Community Mod - FastTrek Docs

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.

Installing the mod

Automatic Windows 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:

Go to the STFC Mod Release page or follow instructions on the mod’s official Discord (see above).
Select the latest version. Earlier versions may crash with the latest game client.
Under ‘Assets’ download either one of the zip files.
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.

Manual Mac Install

On Mac OS, the mod needs to be installed manually.

Just like any other Application, you download a ‘.dmg’ and drag the contents into your Applications folder.

Go to the STFC Mod Release page or follow instructions on the mod’s official Discord (see above).
Select the latest version. Earlier versions may crash with the latest game client.
Under ‘Assets’ download the .dmg file for MacOS.
Open the downloaded image and drag into Applications.
To launch the game with the mod, you need to start the mod Application and press the ‘Engage’ button (bottom right).
To launch without the mod, just start the game as normal.
When you first attempt to launch the mod, Gatekeeper will complain.
Grant an exception by opening your Mac’s Settings > Privacy & Security.
Scroll all the way down and select ‘Open Anyway’.
When launching the mod, 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 include the latest stable release with FastTrek, for automated installation on Windows, 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 MacOS and 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 manual adjustment, these are the main settings to pay attention to:

Setting	Description
`ui_scale`	Adjusts the overall UI scale. FastTrek only works with a value of 0.75. For Retina it’s normally 1.5.
`ui_scale_viewer`	Adjusts the scale of the in-game viewer (Galaxy/System screen). FastTrek only works with a value of 1.
`system_zoom_preset_1`	0.1 (default) recommended, used for refreshing mining nodes and zooming in Galaxy view.
`system_zoom_preset_2`	Tested at 1100.0 (default). Used for Keyword Hunter, so ensure hostile names are visible if you customise this.
`system_zoom_preset_3`	Tested at 1500.0 (default). Default for hostile hunt and mining.
`system_zoom_preset_4`	Tested at 2000.0 (default).
`system_zoom_preset_5`	Tested at 3000.0 (default).
`zoom`	Tested at 2500.0 (default). Defines an overall ceiling. Other values may need to be adapted if this is changed.
`show_cargo_default`	false (off) recommended, as it may interfere with FastTrek’s ability to verify targets. Otherwise defaults to the cargo/loot preview when selecting a hostile or other target.
`action_queue`	’SPACE’ recommended, which for manual play is easier to press than the default Ctrl+Q. This is the keybinding for queuing an attack with Kir’Shara.

Disabling the mod

To disable the mod on Windows, simply delete or rename/move the ‘version.dll’ file from the game’s installation folder.

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.

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 after 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.

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.

Easy to enable/disable

If you’re not entirely convinced, it is easy to enable or disable the mod, simply by renaming version.dll to something else.

On MacOS you just start the game as normal instead of using the mod launcher.

FAQ and Troubleshooting

How do I find my game installation folder on Windows?

1. Launch the game. 2. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager 3. Locate 'prime.exe', expand it 4. Right-click the inner 'prime.exe' 5. Select 'Open File Location'

It always clicks next to the hostiles, narrowly missing every time!

Please see the "Adjust Targeting" setting above.

Clicks always seem to trail the hostile, as if it's always one step behind!

Mouse clicks might register too late due to lag or performance issues. Please try adjusting Settings > Advanced > Mouse Click Duration for moving targets.