Frequently Asked Questions

What is SS13

Space Station 13 is a 2D multiplayer game, made on the BYOND engine. At a glance it looks like crap, but give it a few rounds and you'll realize just how frustratingly fun it can be.

I'm new, where do I learn how to play?

Check the New Players and Starter guide pages.

What does this word mean?

Check the Terminology, you might find it there. Otherwise ask here.

I read all the tutorials but don't know how to...

If it's something job specific you should check the Jobs page, if it's something about game modes (Traitor, Wizard, Cult), see the Game modes page, otherwise do a search on the wiki.

If you're smart and have already done all of those before coming here, then just adminhelp (press F1 or just type 'adminhelp' and your message) it in-game. Simply click the on adminhelp where the verbs are listed or type it into the text box in the bottom, click it and write the question in there. Try to be polite, it doesn't hurt anyone. You can also ask on IRC.

I grabbed someone, how do I drop them?

Hit the 'stop pulling' command button. It appears when you are grabbing something and disappears when you aren't. See Keyboard Shortcuts.

How do I remove the backpack, utility belt, etc?

You click on it and drag it to your empty hand.

I'm being attacked by another player. What do?

You are either the victim of a traitor/some other round related character, you've really pissed the person off, or you're being griefed for no reason. If you're not sure about why you're being attacked. Adminhelp (press F1 or just type 'adminhelp' and your message) it. To reply to the administrator that responds, click the underlined portion of the message, and enter your response. Action will be taken on the matter, and the admins will look into the situation.

How do I give an item to someone / pickpocket / dress someone up?

Stand next to them, click & drag their character onto yours, a list of their stuff appears, click on one of their items to take it off. Or, if you have an item in your active hand, click on the slot where you wish to put the item.

How do I commit suicide?

Press "tab" until the bottom bar is red (means hotkey mode is disabled). Type 'suicide' in that red bar and hit enter. You will get a "yes or no" prompt. Clicking "yes" will make you commit suicide with the item in your activate hand. Remember that you cannot be cloned if you suicide! Suicide is considered an action which says that you don't want to play this round anymore. As such it is an OOC action.

How do I eat something?

As with most items, pick up the food with an empty hand and then click on your character. Make sure you're on "Help Intent" other wise you might end up smashing yourself with food. Also if you are wearing a mask (internals, gas mask etc) you will have to remove it before you can eat.

How do I buckle/unbuckle on a chair?

Click and drag your character onto the chair. To unbuckle, click on the chair you are buckled to with an empty hand or "resist". A HUD icon of a chair is also clickable to make you unbuckle. You unbuckle others by clicking the object they are buckled to.

Why can't I play as some jobs?

New players are forbidden from taking jobs with are vital to normal round progression until they've been on the server for long enough. This is to avoid an inexperienced player choosing to be the Captain or AI and messing up the round for everyone.

I got chosen as a traitor, cultist, wizard, etc. and I know I'm not ready! HELP!

None of these require your immediate attention. Take it slowly, open the wiki, skim through the article about your assignment and proceed to do it as best as you can. If you need additional help, ask an admin for advice through adminhelp (press F1 or just type 'adminhelp' and your message).

Where can I go to get map files to host a server?

See here Downloading the source code or click the 'Host a server' link on the left.

I have another question, where do I ask?

You can adminhelp it (press F1 or just type 'adminhelp' and your message) in-game, or use the OOC-command in-game to talk to players about general questions (but don't talk in OOC about anything going on in current round), or ask in the discord "help" channel, or on the forums. You can also ask in the discussion-part of this page. Don't worry about the formatting and stuff. Just click edit and write your question there.

Is BYOND/SS13 Ressources or Network intensive ? I can't seem to connect to the servers from Europe, with a recent computer.

When you first connect, you need to download the 30MB or so resource file from the server. This is the bulk of network activity and can take a while. Once downloaded, the game does not take much network to run. In terms of PC performance, byond itself is mostly just a front-end to the game with very little work being done on it, so you should be able to run SS13 on essentially any computer made in this millennium. It is however very resource intensive on the server side, generally requiring a full modern CPU core to itself. This is however only important if you wish to run your own server. See this thread for more help on the connecting issue: Unable to Connect. Make a post if you aren't able to connect.