jump to a sector with the proper wormhole.
Fly to the wormhole in the sector. The wormhole appears as crosshairs on the HUD. Under the crosshairs is a distance indicator that shows how close you are to the wormhole jump area.
Once you enter the warp area you will be told to press the activate key to complete the warp. You must have a full battery in order to complete the warp. You will be reminded if you try to warp on a discharged battery.

What is the blue bar at the bottom of my screen showing?

See Location.

Help! I can't jump!

There are three things to check if you are unable to jump.

Are you at least 3000m away from any gravitational objects? When you reach 3000m you should have a message near the bottom of your HUD.
Have you selected a location to jump to? Check you navigation map to see if you have a new sector selected. You should see a flashing green line pointing to the sector you want to jump into. If there is not another sector selected check to see if you've already jumped into the desired sector.
You are in an ion storm and have to reach the storm exit before you can jump out of the sector. If you have reached the Storm Exit and you still can't jump, the Storm is in the sector you want to jump to. You will have to set a new destination and then jump.

Why do I have to get to 3000m?

According to the Vendetta back story you need to be at least 3000m away from all large objects. Large objects interfere with the navigational computer and make your jump fail. A special limiter is built into each ship to prevent this from happening. Flying towards a dark area is usually a good idea but sometimes you will need to make several course adjustments. Remember dark asteroids blend into the background of space so what appears to be empty space may actually contain asteroids.

Ion (Warp) Storms

What is an Ion Storm and why do I keep ending up in them?

Ion storms, also called warp storms, are a daily hazard for all space pilots. These storms interfere with the normal operation of the engines. To jump out of a storm you must find the "storm exit" Indicated by a green "+" on your HUD.

How do you know if you are in a storm?

Ion storms interfere with the jump computer and you will be notified when your ship is pulled into an ion storm. If no matter how much you fly around the meter thing reads a solid 0m you are either flying in circles around an asteroid, or you're in a storm! There will also be ions everywhere giving a rain-like effect.

How do I avoid storms and stay safe when in a storm?

Ion storms usually last for only a few hours but they can be very deadly. These storms are favorite hangouts for pirates and rogue bots.

Some ways to stay alive when you are caught in a storm

Learn to bob and weave while flying.
Use turbo to get out of the storm as quickly as possible.
When you realize you are entering a storm prepare to orientate yourself to the storm exit (green plus on HUD) in a hurry.
Use the select nearest target key to alert you to approaching bots
Keep and eye on your radar for hostiles (red dots)

While using the Navigation computer to plot out your course is a great convenience, the standard jump path is the shortest distance between the two sectors. The risk of using the standard jump path is that you often jump across and into storms. Pilots may avoid some storms by using the more time consuming method of plotting a course of shorter jumps around active storms and asteroid belts.

Help! I'm unable to jump out of a storm!

If you have reached the "storm exit" but are unable to leave the storm, check your navigation map. If the storm is in your final destination sector the navigation computer will not let you jump out of the sector. Selecting a new destination sector should correct this problem.

How do I Backup/Fly Backwards?

You can actually fight while backing up. You must be in physics mode (use the ' key to toggle modes) and decelerate (the s key on keyboard). This is generally called backpedaling. You can't turbo in reverse. This maneuver is impossible in arcade mode.

How do I avoid getting shot?

Use the strafe keys and roll keys to avoid getting hit. The default keys are "a&d" for left/right, "r&f" for up/down and "q&e" for left/right rolls.

Economy

Cargo

How do I Pick up Cargo?

Look for the purple dots on your radar screen. Fly over the green crates to automatically pick up the cargo. If you don't have room in your cargo hold, you will fly right thought the cargo.

How do I Know What the Cargo is?

You can check out what is in a cargo crate before you pick it up if you select it using "b" to get more information. A description of the object you've selected should be on the right side of your HUD. If you press k (or whatever you have bound to bring up the character information screen) with a cargo crate targeted, you will get even more information.

