We reported yesterday that Fallen Earth is content complete . Well, Fallen Earth LLC has also posted an in-depth Alpha FAQ compiled by a tester. These questions cover numerous aspects of the game, from combat to crafting to bugs.

While many of the answers won't really interest anyone not in the Alpha, such as how to reload, others give us a good feel for the post-apocalytpic nature of the game. For example, a question regarding traveling from town to town shows us that walking, horseback-riding and building vehicles will all be possible. Also, crafting will be an important aspect of the game, and the time necessary to create items can be cut down if you perform the work in the correct facility. For example, making ammunition takes less time in a ballistics workshop.

The full FAQ can be found below or here .

From Lee Hammock's desk:

This week we've got something special. By way of apology for last week and folks asking for info from Alpha, we've got an Alpha FAQ one of the testers put together for us. The names have been removed to protect the innocent and some older questions that are no longer relevant due to bug fixes and such have been removed. Please bear in mind that this is a glimpse into the nuts and bolts of the Alpha Testing process, and reflects a game that is still being tweaked both creatively and technically.

Combat FAQ

Q: How do I enter combat mode?
A: To enter combat mode you have to press the Tab key or Mouse button 3 (most commonly the middle button)

Q: How can I improve my aim with the Zip guns?
A: I would suggest always entering First person mode while using any ranged weapons. To enter first person mode, move the camera into your character via the scroll wheel. Alternatively, you can enter First person Mode by pressing F9 2 times.

Q: How do I reload?
A: Pressing the R key will reload your Main hand weapon. Currently the only way to reload your offhand weapon is to empty the clip. This is a known issue. One solution for this is manually swapping out your offhand weapon into the main hand weapon slot and reloading, then putting it back in the offhand slot.

Q: Where can I get my first weapons?
A: Your inventory comes pre-packed with several weapons. To Equip them, press 'I' and right-click on the weapon, then select 'equip.' Alternatively, you can press 'I' and 'G' and drag-and-drop the weapons onto the slots in the weapons tab.

Q: How do I use my offhand weapon?
A: Currently the offhand weapon is bound to the right mouse key. When dual-wielding, use both mouse buttons during fights to get maximum effect.

Q: I can no longer use my zip gun because it's run out of ammo. Where can I get more?
A: You can currently get ammo for your zip guns from several places. You can scavenge for it, which has a low-ish drop rate. The other options are to go to a Ballistics vendor in town and either buy the ammo from her directly, or buy the knowledge to make the ammo and manufacture your own.

Q: Where can I learn special Combat abilities?
A: You can purchase these knowledges from a Combat trainer in town.

Q: How do I swap between currently equipped weapons?
A: Ctrl+Mouse wheel, or by clicking on the weapon directly on your character's avatar.

General FAQ

Q: How do I Craft Item X?
A: To craft an item you need the following:
The Knowledge (purchased from a vendor)
The required Level
The required Scavenged materials
The required skill level in the Tradeskill

* Before buying ANY books, always right-click and examine the goods. This way you can make sure you meet the level requirements. *

To begin crafting, press 'L' and select the item you want to make. This should open the crafting window and show you the countdown timer indicating the amount of time before the selected item is completed. During this time you can continue about your usual business. It will not affect the crafting.

Currently, due to the memory leaks, people are having mixed effects when crashing while crafting. Most people seem to be losing the mats for whatever they were crafting when they crash out, and their Active Recipes list clears. Some seem to be able to log back in and everything is working as intended. This is of course a known issue, and is being worked out.

Q: How do I get to another town?
A: Personally I suggest walking. You will experience more this way, but there is always the option of using the Bus Stop. Each player can learn horseback riding, and eventually will be able to learn to construct their own vehicles.

Q: How do I increase my Skill in X?
A: To increase your skill you must have AP points. AP points are gained through Missions and by gaining XP. For every little bubble you fill on the XP bar on the top left hand side of the screen, you gain AP points.

To Increase your skill in something like Pistols, press 'V' and go to the Skills tab. Then select the Pistols Skill and press "spend" untill you are happy with the skill level.

To increase your skill in a Tradeskill, you must use the Tradeskill. For example, if you want to increase your skill in Weaponry, you would buy one of the low-level knowledges (for example "Clubs 1"). Then you would craft items from there until your skill increases.

To increase your overall skill level you must spend your AP points on stats. Stats cost 5 AP points to increase.

