Getting Started
Community Mod - FastTrek Docs
The optional mod for Star Trek Fleet Command improves gameplay and compatibility with FastTrek, especially on larger resolutions and Retina displays.
FastTrek fully support the STFC Community Mod (formerly Ripper’s Mod). It will detect if the mod is installed and active, load the corresponding key mappings, and adjust its behaviour accordingly.
FastTrek is not affiliated with the STFC Community Patch in any way. It is an entirely separate project, created and maintained by different authors.
What is this mod?
I’m glad you ask. The Community Patch/Mod for Star Trek® Fleet Command (formerly Ripper’s Mod) is a mod for the STFC game client that unlocks additional functionality in the game. This functionality is part of the game, just that it’s not readily available to use in the stock game client. It also fixes some quirks/bugs.
First and foremost it gives you more powerful control over key bindings/shortcuts and allows you to increase the zoom level. This makes it possible to see an entire system without panning sideways or up/down!
There is a recent new keybinding for queueing with the Kir’Shara artifact, and using it will close the attack popup, which frustratingly stays open in the normal game!
For manual play, the mod allows you to remove popups for certain events, such as event scoring, winning or losing a battle, etc. It also allows you to skip the box opening animation when opening officer chests.
For alliance players it can unlock the donation slider, allowing you to potentially dump your entire stock into the alliance in a single move (conversely – be careful).
There are several other features, which you can learn about and explore on the mod’s own website.
Mod Benefits for FastTrek
How do we benefit from the mod specifically when using FastTrek?
Hotkeys are reliable
The additional keyboard hotkeys make certain actions more reliable than mouse clicks, including but not limited to:
- Confirming attacks (
Space) - Confirming navigation (
Space) - Opening the bookmarks screen (
B) - Repair and request help (
R) - Zooming in and out using hotkeys is instant (
F1-F5) - Double press ship keys 1-8 to focus the ship
Super-Extended Zoom
The zoom presets make FastTrek’s Keyword Hunter a million times better by increasing the distance at which hostile names are visible.
As a result, Keyword Hunter spends less time panning the view around and more time actually finding and engaging the right hostiles for you.
Compatibility with larger resolutions and Retina displays
The mod allows you to fix the game’s scaling, which is necessary for FastTrek to work correctly on larger resolutions and Retina displays.
Simultaneous use of the Computer
With FastTrek’s proprietary Direct Control Extension you gain the ability to use the computer while FastTrek is playing in the background.
See the above link for more information.
Easy to enable/disable
If you’re not entirely convinced, it is easy to enable or disable the mod by renaming a single file (more on this below).
Installing the mod
Automatic Install
On Windows, the mod consists of only two files: ‘version.dll’ and ‘community_patch_settings.toml’ which holds your configuration.
The easiest way to install is to use FastTrek’s Setup wizard, which will run automatically on first launch. If the mod isn’t already installed, it will offer the option to do so.
To disable and/or remove the mod at any time, please see below.
Manual Windows Install
Should you need or wish to install the community mod manually:
- Download here.
- Open the downloaded archive containing ‘version.dll’.
- Copy ‘version.dll’ to the game’s installation folder, where the game’s executable is located.
- Restart the game
- Run FastTrek’s install wizard and allow it to update the mod’s settings for compatibility.
- One more restart will finish this step.
Automatic Install
On MacOS, the mod consists of its launcher app and ‘community_patch_settings.toml’ which holds your configuration.
The easiest way to install is to use FastTrek’s Setup wizard, which will run automatically on first launch. If the mod isn’t already installed, it will offer to install it for you.
If necessary, FastTrek will ask for the App Management permission (in System Settings > Privacy & Security), so that it can replace the mod app when there’s an update. Once granted, future mod updates install by themselves.
To disable and/or remove the mod at any time, please see below.
Manual Mac Install
Should you need or wish to install the community mod manually:
Just like any other Application, you download a ‘.dmg’ and drag the contents into your Applications folder.
If you click Install it myself in FastTrek, it will open the installer in Finder for you. Otherwise download it here.
- Quit the game and the Community Mod (FastTrek can do this for you with Quit the game for me).
- Drag “STFC Community Mod” onto Applications.
- If asked, choose Replace. MacOS may ask for your password.
- To launch the game with the mod, start the mod Application and press the ‘Engage’ button (bottom right).
- To launch without the mod, just start the game as normal.
- When launching the mod for the first time, you will be prompted to grant it additional security rights, which it needs to be able to patch the game.
Updating the mod
As independent projects, FastTrek and the Community Mod will be updated on their own schedules.
Keeping the mod up to date is important to ensure compatibility with the latest game client.
I aim to maintain the latest compatible release plus Direct Control extensions via the links above, with a notification and automatic update within FastTrek.
But response to critical compatibility issues (vs Scopely game updates) will be faster via the Mod’s official Discord server: STFC Mod Discord
I strongly recommend joining to stay up to date and to get help with any mod-related issues.
Mod Configuration
The mod is highly configurable, with many options that can be adjusted to your liking.
The configuration is stored in the ‘community_patch_settings.toml’ file:
| OS | Location |
|---|---|
| Windows | Same folder as ‘prime.exe’ and ‘version.dll’ |
| Mac OS | ~/Library/Preferences/com.stfcmod.startrekpatch/ |
Download the sample configuration
If you use the automatic installation via FastTrek, the mod will be installed with my recommended starter settings that are compatible with FastTrek. These should work well for most users.