How do I Drop Cargo?

Pressing "j" to jettison the cargo works in space. You can select the cargo and how many crates you want to drop.

How do I Get/Make Money?

The major methods for making money are scavenging, trading, and missions. However, you can also get credits from another player.

Scavenging

When a bot is destroyed it usually drops a bit of cargo. This cargo can be picked up by flying over the cargo container (green glowing box). Cargo can then be sold at stations to earn credits.

Trading

Vendetta has a dynamic economy that are based on the laws of supply and demand. The various stations have different purposes and as a result they have the ability to provide and produce different goods. If you can deliver goods that the station is unable to produce you can earn a profit on the trade. Basic trade rules

Buy low, sell high. Learn what really is a good price for your cargo. Keep track of what you paid for the cargo and how much the station is willing to pay to buy it.
Know your customers. Mining stations produce plenty of ores but lack creature comforts. Research stations need technology and refined materials for their projects. Military stations use technology to create weapons and ships.
Don't saturate the market. The rarer the item, the more it is worth. Items that haven't been sold to the station in a long time will have a higher price.

Missions

Trading missions give you a task to complete. The tasks range from delivering a single data pad to another station to finding special ore and bringing it back to the station. Successful completion of missions will give you credits and trading experience. It also opens up new types of mission on the mission tree. When flying trade missions take advantage of extra cargo space to add items to sell for profit along the way.

Transferring credits between players.

/givemoney "<playername>" amount

Both players (giver and receiver) need to be in the same sector

Where should I set my home station?

Your home station determines where you reenter the game if you are killed. The default settings allow you to repurchase your ship and equipment. However, if your home station doesn't sell the equipment you won't get it back! This means choose your home station carefully and make sure it sells the weapons and ships you want to use.

What do stations really want to trade?

All stations will buy your cargo. However some stations will pay you more for your cargo than others. If the station manufactures the cargo themselves, you will not get trade XP and you may be paid less for your cargo than at a station that doesn't make that cargo. Here are some generalizations about the needs of stations in Vendetta. Remember that the economy is dynamic so these are just observations not solid rules.

What Stations are Buying <X>?

Mining stations often want creature comforts (textiles, consumer electronics, luxury goods, etc)
Manufacturing stations often want ores and some products (plastics, steel, wood, chemicals, dyes, etc)
Research stations often want some products and technology (ion cores, cooling system, microtech replicator, etc)
Military Barracks stations often want weapons components (targeting systems, cooling systems, etc) and other technology

Also check the News System for "Daily Trade Report" and "Items in Demand" postings.

What Stations are Selling <X>?

Mining stations often sell ores of varying quality.
Manufacturing stations often sell some products and some technology
Research stations often sell weapons components and high tech goods.
Military Barracks stations often sell better weapons and combat ships.

How Does the Economy Work?

The Vendetta economy is a dynamic economy. This means that as items are sold to a station the demand and price for that item will go down. If an item is constantly sold to a station the price will continue to drop until it is no longer profitable to sell to that station. When it is no longer profitable to sell to a station most players stop selling that item. As time passes without receiving the item, the price will gradually increase. The longer a station goes without an item the higher the price. It is possible to store cargo in stations and to sell them in lots of 120. Many traders will fill up their station with cargo and then sell it in large lots to maximize profits while minimizing the price depression.

Combat

Is PVP Allowed?

YES!

However, PvP is supposed to be consensual. Attacking pilots near stations is not allowed and carries severe RP consequences. Strike forces will be deployed to destroy aggressors in station monitored space. Be aware that killing pilots without consent may alter your faction standing. If your faction standing drops too low, you will be labeled KOS (Kill on Sight) and squadrons of bots will be deployed to attack and kill you if you enter that faction's monitored space.

If a pilot wanders away from monitored space, they are running the risk of being engaged in PvP. These pilots should be prepared to fight or flee any time they leave monitored space. Pilots are encouraged to form convoys or fly in groups for protection when traveling in unmonitored space.

