The Exploration Begins: Choice of Settings, Personal Gameplay Goals

I know the post is labeled as "The Exploration Continues," but this is the introductory post, so I've taken a bit of creative license.

To start things off, I'd like to explain my gameplay goals. When game worlds in Space Engineers were infinite in distance but fairly limited in their scope of worthwhile destinations for travel, my only goal was simply to survive. Beyond that, I let my imagination and whims guide me toward building particular kinds of ships or working on the creation of stations as a more permanent base. With the addition of the exploration update, I have a much more defined goal set for myself: exploration itself.

I still may set up a somewhat more permanent home in the form of a space station, but the major goal for my gameplay is exploration. Visiting each asteroid I lay eyes on, and more importantly seeking out the abandoned ships and stations that were included from those submitted to the developers through the Steam Workshop. I've seen a few screenshots that the community has taken of what they've found out amongst the vast emptiness of space, and I'm excited to see just what I can find for myself. And each time I find something new, I'll be sure to record it here as part of my Exploration series.

The Game Settings

• "Asteroids" Scenario: When I first started playing Space Engineers, I had chosen the "Crashed Red Ship" scenario, and I loved that I had a great deal of basic resources like steel plates, but that other things - displays and computers, for instance - were much more rare. When the developers updated their ship designs to include new blocks they had added such as the connector and collector blocks as well as conveyer tubes, it felt like this start became too easy. Playing in the "Asteroids" scenario keeps me on my toes for the first few hours, ensuring that I conserve every ounce of energy I have while I scrounge for resources.
• Offline Survival: Although I might open the game up to allow friends to look at what I've built - after safely backing up my save, of course - I play to play the game entirely in single player, and with the rules put in place by survival mode: blocks take time to build, their components themselves requiring resources gained either from salvage or mining, and the ever-present threat of suit energy running out, as well as gunfire from hostile ships, keeping me even more careful about what I do and where.
• Safe Environment: Sort of an oxymoron considering I'm to be free-floating in the empty void of space. Instead, this means that there won't be any meteor showers coming at regular intervals. Although it would be another source of danger to contend with, experience has taught me that meteor showers mostly just make me do all of my work on the dark side of the asteroids, which tends to make for terrible screenshots. This setting may change in the future.
• Realistic x1 Speeds: Playing on the standard settings so far as inventory sizing and speeds go helps keep things.. well, realistic, in my eyes. Even in space an engineer can't hold a huge amount of components or tools. This setting will ensure that I think about building welding, grinding and mining ships for any project that will be of a decent size or that might take a long time to weld into place.
• Infinite Asteroids, High Density: Procedurally generated asteroids in an infinite map is what's gotten me so excited to play Space Engineers again. Although having it set to "high density" might seem like I'm playing on an easy setting, in-game the nearest asteroid is still nearly at the edge of my viewing distance. I like being able to see an unmoving point in the distance and wonder what I'll find when I get there.
• Auto-Healing - Off: Although I can understand the idea of a space suit being able to do some light work in helping to heal its occupant, I don't think it's very realistic to be able to heal from all damage. This setting ensures that I'll remember where my nearest medical room is located.
• Thruster Damage - On: This makes sure that any ships I build will realistically have to deal with the damage that comes from thruster exhaust, helping shape the designs I make. Also, any ship that I upload to the Steam Workshop will be sure to work in other worlds, whether they have the thruster damage setting on or not.
• Cargo Ships - On: The nine different kinds of abandoned cargo ships that occasionally show up to drift through the map are more dangerous than they once were, but are no less enticing. They can be a quick source of salvaged components.. if you're brave enough to try to catch them. It might take a while for me to feel confident enough to try myself, but it will happen sooner or later.
• Spectator Mode - On: This time around I plan to try and use only first-person mode whether inside of a ship or not. The only time I'll be taking advantage of spectator mode is when I want to take an interesting screenshot for this blog. Otherwise, if I want to see how my ship is oriented or whether it's got clearance to fly around a structure, I'll have to install a camera.