Welcome aboard. pAI is laid out like an SS14 operations terminal: start in Projects, move to Objects and the build tools, then branch into the chemistry desk, research desk, settings, and help. If this is your first shift, read the cards in order and you will know where every major feature lives.
Flight Prep
1. Start In Projects
Projects is your staging bay. Make a blank hull, load a local pAI save, or import a HardLight .yml export into a safe local preview.
\AppData\Roaming\Space Station 14\data\Exports
2. Hands Off The Original Export
Leave the source .yml where it is. The console only reads the backup so you can inspect it without renaming, moving, or editing the original file.
3. What Save Means Here
Save To File downloads a local pAI save in JSON format. That file is for this site only and never overwrites the imported HardLight export.
4. Ships And Stations
Use Templates for purchasable ships and station charts. Stations are much heavier than ships, so the console warns you before loading one and a refresh may be needed afterward.
Console Stations
5. Objects And Build Tools
Objects selects the asset you place, now with a Pinned category for your repeat parts. The left tool rail handles build, erase, pick, ruler, and Shape Build, and the Eraser can now right-drag clear a full rectangle.
6. Viewport And Readouts
Mouse wheel zooms, middle drag pans, Q/E rotates, Delete clears the active selection, and Home resets the camera. Hover any tile for a live contents readout.
7. Chemistry Desk
Chemical Recipes searches treatments and utility reagents by name, use, ingredient, or category, then opens an SS14-style dossier in the right-side view.
8. Calculator, Pins, And Jumps
Chemistry dossiers include the Chem Calculator, local recipe pinning, hover previews, and jump links between reagents and products whenever another recipe exists.
9. Research Progression
Research Progression searches technologies and unlocks by discipline, then shows prerequisite trees, unlock lists, and the items or systems each technology opens up.
10. Route Estimates And Unlock Handoffs
The research dossier now estimates direct cost, prerequisite spend, and tier-gate overhead, and unlock entries can hand you off to the matching object entry or an object search when possible.
11. Character Viewer
Character loads an exported SS14 profile, resolves real HardLight species layers and job loadouts, and lets you preview clothing on an in-game-style slot board with search, role tabs, and privacy toggles.
Console Handling
12. Storage And Inspection
When cargo, lockers, or other storage is present, the side storage tab opens an inventory readout so you can inspect packed contents without entering the actual map.
13. Settings And Help
Settings toggles grid, lighting, T-ray mode, zoom, and backdrop strength. Help reopens this briefing, the latest Patchnotes deck, and the Credits deck.
14. Rule Of Thumb
Use pAI to plan, inspect, and reference. Imports are safe previews, and exported pAI save files are not playable SS14 ship or station maps.
15. Recommended First Shift
Load a ship or profile in Projects or Character, inspect it with zoom and rotate, then tour Chemical Recipes, Research Progression, and Help so the whole console makes sense before you start a real refit.