How do I duel a Member of my Own Faction?

If you want to practice your PvP without having to find someone of a different faction you can request a duel. To duel you need to use the /duel command.

How do I Shoot Other Ships?

Select the ship you want to shoot by pressing "x" to target the closest ship that is considered hostile (red dots), or use "b" to target what your aiming reticule is pointing at (does not matter if it is hostile or friendly). Note that some players may actually be hostile and still show up as green on your radar, and will not be targeted when you press "x".

How do I Join/Form a Group?

There are advantages to working in a group. First, groups have a special chat box just for the group. Group chat can only be heard by members of the group. Second, group members are able to see the health of other members without having to target them so you can help each other out. Third, groups have special missions available only to groups.

You can get help on how to create & join groups by typing "/group" by itself (without the quotes).

How do I do the Beginner Combat Mission?

The beginner combat mission is designed to help you build basic flying and combat skills. In this mission, you are given a choice of bot to hunt down and kill. You will earn bonus XP for killing multiple bots in a row. The more bots you kill in a row, the greater the bonuses. When you earn a new license level, the bots you now have to kill to earn XP will be harder. Pay attention to the names of the bots on the combat list in order to get the most bonus XP. The mission can be ended at any time by pressing "m" and following the directions from the mission computer. You can repeat the mission as many times as you want until you reach license level 3 in Combat Piloting.

How do I do the Advanced Combat Mission?

After combat license level 3, pilots are assigned to the advanced combat mission. You are given a list of Assault and Guardian bots to find and destroy. You can kill any bot on the list and as many of each bot as you want. You will earn bonus XP for killing multiple bots (it starts at 4 bots). The size of your bonus is based on the difficulty of the bots you killed.

There are many different approaches to hunting and destroying the advanced bots. Here are some suggestions from seasoned pilots:

Try out different ship/weapon combos.
Remember, the greater the ship mass, the lower the maneuverability.
Don't assume Apu-5's are the easiest bots to kill. Try a TyCorp Assault.
Watch for bots that come in pairs. Make sure you know where each bot is and don't end up in a bot sandwich.
Don't fight fair. Sneak up on bots and blast them from behind.
Lure bots out to >3000m and set a destination, allowing you to run if things turn bad.
Strafe in a random pattern instead of just one direction. Turn off flight assist.
Match the size of your battery and the energy use of your weapons.
Practice your skills in a duel.
Ask for a mentor!

Equipment and Ships

What Nation/Ship/Weapon is The Best?

Vendetta is a twitch based game so the best ship is the one flown by the best pilot. Higher levels enable your character to buy better ships and weapons, and also take more interesting missions, but a skilled lower level player could still easily kill a higher level non-skilled player. This is due to the combat system of Vendetta, ie. real-time "twitch" based, rather than a "dice rolling" based combat system. Combat is a large part of the Vendetta universe, but it is still possible to play as a trader, (almost) avoiding combat altogether.

As you demonstrate your skill as a pilot and trader, you will be granted licenses to more complex and powerful equipment.

The missions specialize so one type of ship does have an advantage over another. There are small, agile ships that work well in combat and huge, lumbering cargo ships for traders with a wide range in between.

Pilots have choices: they can choose to specialize in one style of fighting and ship which may limit the missions they can complete or a pilot could own an assortment of ships and try to match the ship to the task at hand. A player may even decide to avoid certain missions all together because they don't match that pilot's flying style or in-game goals.

How/When do I Get <X> Weapon/Ship?

As an untested pilot you are only eligible for an EC-88 or an EC-98 with a basic energy weapon. Unfortunately, when you start you have no credits and the EC-98 costs credits so the EC-88 is the only choice.

