Gameplay Changes

Frackin' Universe reshapes Starbound from the ground up. Nearly every game mechanic is adjusted in some way.

You should start a -new- universe and character when installing FU, or you will not have a proper experience. Installing FU is a one-way trip, so you should backup your universe and character files if you want to be able to uninstall FU and play them again.

Please note: FU's tutorials assume familiarity with vanilla Starbound. If you haven't played vanilla it's recommended that you do so first, before installing FU or any other mods.

Major Changes

• Game Start - Early game options are extended substantially, allowing players to specialize their development into various areas. Enhance your early game progression with expanded farming and wood-based crafting options, new ways to feed and raise your farm animals, easier collection of water and so much more!
• Research System - A research system replacing the vanilla Starbound crafting/blueprint system. Players can explore a tech tree and choose whatever they wish to unlock as they progress through the game.
• Tile Effects - Surfaces can impact players in various ways, from slippery ice and sticky tar to more dangerous or unusual status ailments. Hard impacts on fragile materials such as mud and glass can break them.
• Crafting - Massively expanded, you'll find thousands of new craftable items of just about every sort.
• Madness - Investigating the bizarre and horrifying, and find yourself driven mad. There are remedies...but powerful and strange technologies can sprout from the minds of the insane...
• Mechs - Mechs function completely differently from vanilla and are more integrated into gameplay. You'll be able to activate Flight Mode on planets, mine reliably for hours with them, stomp on enemies and crush homes with your mass, and more.
• Races - 13 new playable races for you to enjoy.
• Racial Abilities - Every species has special abilities and resistances. These can be toggled on and off in your ship's SAIL computer.
• Dozens of new Biomes - FU adds a huge assortment of world types to explore, and dozens of sub-biomes, asteroid types, cloud layers and underground biomes.
• Many new Dungeons.
• Reworked environmental system with a wide array of effects and hazards.
• Hundreds of quests and microdungeons.
• A new hub, the Science Outpost.
• 100+ new monsters.
• Complex automation.
• Bees - Catch, breed and genetically modify bees.
• Enhanced Combat.
• New Weapon Types and Physics.
• New Damage Types.
• Re-scaled damage and armor.

Other Changes

• Brewing alcohol
• Dozens of new techs
• Vehicles for Sky, Space and Sea exploration
• Kevin
• Light Aura - Characters do not have a natural light aura, except for Novakids, Nightar and Tenebrhae. Darkness is dangerous.
• Dozens of new Crew types
• Enhanced Tenant System
• Reworked Swimming - Use WASD to swim. Leap from water with W + Jump.
• Space Station Trading - use Space Stations to invest, trade, and maximize profits from system to system.
• Reworked Hunger values and racial dietary requirements
• An expansive electronics and power system
• Hundreds of new Armors, Weapons and Equipment
• Snarshing
• Re-balanced buffs
• Re-balanced healing

EPP Changes

In FU, EPP packs operate differently than in vanilla Starbound. This is an important part of progression and will change how you approach challenges in gameplay. You'll be required to strategize on your loadout so you can effectively handle environmental hazards.

• EPPs no longer protect against anything they are not explicitly designed to prevent. You will not find a pack that is immune to every effect.
• They do not provide full immunity, and instead add resistances of varying values.
• They have tiers of protection spread through crafting progression (Poison I, II, III etc)
• You can stack EPPs, Augments and Armor Set Bonuses to maximize your environmental survival chances.