Vortex Gaming

· The most crucial aspects early in the game are firearm loading and ammo management. Most firearms require magazines and corresponding ammunition.
· You can check magazine compatibility by looking at the item name or hovering your mouse over it. For example, 'Karof Magazin' is compatible with 'Karof Pistole'.
· To load a magazine, drag and drop the ammo item onto the magazine item. You can find the ammo type in the firearm or magazine information (e.g., Caliber 9 x 18).
· Once loaded, insert the magazine into the firearm's slot to complete the loading process. You can quickly swap magazines using the 'R' hotkey.
· The current ammo count is displayed next to the weapon icon in the inventory screen (Tab key). '+1' means there's one round in the magazine.
· To empty a magazine or remove rounds from a firearm, right-click and use the 'Remove Mag' or 'Clear Chamber' options.

· The Mosin rifle uses 7.62 x 54R ammunition. To load it, press 'Ctrl' to open the bolt, then left-click to insert rounds one by one. Once the magazine is full, press 'Ctrl' again to close the bolt, making it ready to fire.
· Shotguns use 12/70 ammunition. Similar to the Mosin, press 'Ctrl' to open the bolt and manually load rounds. However, shotguns require an additional step after loading rounds: press the 'R' key to chamber a round. After this, you'll need to load after each shot.

· For close-quarters combat, you can equip a knife in the 'Knife Slot'. Switch between your primary weapon, secondary weapon, and melee weapon using the number keys 1, 2, and 3. Left-click performs a slash, while right-click performs a stab.
· You can change the firing mode with the 'F' key; a low tone indicates single-shot, and a high tone indicates automatic fire. You can also determine the mode by looking at the weapon's switch or by raising the weapon with the 'X' key.
· Some firearms (e.g., AK series) may not have a visible side switch. In such cases, while holding the weapon up, use the mouse wheel to scroll up or down to change the switch position, or press and hold both the right-click and middle mouse button simultaneously while aiming to check the firing mode.
· Scopes can be equipped by dragging and dropping them onto the firearm from your inventory. The firearm will glow green if a scope can be attached. You can adjust the scope's position using 'Ctrl' and the mouse wheel.
· Some scopes allow you to set specific ranges by scrolling the mouse wheel. You can also switch scopes using 'Alt + Left'.
· Laser sights can be activated with the '10' key and help improve accuracy when aiming at an angle.
· When reloading a firearm, pressing 'R' and then immediately loading the next magazine can save time.
· Submachine guns can be equipped in the secondary weapon slot, allowing you to carry them alongside a long-range weapon.
· Scrolling the mouse wheel up or down activates hip-fire mode. This mode consumes your arm's stamina gauge, so it's best used only when necessary. Generally, lowering your weapon and moving is better for stamina management.

· Items can be found in various places like the ground, closets, and containers. You can open interactable objects by clicking the middle mouse button when 'Open' text appears above them.
· Use the middle mouse button to pick up items. Holding 'Ctrl' and left-clicking allows you to quickly move items to your inventory.
· To drop an item, hold 'Shift' and left-click.
· To rotate an item in your inventory, grab the item and press the 'R' key.
· Clothing is important for staying warm and increasing carrying capacity. Backpacks significantly increase carrying capacity, preventing overweight.
· Each clothing item must be worn in its corresponding slot (e.g., gloves in the 'Hands Slot').
· Holding 'Alt' and left-clicking automatically equips clothing items to their appropriate slots.
· Map items can be placed in the 'Map Slot' within your inventory (Tab key) and used. You can zoom in/out of the map using the mouse wheel. Areas marked with a question mark are planned for future updates.
· The watch displays the time in the inventory screen, helping you plan your movements.
· Additional armor plates can be attached to body armor. While wearing body armor, drag and drop armor plates onto it; they will attach if they glow green.

· You can equip headlights in the 'Light Slot' and night vision goggles in the 'NVG Slot'. Assigning these to your mouse's thumb buttons on PC allows for quick toggling during gameplay.
· Enemies are sensitive to light at night, so it's important to turn off your lights quickly when necessary.
· If a light device's battery runs out, you can replace it by dragging and dropping a battery pack.
· Matches are equipped in the 'Matches Slot' and are used to activate nearby campfires.
· Managing your character's status (mental health, body temperature, hunger, thirst) is crucial. If any of these drop to 0, you can lose health.
· Mental health can be restored using items like cigars, cigarettes, tissues (Mental +5), and deodorant (Mental +10).

· To enhance your gameplay experience, it's recommended to adjust a few settings.
· Slightly increasing the Field of View (FOV) allows you to see a wider area, which is advantageous. Adjust it to your personal preference.
· It's best to turn off Mouse Smoothing (Interpolate Mouse). This can cause input lag with your mouse.
· Slightly lowering Aim Sensitivity and Scope Sensitivity allows for more precise aiming.
· Increasing Exposure, Saturation, and Contrast settings makes the image colors more vibrant and improves visibility in dark or bright areas, making it easier to spot items or enemies.
· When starting a 'New Game', keeping the default settings will allow you to begin safely in a shelter with randomly generated starting gear. Setting the season to 'Summer' is common.