There is a color-picker that allows you to choose the color of your ship and is located down at your bottom right. Choose the color you want and then click the 'buy' button

Equipment and ships available to pilots holding the next license level will be shown in the "BUY" menu. Equipment and trade goods are in the main "BUY" menu. Ships are in a secondary menu, "Buy Ship" button on lower right side of the main "BUY" menu.

You need to earn experience to prove you can handle the more complex and powerful equipment. Different experience is required for different equipment. For example to get a ship with a large cargo hold you need to demonstrate you have experience in trading. To get a stronger battery you need to demonstrate you have combat experience.

How do I Buy New Equipment?

You can buy ship equipment anytime you have the required licenses and enough credits (note that not all stations sell all equipment). However, you need to equip the new equipment to use it. If you do not equip something after you buy it, it will remain in the station hold where you bought it.

How do I Equip New Equipment?

All ships come with a powercell port but the number of S-ports and L-ports varies. To check the port availability on your ship:

Click on the "ship" tab in the station interface.
Select any weapon you might have equipped that you want to replace.
Click the "unequip" button below the equipment inventory window. The weapon slot you selected should now read "EMPTY"
Go to the "buy" tab in the station interface and buy the equipment you want to add. If you have the credits and proper license you will purchase the equipment and it will be automatically installed in your ship.

How do I Swap Equipment?

Select the weapon that you want to replace.
Select the equipment in the equipment inventory window you want to swap in.
Click on "equip"

Where do I Get <X> Ship or Equipment?

The availability of equipment varies depending on your license levels, faction standing and the station you are docked at. Different stations will stock different types of equipment. Combat ships- military bases and barracks tend to carry the best selection of combat ships and weapons. Trade ships- manufacturing stations tend to carry the best selection of ships with large cargo holds.

What is The Black Market and Where do I Find it?

In certain unaligned systems, the stations there are not as strict about license levels when selling weapons and equipment. It is possible to go to these stations and purchase weapons you are usually ineligible for in your home system. Corvus Prime is known for its Black Market weapons and batteries. However, be prepared to pay a high cost for these items and if you die you may not be able to get the item replaced without a bit of a hassle. Also flying into the unaligned systems can be very dangerous so beware of the pirates!

How do I Get More Missiles for my Launcher?

To get more missiles you need to dock at a station. Then choose the ammo menu and buy additional missiles.

How do I Repair my Ship?

Your HUD will display a visual indicator of the status of your ship. When your ship is damaged, you have to return to a station before it can be repaired. When docked at a station, your ship is automatically repaired.

There is a Repair Module that can be equipped in a Large Weapon slot. This attachment fires a cloud of repair nanites that can repair a certain amount of damage to any ship in the cloud. It is common courtesy to offer a payment in thanks to other pilots repairing your ship in this manner.

How Does the Mass of my Ship Change How it Flies?

The mass of your ship together with the thrust provided by your engines determines your acceleration. Higher thrust and/or lower mass results in greater acceleration, which allows you to increase or decrease your speed, or change the direction you are moving in less time.

Licenses and Experience

How Do I Get Experience/Skill Points?

"Missions and general combat" is the short answer. The long answer?

The basic combat mission is good for earning Combat, Light Weapon and Heavy Weapon experience. However, you may want to run the mission for a long time because you need to kill over 50 bots in a row, without dying, to earn the maximum experience bonuses.

The cargo transport and reconnaissance/spy missions are good for earning Trade experience as well as Combat experience in the later ones. These are on a mission tree so completing different missions will open up different opportunities for future missions.

The prospecting missions are good for earning Mining experience. These are also on a mission tree. If you complete the tree, you are awarded a special badge.

Missions are not the only source of skill points. Pilots can also earn Light Weapon or Heavy Weapon experience by killing bots outside of a mission. You can also get Combat experience for killing players with equal or higher level than yourself. You also gain Trading experience by selling a trade good to a station that does not produce that item. Mining various types of ores rewards you with different amounts of Mining experience.

Where Can I Get A Mission?

