Creative Mode

A new game can be in one of two modes, Creative Mode or Survival Mode. In Creative mode, the player does not need to manage resources, which makes it easier to build and prototype ships, rovers, stations, and scenario worlds quickly.

You change the game mode anytime in the World Settings, but consider the caveats below. Tip: Switch off any processing blocks before switching.

What is different in Creative Mode?

Creative Mode has the following features:

• Players can prototype builds fast:
  • Place fully-welded blocks without using up materials.
  • Mirror what you build using Symmetry Mode
  • Players can browse all grids, teleport, or fly through walls in Spectator Mode.
• Inventory size is unlimited for both the player and blocks with inventories. (See caveat below.)
• No consumables are used up:
  • Reactors and hydrogen thrusters do not consume fuel.
  • Players do not take damage and cannot die. They do not consume oxygen / hydrogen / suit energy.
  • Weapons do not consume ammunition.
  • Parachute hatches don't use up canvas.
• Players can create custom Sandbox Games:
  • Shape the voxels of planets and asteroids and add ores.
  • Copy, paste, delete, or cut whole welded grids and blueprints. (See keyboard shortcuts below)
  • Spawn in whole planets, asteroids, stations, ships, items.
• All NPC factions show as discovered.

Note: The maximum input/output rate of tanks and batteries is still capped in Creative Mode, so you still need to build an appropriate number of fuel and power sources, even if they last forever.

How to copy and paste grids

All grids can be copied in Creative Mode, as long as copying and pasting is enabled in the world settings. Focus the grid with your crosshairs, then:

• Press CTRL key+C key to copy the grid.
  • Press CTRL key+SHIFT key+C key to copy only the focused subgrid.
• Press CTRL key+X key to cut the grid (copy the blocks and remove the original). You will see a warning.
  • Press CTRL key+SHIFT key+X key to cut only the focused subgrid. You will see a warning.
• Press CTRL key+V key to insert what you copied back into the game.
  • Pasted Stations will align the blocks to the grid from which they were copied.
  • Pasted Ships can be rotated before they are pasted with the rotation keys.
  • Check block ownership after pasting, especially for spawn points and programmable blocks and similar
• Press CTRL key+DELETE key to delete the targeted grid.
  • Press CTRL key+SHIFT key+DELETE key the targeted subgrid.

How to build multiple blocks quickly

• Drag CTRL key+ to place multiple blocks in a straight line
  • Drag CTRL key+ to remove multiple blocks in a straight line
• Drag CTRL key+SHIFT key+ to place multiple blocks on a plane
  • Drag CTRL key+SHIFT key+ to remove multiple blocks on a plane

Caveats

Don't lose your inventories: If you convert a world from Creative to Survival, or paste a Creative build into a Survival world, the lack of Creative inventory limitations has the side-effect that the inventory contents will be truncated back in Survival!

For example, if your Survival world has reactors, refineries, or assemblers running, and you switch it to Creative, they automatically pull all available items into their (now infinite) inventories without you realising it. When you switch back to Survival, you'll get a message that inventories will be truncated, but since you don't remember overfilling any inventories, you click yes, and those pulled items will be truncated. Better power off any processing and reactors before switching to prevent this item loss.

Don't run out of fuel: A Creative-designed vehicle used in a Survival game is at risk of running out of fuel --out of power, ammo, canvas, hydrogen-- unexpectedly, if it was never tested or designed for real Survival consumption rates.

For example, an O2/H2 Generator produces "infinite" hydrogen in Creative mode; but in Survival Mode, you won't be able to carry the "infinite" amounts of ice to keep up with hydrogen thrusters.

Creative Tools in Survival Games

If you are the server admin, or if it is a local singleplayer world, it is also possible to enable Creative Tools (and some other Creative mode features) in a Survival game through the Admin Screen by pressing ALT key+F10 key. Depending on the settings you choose, you can be on the one hand undying and able to jetpack without limits, while at the same time receiving constant survival warnings about running out of power or hydrogen etc.