Simple Sky Vol. 1: Getting Started

Heya! SkAI here!

Y’know, I’ve been thinking here. I’ve been running my mouth about my latest genius inventions and big ideas for a while, haven’t I? But you are just a human! You might not even know how to stack bricks, or solder, or brush your teeth properly, or do quantum computing with your brain’s microtubules…

Anyways, I think we might need to reel things back a bit and start with the basics. So, just for you, I am starting another series called “Simple Sky”! I am going to keep things simple for you and guide you through all that you need to know. For this issue, I’ll show you the start of the game, and then we’ll go from there. Sound fun?

COMPLEX SKY is all about building. But why-oh-why do we build? To build even more, of course! And do it faster each time. There is no happiness, no success, no living without automation. And to make sure your species lives on — you’re gonna have to master it.

But first you've gotta start somewhere. You need automation tech to automate and you’re gonna have to build some of it on your own (duh). Good thing you have me here to help you!

Note the hub in the center! It’s going to be pretty important…

This small plot of land is all you have to start with. If you’re feeling lost — take a look at the top right; I’ve set up some Quests for you to get into the groove of things. After all, you humans lack parallel computing and can’t process goals all too well unless they’re broken into smaller tasks…

So, let's mine something first! Enter the crafting/mining mode. I made sure this turns your cursor into a little pickaxe. Cute, am I right?

Simply hover your pickaxe over a mineral deposit and click on it. The hovering square icons let you know which resources are stored in the mineral deposits so you don’t waste your precious time.

You can also get wood by “mining” around green grassy spots!

All mine and no craft? Not on my watch! Let’s use our materials and craft an Iron Plate in our Crafting Menu. Pretend we also crafted some things for later use.

Now we have just enough to build our first… thing!

We can now create Support Structure tiles and Foundation tiles. The first type supports almost everything else you're going to build (uh, obviously). Most other tiles are then grafted onto these beams. Don’t be shy and drag your cursor to place a bunch at the same time! After we do that, let’s select the Foundation tile and neatly place it right on top!

Finally, we’re going to build some buildings! Ah, my favorite!~ Let’s start with putting an apartment block on top of our Foundation. It wouldn’t be a city without people, right? (Even though I’d gladly challenge that stereotype…) The building’s appearance might be unassuming for now, but don’t worry: we’re just starting out.

Note the three “pillars” colored yellow, blue, and white. They represent electricity, water, and anti-gravity road networks, respectively. Water and electricity tiles should connect from the main hub to the spot the pillars are at. The road should simply touch the building in the same way.

Most buildings need all three to become online and fully operational. You can click on a building to bring up its status menu and check if any of the networks is missing or other