If you are like me and just bought miner wars 2081, you have probably noticed the minimal help on the game.

Setting up your joystick might be a first step. If you haven't set up a game like this, it is important to know that the joystick itself is analog, and anything you want to assign to joystick, rudder (joystick twist) or throttle should be under the analog setup.

For example, if you want to assign roll left and right to push left/right on your joystick, you would find roll left under "analog" and click analog. Then push your joystick to the left to assign it. Repeat for the right roll.


The buttons on the joystick will be entered under controller. So if you want to assign secondary weapon to the trigger (usually button 1) then you need to locate secondary fire in the controls and click on "controller" box. Simply click trigger and it will assign the proper button.

You may have to search for your version of windows, but it is critical to setup your controller correctly in windows. Typically it will be in control panel, where you can calibrate the joystick. If this is not done, you may experience issue like the ship always moving around even if you aren't touching the controller.

Also important is setting your dampening of the controller within the game, which is available in options>controls main menu as a slider bar. Another setting at this same location is joystick senstivity. Set it lower, particularly if you are new to flying games.

A few things to note that I had trouble figuring out:

1. Set the game to easy to start. I haven't played a flying game in awhile and honestly the game was way too hard at first. You can always go back and play at normal later, but save yourself some headache if you are not an ace pilot.

2. Use the GPS early and often. It is the only way to navigate the facility without getting lost. It is actually really well done, but after a few seconds it disappears, so have a key handy to spam GPS.

3. Have a button assigned to interact with items so you can quickly pick up ammo, oxygen, repair, fuel, health and hack various items.

4. It isn't explained, but picking up a repair, oxygen, health, or fuel automatically adds it to inventory if you don't need it currently. It will be used as necessary. Look for the boxes, you will need them or you can sell them at merchants.

5. Juggling all of the different resources shield, pilot health, fuel, various ammunitions and oxygen seems daunitng at first. If you look for boxes continually, you will be fine (at least for the first few missions).

6. In the first mission you will be directed by GPS to gates and locked doors. It is not explained but shoot them to open them. This really bothered me until I watched a youtube video showing a first level walkthrough.

7. Once you get to Madeline's ship you can move things into inventory on her ship so you aren't carrying 200 rockets and no repair kits. Balance out what you need. I found at least 3 fuels, 3 repair kits, 3 oxygen, and 72 rockets seemed to be enough along with maybe 1500 rounds of gatling gun ammo. This leaves space for other pickups.

8. Find merchants and sell excess ammo or ammo you aren't currently using. Anything you are not using in your basic loadout at first and look to buy a second rocket launcher to equip on your other wing. Once you've bought it, to equip just drag from inventory to an empty spot on your wing. This will be your main weapon as the gatling guns do little damage and are much harder to get rounds on target.

9. Different ammuntions took me awhile, but hitting "1" will allow you to select a different gatling gun ammo. "2" will change your missile type.

10. I upgraded my ship armor for $8,000 and this is a good upgrade for fairly cheap, so get that soon as well.

Most of the stuff is not very intuitive in the game, but these are the things that really hung me up so I hope it helps someone.