Q: Where do I learn Geology?
A: The Knowledges for Geology (Mine Coal and Mine Copper) are both found at the Science trainer in town. Please note, Mine Coal is for level 1, while Mine Copper is for level 5's. Be sure you are following the 'Examine the goods before you buy' rule.

Q: How do I open the in-game menu?
A: The easiest way I've found of doing this is by clicking on the little bar at the bottom left of the screen. This will open the menu.

Q: How do I get a World map or Area map up?
A: Press 'm' to open your map, then press the little box on the top left hand corner to view all maps.

Q: How can I move the camera around my character to see how I look?
A:If you hold Alt, and right click, you can move the camera around yourself.

Q: How do I use the Merchants?
A: To buy from a Merchant, open a Merchant window by right-clicking on the Merchant. You will know it's a Merchant because your mouse will change to a poker chip. Once the Merchant window is open, click on the item you wish to buy, then press "buy." Alternatively you can double-click the item you wish to buy.

To sell to a Merchant, open the Merchant window and your inventory (press 'I'), then right-click on whatever you want to sell and select 'Sell.' Please note that some items cannot be sold.

Q: How do I send a Tell to another player?
A: Currently the only known method of sending a Tell in game is to press 'O' (as in 'Oh' not Zero) and find the player's name who you want to send the tell to. Right-click on the name and select the option to send a private message. This will then open another chat window near the middle of your screen with the Message you have sent and any replies. This chat window can be bothersome so the best solution is to drag and drop it onto your Existing chat window (the one with Region/Local/Team chat in it). This will stop it popping up everytime you get a message.

Q: I REALLY can't find the needed component for my Crafting Knowledge, Where can I find it?
A: If you REALLY cannot find a component, try the following steps;
1. Ask in Region chat if anyone knows where to get one.
2. Try Harvesting Nodes which require higher than 1 Scavenging/Nature skill.
3. Try the local Merchants

Q: How do I get a Knowledge from a book?
A: To get a Knowledge from a book, you have to right-click the book in your inventory (press 'I') and select Use. Once you use the book it will disappear.
If you have a book in your inventory, you do not have the knowledge until the book has been used. If you cannot use the book, examine it to see if you have all the correct requirements; if you do not meet these requirements, then I suggest putting the book in your vault until you meet them. If you do meet the requirements but cannot use the skill book, report the bug.

Q: If my friend who is level 50 wants to help me do my level 2 missions, will he be able to?
A: Currently most missions have a maximum level of 1000. Only a handful of missions have a level cap at the moment. So, in general, yes.

Q:If I right-click some items in my inventory, I get the option to 'Salvage' -- what does this do?
A: Using this option will destroy the item, and in return you will receive some Salvage material and a small amount of XP. Also, you have to have the knowledge of how to make something to be able to salvage it. (Thanks to Tomb + Morac)

Q:In the Character menu, where I can spend my AP's, there is a tab for factions. What is this for?
A: Currently factions are not available (Faction points will become available in sector 2) but when they do become available you will be able to earn faction points. Once you start earning faction points, you'll be able to declare your faction in one of those bars and the other will show what faction "ranks" you're eligible to display with your name, should you choose to do so.

Q: My Mission Log is taking up half my screen but I like keeping it open so I know what I'm doing. Is there anyway to make it take up less space?
A: I was having this problem too, and since it appears you can't resize the mission log window, what I did was made it more or less invisible. To do this, right-click on the window and then drag both 'Frame Opacity' and 'Window Opacity' down to 0%. This will make your screen much neater-looking and you will still be able to see your mission log.

Q: Where do I get the book to learn Scavenge?
A: Scavenge does not require a book, you should have the skill automatically. To increase your Scavenging skill level you must scavenge nodes.

Q: Is there any way to speed up Crafting?
A: You can cut down the time required to craft items significantly by crafting the items in the appropriate facility. For example, the crafting time for Zip Gun Ammunition is cut down by around 3 minutes by crafting the item inside a Ballistics workshop. You will receive a message in the chat window telling you that the crafting is being sped up by use of proper facilities. This is really a balancing act as you will lose the time bonus if you leave the building, but you will not be able to do much else inside these buildings. I suggest saving all your crafting for when you log out, and just logging out in the building after listing what you want your character to make.

