Signal Beyond Stars

Quickstart

1. Craft a Blank Signal Cartridge with .
2. Craft and place an Observatory Computer. Build a Deep Space Receiver and place it within 50 blocks of the computer.
3. Put the receiver under open sky. Hold a Blank Signal Cartridge and right-click the receiver.
4. Stay within 12 blocks while the receiver scans. After about 10 seconds, you receive a Weak, Clear, or Exceptional Encoded Signal.
5. Hold the Encoded Signal and right-click a Decoder Station to turn it into a Decoded Signal Report.
6. Hold the report and right-click a Signal Mailbox to receive your reward.

For a larger observatory, place a Radio Telescope near the computer. It is a passive antenna array: right-click the telescope itself for a reminder, then perform scans at the linked Deep Space Receiver.

Overview

Signal Beyond Stars turns nighttime exploration into an alien signal-hunting expedition. Build an observatory, listen to the deep sky, decode transmissions, catalogue your discoveries, and send reports to headquarters.

Your main gameplay loop is:

Build an observatory → capture signals → decode reports → mail reports → improve the observatory.

Clear, dry nights produce the strongest signals, while additional linked antenna elements improve the quality of your scans.

What It Adds

Observatory equipment

Signal items

• Blank Signal Cartridge — the consumable used to start a scan.
• Encoded Signal — raw data that must be decoded at a Decoder Station.
• Decoded Signal Report — a processed report that can be mailed.
• Signal Fragment — a research material and ingredient for Stellar Charts.
• Stellar Chart — grants temporary nighttime exploration benefits.
• Signal Cartridge Package — holds up to 8 decoded reports for bulk delivery.
• Headquarters Reward Package — contains the payout for a submitted package.

How To Use

Building a linked observatory

1. Place an Observatory Computer.
2. Place one or more Deep Space Receivers and Radio Telescopes within 50 blocks of it.
3. Keep the equipment under an unobstructed view of the sky.
4. Place Signal Servers within the same 50-block network if you want processing racks connected to the station.
5. Right-click the Observatory Computer to view the number of linked antenna elements, scans, and servers.

A receiver or telescope links to the nearest Observatory Computer within range. Separate observatories can be built independently by keeping their equipment closer to their own computer.

Scanning the sky

1. Stand near a linked Deep Space Receiver.
2. Hold a Blank Signal Cartridge in your main hand.
3. Right-click the receiver.
4. Remain within 12 blocks until the scan completes.

The receiver consumes the cartridge and listens for roughly 10 seconds. It requires:

• A linked Observatory Computer.
• An open view of the sky.
• A Blank Signal Cartridge.
• A nearby player when the scan finishes.

The captured Encoded Signal retains its quality. Its name identifies the result as Weak, Clear, or Exceptional.

Using the Radio Telescope

The Radio Telescope is placed as a complete large structure from one item.

• Use the Radio Telescope item on the side of a block.
• The entire structure must have clear air in its placement area.
• Its orientation follows the direction you are facing.
• Place it within 50 blocks of an Observatory Computer.
• Use the linked Deep Space Receiver to perform scans.

The telescope is a passive antenna and does not accept cartridges directly. Breaking its base removes the assembled telescope structure.

Decoding signals

Hold an Encoded Signal and right-click a Decoder Station. The raw signal is consumed and replaced with a Decoded Signal Report of the same quality.

Each decoded report:

• Grants experience.
• Increases your SETI catalogue count.
• Can be submitted individually or packed for bulk delivery.

You can check your catalogue with:

/seti status

A player with the required command permission can clear their own catalogue with:

/seti reset

Mailing reports individually

Hold a Decoded Signal Report and right-click a Signal Mailbox. The report is consumed and headquarters immediately grants a reward based on its quality.

