Keyboard and mouse controls

Main console

• F1: Change view.
• F2: Use the map system.
• F3: Look at your own information.
• F4: Select targets, operate autopilot and communicate.
• SHIFT-F1 to F5: Time compression
• PgUp / PgDwn: Increase / decrease time compression
• CTRL click on Time compression icons: Force time compression

• CTRL-Print Screen: Save screenshot

• CTRL-F8: Quick save
• CTRL-Q: Quit instantly

Menus

• Numbers or click to select

Map System

• F5: Galactic sector view
• F6: System orbit view
• F7: Star system information
• F8: Galactic view

Galactic sector view

• Arrows Up/Down: Scroll X
• Arrows Left/Right: Scroll Y
• Page Up/Down: Scroll Z
• W: Roll up
• S: Roll down
• A: Roll left
• D: Roll right

• C: Center to where I am
• H: Center to selected system
• Enter: Enable/Disable automatic system selection
• Space: Set Hyperspace Target to Lock or Follow Selection

Orbital view

• click / unclick (planet or ship) sets / unsets as navigation target

In flight

• F5: Turns off the autopilot, and changes between manual flight and set speed flight
• F6: Undercarriage
• F7: Hyperdrive
• F8: Set lower trust speed
• F9: Toggle missile / scanner panel on / off

• CTRL click on Autopilot icon: Cycle Heading control to forward, afterward and off (note: Ctrl+F5 doesn not work, must use mouse)
• R: Toggle rotation damping

• Tab: Cycle through full HUD/HUD without labels/No HUD and cockpit
• `: Lua console

• Clicking on an object (planet, star, station, ship), will select it as a target.
• CTRL click on a object, will select it as a target and as reference body.

Views

• KP 8: Front Camera / Rotate External/Sidereal Up
• KP 2: Rear Camera / Rotate External/Sidereal Down
• KP 4: Left Camera / Rotate External/Sidereal Left
• KP 6: Right Camera / Rotate External/Sidereal Right
• KP 9: Top Camera
• KP 3: Bottom Camera / Roll External/Sidereal Right
• +: Zoom in (external/sidereal view only)
• -: Zoom out (external/sidereal view only)
• Home: Reset zoom (sidereal view only)
• , and .: In fixed view, roll camera

In external views, third mouse button rotates the view.

(NOTE: If you do not have a numeric keypad, please rebind the view direction controls from the View tab in the Settings screen)

Scanner

• \: Toggle scanner mode
• ]: Increase scanner range
• [: Decrease scanner range

Weapons

• T: Target object in crosshair
• Space: Fire laser
• M: Launch missile

Manual control 

• W, S: Forward/backward thrust
• A, D: Left/right lateral thrust
• R, F: Up/down lateral thrust
• Q,E; I,O: Roll CCW/CW
• J,L: Yaw left/right
• I,K: Pitch down/up
• X, P: Kill rotation
• V: Toggle rotation damping

Hold SHIFT + <key> to low power thrust and smooth turns.

"Set speed" control mode

• Q: Roll left
• W: Pitch forward
• E: Roll right
• A: Yaw left
• S: Pitch up
• D: Yaw right
• Enter: Set speed faster
• RightShift: Set speed slower

You can also steer the ship with your mouse while holding the right mouse button.

Use SHIFT + <key> to low power thrust and smooth turns.

Keyboard reference

A keyboard reference for Pioneer's default key bindings (PNG)

Cheats and debug

• CTRL-I: Debug informations
• CTRL-F10: Edit target planet properties
• CTRL-F12: Spawn a hostile ship
• Console: ~ or ´ depending on keyboard. Some useful commands for debugging/testing code/contributions are given here, but remember, cheating is for weaklings. However, it is allowed to restore borked saves.