Milky Way

NOTICE: This page is a Work in Progress as much of the lore/Development for the game is yet to be established.

The Milky Way is the galaxy that serves as the vast setting for Starship Simulator. The game features a procedurally generated, scientifically plausible representation of the entire Milky Way galaxy, rendered at a 1:1 scale.

Scale and Scope

The simulated Milky Way is designed to mirror the scale and structure of its real-world counterpart. Key aspects include:

• 1:1 Scale: The galaxy is represented at a true 1:1 scale, allowing for realistic travel times and distances between celestial objects.
• Vast Exploration Area: The playable area includes not only the galactic disk but also the surrounding galactic halo region, encompassing potentially quadrillions of cubic lightyears (specific estimates from development range from ~1.7 to 8 quadrillion cubic lightyears). It contains potentially over two billion procedurally generated star systems (according to developer FAQ).
• Seamless Real-Time Travel: Players can navigate this vast space seamlessly using the UNSF Magellan's FTL and sublight propulsion systems without encountering loading screens or artificial transitions between areas. Travel occurs in real-time relative to the ship's clock.

Generation Method

The galaxy's structure and content are created through a sophisticated combination of procedural generation driven by scientific principles and the integration of real-world astronomical data.

• Procedural Generation: The majority of the galaxy is generated algorithmically based on current scientific understanding of astrophysics. This includes:
  • Galaxy Structure: Realistic distribution of stars within spiral arms, the galactic core (centered on Sagittarius A*), bulge, and halo. Specific galactic region types (Core, Bulge, Thin Disc, Thick Disc, Halo, Globular Clusters) influence Star types and density.
  • Star System Formation: Plausible generation of star systems based on stellar type, age, and models like core accretion for planet formation. Includes features like Habitable Zones, Frost Lines, Dust Sublimation Lines, Roche Limits, and scattered disks / Oort cloud analogues.
  • Celestial Objects: Generation of various star types (O, B, A, F, G, K, M, L, T, Y classes), planet types (terrestrial, gas/ice giants, lava worlds, Earth analogues, etc.), black holes, nebulae, and open clusters.
  • Unique Seeds: A robust seeding system (reportedly `2^256` unique vector-based seeds) ensures every cubic lightyear can have unique, persistent content consistent across all players.
• Real Star Data: To enhance realism near humanity's home, real-world astronomical data is incorporated:
  • Sol System: Includes accurate representations of the planets and major dwarf planets.
  • Local Stars: Data from catalogues like Gaia DR3 is used to place millions (~18.2 million mentioned in development) of real stars within a significant radius (~2000 LY mentioned) around the Sol System. Known stars often use their common names (e.g., Sirius).
  • Backer Systems: Star systems designed by Kickstarter backers are also integrated into the galaxy map.
• Life & Civilization Generation: Procedural algorithms determine the likelihood of life evolving. If a planet has the potential for liquids, life calculations are run, potentially resulting in anything from simple bacteria to advanced, FTL-capable alien civilizations, with complexity often tied to the star system's age. Where civilizations arise, they may be generated with assigned territory (home systems, occupied systems), tech levels, government types, and randomized personality traits (e.g., xenophobia, aggression levels) that influence first contact scenarios. Initial groundwork also includes generating political states for galactic sectors (e.g., empires, warring factions, independent worlds).

Structure and Coordinates

The galaxy simulation uses a standard galactic coordinate system, centred on Sagittarius A* at coordinates (0, 0, 0). Space is organized into large sectors (e.g., 100ly cubes) and smaller subsectors (e.g., 1ly cubes) for data management and navigation targeting via the Sensors console.

Player Exploration

Players explore the Milky Way aboard a starship, representing either the United Nations Space Fleet (UNSF) or an independent organisation, such as Lunara. The player will need to use the ship's Sensors to scan sectors, systems, and individual bodies, and the Helm to navigate via sublight engines or the Alcubierre Drive. The primary goal within the sandbox is exploration, scientific discovery, charting the unknown, and potentially interacting with alien life.