You have to dock at a station and then click on the mission menu.
Choose the type of mission you are interested in completing.
Click on the mission title to select it.
After the mission is selected click on Info to read more information about the requirements of the mission.
Accept the mission to start it. Decline the mission if you don't want to do it.
Once you have accepted a mission, only that mission will appear on the missions menu of stations. You will need to complete it or abort it before other missions will become available again. You can only work on one mission at a time. (Note: Aborting a Trade Mission will result in loss of standing with that faction.)

Different missions will offer different types and amounts of experience. You will have to try out the missions for yourself to see which ones give what types of rewards.

What Does 0/0/0/0/0 Mean?

The notation 0/0/0/0/0 is the shorthand for your current license levels. It is in the form of: Combat / Light Weapons / Heavy Weapons / Trading & Commerce / Mining. For example a 4/3/2/1/0 means you have a level 4 Combat license, level 3 Light Weapon license, level 2 Heavy Weapon license, a level 1 Trade/Commerce license, and a level 0 Mining license.

What Does License Requirements Mean?

As an example, when you see -/1/-/-/- in the required licenses area it represents the minimum license levels you need in each area to purchase the item. The dash (-) means there's no minimum requirement, or that you already meet the minimum requirement. A number means you need to have at least that level. So in this example (-/1/-/-/-) you only need license level 1 in Light Weapons to purchase the item.

How Do I Level Up?

Once you have earned enough experience points you automatically receive the next license level. You can check how much experience you have earned by looking at the character info screen (the 'k' key by default while you are in space, or under Character Info in the station interface).

For example:

Combat Piloting License: 0 (240/2000)

0 = Your current license level
240 = Your current "score" in the Combat Piloting category
2000 = The "score" required to achieve the next highest level

You will automatically earn the license for the next level when you have enough XP.

How Much XP Do I Need?

You can check it out in your character info, k for out of station, character info button in the character info tab for in station. There will be some information like this:

Combat 0 (1234/2000)

On the left is the skill and current level. The left number of the right part is your current experience, the right number is the experience needed for your next level.

License Requirement Levels

Level 1: 1000
Level 2: 3500
Level 3: 7000
Level 4: 16520
Level 5: 26375
Level 6: 41563
Level 7: 64345
Level 8: 98518
Level 9: 149773
Level 10: 226660
Level 11: 341990

There is no limit (other than time) to how high a license level can be attained.

How Do I Find Out My Character Info?

When flying in space, you can use k to find out information about yourself and other pilots. If you want to see your personal statistics, you have to make sure you have nothing targeted then press k. If you want to see information about another player, you can target them with b and then press k to see their information.

When in a station, you can check your information by clicking on the character info menu. You will be given a listing of your inventory at the current station and all cargo and ships stored in other stations. On the lower right side is a small button labelled Char Info. Click on it to see your personal statistics.

Chat

How do I Chat With People?

There are 7 different types of chat available in Vendetta. From the most public to the most private: channel, sector, bar, guild, group, and private message. The seventh is chatting with the message bot.

To chat to a channel press "t". Note that older versions of the default configuration used "T". To select a channel you need to use the /join command.
To chat to the sector press "T". Note that older versions of the default configuration used "t".
To chat with the Bar, you need to dock in a station and click on the "Bar" tab.
To chat to your Guild, press "G". You must be a member of a guild to use this chat.
To chat with your group, press "g". You must be a member of a group to use this chat.
To chat with the mission bot, you press "m". You must have an active mission in order for the bot to respond.

How do I Send a Private Message?

To send a private message use /msg "name" with the player's name in quotes. If you press "TAB" in an empty chat line, it will automatically fill in a private message addressed to the last player that sent you a private message.

How do I Switch Chat Tabs?

You can change chat tabs by going to the navigation menu and clicking on the tab you want. You can also use the keyboard shortcuts "!" (shift + 1) to switch to the General tab and "@" (shift+ 2) to switch to the Mission tab. Pressing "t", "T", and "m" to chat with a channel, the sector, or the mission bot will also switch to the appropriate tab.