Sending a package

1. Hold an empty Signal Cartridge Package.
2. Right-click it while you have Decoded Signal Reports in your inventory.
3. The package automatically loads reports until it contains 8.
4. Hold the loaded package and right-click a Signal Mailbox.
5. The mailbox consumes the shipment and gives you a Headquarters Reward Package.
6. Right-click the reward package to open it and receive the payout.

The package records the combined quality of its reports, so a shipment's reward tier depends on its average signal quality as well as the number of reports.

Storing supplies

Right-click a Cartridge Archive to open its 27-slot inventory. It accepts:

• Blank Signal Cartridges
• Encoded Signals
• Signal Cartridge Packages

It does not function as general storage. Breaking the archive drops its stored contents.

Abilities And Mechanics

Signal quality

Scans produce three quality levels:

Nighttime with no rain is the best time to operate. More linked antenna elements improve the result, and three linked antenna elements can raise a poor-condition scan to the top quality.

A Deep Space Receiver counts as one antenna element. Each Radio Telescope connected to the same Observatory Computer adds another.

Signal Servers

Signal Servers must be within 50 blocks of an Observatory Computer to join its processing network. Right-click a linked server to check the number of connected racks. The Observatory Computer also displays the server count for the station.

Stellar Charts

Craft a Stellar Chart from Signal Fragments and paper:

Right-click the chart to receive:

• Night Vision for 60 seconds
• Luck for 60 seconds

The chart is not consumed, but it has a 60-second cooldown.

Meteor showers

An active observatory can attract a meteor shower during a clear night. A Deep Space Receiver must be nearby, within roughly 32 blocks, and the player must have an open view of the sky.

When a shower begins:

1. Look for the bright falling meteorite among the streaks in the sky.
2. Use a Signal Tracking Station to receive a direction, distance, and remaining time readout.
3. Travel to the meteorite.
4. Approach within roughly 7 blocks while the sky remains visible.

The shower lasts about 60 seconds. Recovering the meteorite grants:

• 3 Exceptional Encoded Signals
• 8 Signal Fragments

Decode and submit the recovered signals for additional rewards. Rain, daytime, leaving the dimension, or running out of time ends the event.

UFO encounters

Rare clear-night observatories can also attract a UFO. A luminous saucer hovers nearby for a short time before departing. After several seconds, it leaves behind two hostile Alien Visitors.

The visitors remain after daylight and do not burn in the sun, so prepare for combat before investigating a UFO encounter.

Crafting And Obtaining

All Signal Beyond Stars content is available in the mod's Creative inventory tab. Survival players can craft the main equipment and supplies as follows.

Supplies and storage

• Field Manual:
• Blank Signal Cartridge:
• Signal Cartridge Package:
• Cartridge Archive:
• Stellar Chart:

Observatory equipment

• Deep Space Receiver:
• Observatory Computer:
• Radio Telescope:
• Signal Server:

Processing and field stations

• Decoder Station:
• Signal Mailbox:
• Signal Tracking Station:

The Field Manual is reusable and summarizes the discovery loop, network setup, signal processing, rewards, and sky events.

Progression And Strategy

1. Begin with one receiver and one computer. This is enough to start capturing signals.
2. Operate on clear, dry nights. Weather and time of day strongly affect signal quality.
3. Expand the antenna array. Add Radio Telescopes within 50 blocks of the same computer to improve scan quality.
4. Keep the receiver accessible. Scans finish only when a player remains close enough to collect the result.
5. Decode every transmission before mailing it. Encoded Signals cannot be submitted directly.
6. Use individual reports for quick supplies. Mail them as soon as they are decoded.
7. Save high-quality reports for packages. A package can hold 8 reports, and a high average quality improves its reward tier.
8. Build a Tracking Station near the observatory. It can turn a difficult meteorite search into a precise navigation task.
9. Keep Signal Fragments. They are used for Stellar Charts and are also part of meteor-shower rewards.
10. Treat UFO sightings as hostile encounters. Bring equipment for two persistent enemies rather than approaching unprepared.