For manual install you can also download my example configuration here.
If you already have the mod installed, FastTrek’s Setup Wizard will help update your existing configuration to be compatible with FastTrek.
For full customisation and an explanation of all available settings, please visit the Mod Configurator.
Important Settings for FastTrek
When editing your settings, please keep the following settings compatible:
Control Panel
| Name | Setting in [control] | Required value? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotkeys Enabled | hotkeys_enabled | true | FastTrek relies on hotkeys being available. |
Graphics
| Name | Setting in [graphics] | Required value? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| UI Scale | ui_scale | Set by the setup wizard. | HUD/Screen detection depends on it. Do not adjust this manually. Go to Settings > Game to adjust in FastTrek. |
| UI Viewer Scale | ui_scale_viewer | 1.0 enforced on startup. | Adjusts the scale of the in-game target viewer (attack/mine/navigate/etc dialogues). FastTrek only works with a value of 1. |
| F1 Zoom Preset | system_zoom_preset_1 | 0.1 enforced on startup. | Used for refreshing mining nodes and zooming in Galaxy view. |
| F2 Zoom Preset | system_zoom_preset_2 | 1100.0 enforced on startup. | Required for Keyword Hunter. Please ensure hostile names are visible if you customise this. |
| F3 Zoom Preset | system_zoom_preset_3 | 1500.0 enforced on startup. | Required for generic hostile hunt, locating mining nodes, MU rift navigation. Too high a value leads to click failure and inability to use rifts. |
| F4 Zoom Preset | system_zoom_preset_4 | - | Tested at 2000.0 |
| F5 Zoom Preset | system_zoom_preset_5 | - | Tested at 3000.0 |
| Maximum Zoom | zoom | - | Tested at 2500.0. Other zoom presets might need to be adapted if this is changed, but I have not tested this. |
| Enable Loader Screen | loader_enabled | false (off) | The mod’s interstitial interferes with detection of the infamous ‘Preparing’ screen of death. |
| Enable Transition Screen | loader_transition | false (off) | The mod’s interstitial interferes with detection of the infamous ‘Preparing’ screen of death. |
| Loader Image Path | loader_image | ” (empty) | The mod’s interstitial interferes with detection of the infamous ‘Preparing’ screen of death. |
| Use Black Transition | loader_transition_black | true | As an alternative to the above three, the standard black transition will allow ‘PREPARING’ detection. |
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Name | Setting in [shortcuts] | Required value? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queue hostiles instead of attacking | action_queue | same as ‘Primary Action’ (action_primary) | This is the keybinding for queuing an attack with Kir’Shara. |
Interface
| Name | Setting in [ui] | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Disable Escape Exit | disable_escape_exit | true (on) recommended - disables accidental triggering of ‘do you want to exit the game?’ prompt. |
| Disable Movement Keys | disable_move_keys | false (off) required - Those keys are needed for keyboard pan in systems and for MU rift navigation. |
| Bulk Claim Factions | daily_bulk_claim_factions | If you use this, uncheck all factions in FastTrek Settings > Collections > Dailies |
| Show Default Cargo | show_cargo_default | false (off) recommended - disables all the below in one go |
| Show Hostile Cargo | show_hostile_cargo | false (off) recommended - to be able to verify targets before attacking |
| Show Armada Cargo | show_armada_cargo | false (off) required - FastTrek can’t attack solo armadas when this option is enabled |
| Show Player Cargo | show_player_cargo | false (off) recommended - helps to prevent accidental player attack |
Disabling the mod
To disable the mod on Windows, simply delete or rename/move the ‘version.dll’ file from the game’s installation folder while it’s not running, then restart the game.
For example: mod_disabled_version.dll
FastTrek will detect that the mod is no longer present and adjust its behavior accordingly.
To disable the mod on Mac OS, simply launch the game directly using the official launcher instead of using the mod’s launcher.
Troubleshooting
If things go wrong while using both the STFC Client Mod and FastTrek together, please remember that there are now 3 possible suspects:
- The game itself
- the mod
- FastTrek
Game crashes
Game crashes usually point to an incompatibility of the mod with the latest game client, which Scopely updates frequently. The mod’s deep integration may not be immediately compatible with unannounced internal changes in the game’s coding.
If you experience crashes, the first step is to disable the mod (see above).
If the game runs without the mod, please check the mod’s official Discord to see if the problem is already known, being worked on, or even resolved with an update: STFC Mod Discord
You can continue using FastTrek without the mod (subject to graphical requirements).
On the other hand, if the game still crashes without the mod, please try repairing/reinstalling the game using the official launcher, then contact Scopely for support as this is likely an issue with the game itself.
FastTrek behavioural issues
FastTrek does not modify the game client in any way. It merely acts as the ‘player’, sending inputs to the game and reading the screen to understand what’s going on. That is why is it highly unlikely that FastTrek in itself would be responsible for the game crashing.
Examples of issues that are more likely to involve FastTrek rather than the game or mod include:
- Not interacting with the game at all
- Clicking in wrong places, pressing wrong buttons
- Getting stuck in menus or on certain screens
- No longer behaving as before, especially immediately after Scopely release a new arc or mid-month maintenance.
Please try restarting FastTrek and re-running the setup wizard/ship detection. Occasionally it is not that something has really changed in the game, but for example an inadvertent resize of the game window.
Where Scopely have evidently changed something in the game, such as adding a faction, adding or moving buttons, or changing the layout of certain screens, FastTrek will need to be updated to adapt to these changes.