How do I Hail a Player?

You can hail a player by selecting them and pressing "h". Many NPCs will talk back to you when you hail them. You can set a personal hail in the options menu.

What Are the Channels?

     1 : New Player Help Channel
    11 : Nation chat (you can only see the text from members of your nation)
    33 : MMORPG Discussions
    69 : Planetside players channel
    70 : German chat
    97 : Windows Users Channel
    98 : Linux Users Channel
    99 : Apple Macintosh Users Channel
   100 : General Chat
   101 : French
   102 : Russian
   103 : Spanish
   104 : Dutch chat channel
   111 : Help Channel (in case channel 1 is overloaded)
   201 : Itani Convoy Transmissions (not for chat)
   202 : Serco Convoy Transmissions (not for chat)
   411 : EnB Event Channel
   444 : TGFT public recruitment channel
   700 : Political (US) Discussion
   701 : Platform wars!
   911 : Emergency Channel
  1337 : Off-topic chat channel
  4357 : The Viper Hotline / Pirate Report Broadcast System
123567 : SCAR Recruitment Channel. Serco Cadre of Armed Renegades

Miscellaneous

Does Pirating Work in This Game?

The traditional modes of piracy work like these:

Scenario 1

Pirate: YAR!! Drop ye cargo or be destroyed ye lilly livered roid farmer!!
Trader: Go screw yourself!
Pirate: AVAST!!
(Rockets fly, trader blows up, pirate takes cargo.)
Trader: Fsck!
Pirate: Ye were warned!!

Scenario 2

Pirate: YAR!! Drop ye cargo or be destroyed ye lilly livered roid farmer!!
Trader: Whatever you say pirate sir.
(Jettisons cargo, pirate takes what he can fit. Trader goes on his merry way.)
Pirate: Pleasure doin' business with ye.
Trader: *mutters*Go screw yourself.*mutters*

Scenario 3

Pirate: YAR!! Drop ye cargo or be destroyed ye lilly livered roid farmer!!
Trader: Make me.
Pirate: Yar!
(Rockets fly, pirate ship goes boom.)
Trader: Ha ha!

Scenario 4

Pirate: <silence>
(Afterburners engaged, Rockets flying)
Trader: WTF is tha.....
(trader blows up, pirate takes cargo.)
Trader: Fsck, you suck!

Scenario 5

Pirate: YAR!! Give me money if ye want to live!
Trader: <silence> <keeps flying>
Pirate: <pursues, fires, lands a few shots>
Trader: <silence> <warps out of system>
Pirate: <pirate sulks and struggles with feelings of inadequacy>

As far as profit goes, piracy is not very good. It takes a very smart and patient pirate to actually make a profit from it, and even then it pales in comparison to what a good trader can get. You have to choose your targets wisely and pick the fights you know you can win.

Why Does The First Ship Look Like a Bus?

When you are mass producing an item to be given away to people you often have to sacrifice quality for quantity. For the beginning pilot the EC class ships offer the chance to learn from your mistakes without spending a fortune. If your ship explodes you can get a free replacement. However, as soon as you earn a combat license you will have access to better looking and performing ships.

Can You Land on Planets?

Not at this time. Also, please note that this topic has been discussed in depth and it is unlikely that this will happen.

What Happens When You Reach The Edge of The Sector?

You technically cannot reach the edges because the sectors are infinitely large. You could keep on flying forever but there is nothing to see out there. There is no reason to go out that far unless you are a true hermit.

Is it possible to achieve Pillar of Society status with the independent factions?

Not at this time.

How can I Contact The Developers?

You can easily contact them at their email addresses.

John "incarnate" Bergman - [1]

Ray "Raybondo" Ratelis - [2]

Andy "a1k0n" Sloane - [3]

~~Waylon "El Guapo (or) Vlad" Brinck - [4]~~

FAQ