Q: I have nodes appearing on my map but I can't find them, Where are they?
A: Currently nodes in underground levels are appearing on the minimap when you're above ground. The best option currently is to ignore these nodes, as the entrance to the underground area could be anywhere.

Q: I have mail from 'Lost + Found' -- how do I access this mail?
A: The mail button is located slightly above your health bar on the top left side of the screen; it can be difficult to see but it looks like an open envelope. Click this icon to open the Mail window, then click the mail you want to open. Once the mail is open you can take the item from it by pressing the button which looks like an open box with a green box inside. Over time we'll be changing things so you can only access mail at mail boxes.

Q: My inventory isn't full but I can't pick up anymore items. Why?
A: To add an element of realism to the game, you need to have the Strength to carry lots of items. This means even if you have plenty of free inventory room you might not be able to fill it all. The base weight you can carry at the moment is 40,000 Grams +500 grams for each point in Strength.

Q: I cannot learn from a mission reward book, but it doesn't seem to have any requirements, is it bugged?
A: Probably not. Currently mission reward books will not display any requirements you need to use the book, so it's really just guess-work at the moment, unless you go to a merchant and Examine the same book to find out the requirements from them.

Q: I used a recipe to make a glove, but I only have one equipped now. Why is this?
A: When you craft an item such as a glove, shoulder armor or arm armor, it will only create one part of the set of two. You will have to make double the item to fit all slots.

Q: What should I do if the servers crash in the middle of the night?
A: If the servers crash in the middle of the night all we can do is wait until morning. The Dev team does sleep occasionally, so if the servers go down during out-of-office hours we'll just have to wait until they come in to fix it the next day.
Q: How long does a Server Bounce take?
A: Usually they will tell us 20 minutes downtime, but it can take more or less time depending on any problems they run into. Just keep an eye on the announcements thread.

Q: Will there be character wipes?
A: Eventually yes. It's a bit of a hassle to wipe all the characters, so the Devs will do their best to avoid having to delete all of the characters where possible.

Bug Questions

Q: How do I take screen shots to report bugs?
A: Type /Loc. (If the bug is part of a mission, press J too) then press 'Ctrl + Q' this saves a screen shot in the Screenshots folder in the game directory.

Q: How do I report bugs?
A: If you experience a bug in game you should take the following steps:
Type /Loc. (If the bug is part of a mission, press J too)
Press Ctrl+Q to take a screenshot
Fill in a bug report on the forums and attach the screenshot.

I would suggest closing the game and reporting the bug as soon as possible. This means it will get fixed quicker, or at least that the devs will know about it quicker. Be sure to include the following in your bug report: steps for replication, a good description of what happened, and any other relevant information.

Q: What Does 'Cannot Perform DoAction, Movement Rate 1' Mean?
A: This is a known bug. Solutions so far include pressing 'c' or Typing /stand. Jumping has also been reported to work.

Should these fail, relogging appears to be the only other way to fix it. Remember to file a bug report with your Location and any relevant info.

Q: What does the Dump file contain?
A: The dump file only logs FE's executable stack, no user info, no other programs, hardware info, etc.

Q: I can't log in. What's going on?
A: If you can't log in it could be one of the following issues:
1. The server has reached its player cap
2. The server is currently down for maintenance
3. The server has crashed

Q: Help! I'm stuck in a rock/bush/rollercoaster/the earth. What do i do?
A: Try jumping. Should that fail try /stand, and if you are still out of luck then /restore. If you are still stuck after doing /restore, report it via the bug report system

Q: I reported a bug but it wasn't fixed in the latest patch. Did I report it wrong? Should I re-submit my report?
A: The Dev team will do their best to fix all reported bugs as soon as possible. Once a bug has been reported and found they will make their fix for it, then it will be tested on an internal server for a week. It should appear in the next patch after this if everything is working with the fix. It could take longer if the bug is quite bad or if the fix makes the game unbalanced.

Focused Testing FAQ

Q: Should I just fill in the report in a general way or fill it in for every quest?
A: The more quests you can fill the reports in for, the more information the DEV's will have.

Q: I've tested the Focused Testing Elements. How do I get my report to the Dev team?
A: To submit your testing report, file it as a bug report, with the following in the summary line:
"Test report for Monday 18-Wednesday 20 August"
Then attach your answers in a common text format (Rtf, Txt) as you would normally attach a screenshot.