Getting Started: A Walkthrough for Beginners - Zaexides/SteamWorld GitHub Wiki

Mod Installation

Installing the mod is fairly simple. Just make sure you've installed the latest version of Forge and then put the mod's .jar file into the mods folder. No other mods are required, but there is integration for JEI, CraftTweaker and Tinkers' Construct. JEI is very recommended as it can show custom machine recipes.

Starting Up

SteamWorld is designed that you should be able to get through it with the help of the in-game Advancements as well as the in-game crafting guide. If not, keep reading.

Getting Steaite

Unlike most other technology mods, SteamWorld starts off at a diamond-tier ore called "Steaite". Breaking this requires a tool that can break at least obsidian. Alternatively, you may find Steaite ingots as treasure in a variety of ways, so if you're unlucky at finding diamonds, there's at least that. Like any other ore, Steaite Ore can be turned into ingots using a furnace.

Power Time

First thing you should do after getting Steaite is crafting a "Machine Base". The recipe for this should be in your in-game recipe book, but if not, it's a steaite ingot surrounded by stone (not cobblestone). This "Machine Base" acts as the base for most machines in the mod, and you'll need plenty of them.
Once done that, you will need to craft the Steam Generator MKI. You can do this by placing in the center column of your crafting grid, from top-to-bottom, a furnace, machine base and a bucket. The other two columns consist entirely of steaite ingots. You can then place the generator where you want.
Of course, in order to generate steam, you need two more things: Water and fuel. Fuel can be anything you can use in a furnace. Water can be added in two different ways: By right-clicking the generator with a water bucket, or by pumping it in. Once the generator has both water and fuel, it'll start to turn the water into steam.

Pipes & Fluid Transportation

If you place a stone block in your crafting grid and then steaite ingots left and right of it, you can craft a couple of pipes. However, pipes themselves do not pump fluids. For that you will need a "Fluid Controller", which can be crafted using a Machine Base with pipe blocks adjacent to it (not in the corners!).
The "Fluid Controller" is a multi-functional block that has both output and input sides, indicated by arrows. The red inward arrows indicate the input side, whereas the green outward arrows indicate the output side. In the case you want to transport fluids from the generator to a machine, there must be pipes connecting from the generator into the input side, and pipes connecting to the machines must connect to the output side.
The Fluid Controller isn't just limited to pumping fluids, by right-clicking it you can configure how it reacts to redstone. And if that isn't enough, the Fluid Controller also has a (small) liquid storage buffer.

Automating Water Input

Of course, it's not convenient to manually add all that water to your generator. In fact, this can result in wasting your fuel as it will keep burning once lit. There is one block that can act as a solution: The drain. Placing iron bars, a machine base and a bucket in your crafting grid allows you to create one of these. Place them down so that it faces water, and it'll start to drain the water. After that, its contents can be pumped out of it and into a generator. Alternatively, if you want to dispose of a fluid in your system, you can use the faucet. It's crafted the same as the drain, but using a dispenser instead of iron bars.

Your First Machine

It's time to put that steam to use. The most basic setup involves two machines: The Steam Grinder and the Steam Furnace.
The Steam Grinder is crafted using four steaite ingots, a machine base and flint. The steaite ingots should be divided up in the two columns at the sides, whereas the machine base takes up the top or center spot, and the flint the spot below the machine base. Craft it, and you can place it down into the world. It's recommended to place it above the floor for now.
The Steam Furnace is crafted the exact same way as the Grinder, using a furnace instead of flint, however. If your grinder is two tiles above the floor, you can place it on the floor underneath. If your grinder is only one block above the floor, place it diagonally on the floor from it. You can then place a hopper underneath the grinder, connecting to the furnace.
What you've done now is create an automatic setup. By placing ores into the grinder, the grinder will turn it into dust. What makes it so special is that the grinder produces two dust out of one ore. The hopper will automatically take the dust and put it into the furnace, which will then melt the dust into ingots. This way you can get twice the ingots from a single ore! Of course, this is assuming you've connected the machines to the output of a Fluid Controller that receives steam.

As for the rest...

There are lots of other machines in SteamWorld that can automate simple tasks for you, such as farming, fertilizing, fishing... Not only that, but most of them can be upgraded as well! The first upgrade requires you to find Ancite Ingots. There is no ore in the overworld for these, but they can be found in underground Ancite crypts. Ancite is easily found by its blue color and light-brown gloss. The upgrade should be in your in-game recipe book, but keep in mind that not everything can be upgraded. The Fluid Controller, in fact, requires a different material and a different method to upgrade. Good luck!