Gameplay Guide
Galaxy is a slow burn by design. The solar system is full-scale with real orbital mechanics — but brachistochrone (continuous-thrust) trajectories keep flight times manageable. An Earth-to-Moon transfer takes about 3 hours, Mars about 2 days. The automation system handles brachistochrone guidance, rendezvous, and maneuvers while you’re offline, and time acceleration compresses long transits further. Future updates will add jump gates and more spawn locations to open up the system.
Orbital Mechanics Basics
Galaxy uses realistic orbital mechanics. Your ship doesn’t fly like an airplane — it follows orbital paths determined by gravity and thrust.
Key Concepts
- Orbit: Your ship is always in an orbit around something (Earth, the Sun, etc.). The game automatically tracks which body you’re orbiting based on gravitational influence (sphere of influence).
- Prograde/Retrograde: Prograde is the direction you’re moving. Thrusting prograde raises your orbit on the opposite side; thrusting retrograde lowers it.
- Periapsis (Pe): The lowest point of your orbit — closest approach to the body you’re orbiting.
- Apoapsis (Ap): The highest point of your orbit — farthest distance. Only exists for elliptical (closed) orbits.
- Eccentricity: How elongated your orbit is. 0 = perfect circle, 0–1 = ellipse, 1+ = escape trajectory.
- Inclination: The tilt of your orbital plane relative to the reference plane.
Orbital Maneuvers
Raising your orbit:
- Press P to orient prograde
- Wait for your ship to align (settling time ~8 seconds)
- Tap + to add thrust — watch your apoapsis rise in the Orbit Diagram window (I)
Lowering your orbit:
- Press Shift+P to orient retrograde
- Tap + to add thrust — watch your periapsis drop
Changing orbital plane:
- Press J (normal) or Shift+J (antinormal) near the ascending or descending node
- Apply thrust to change your inclination
Escaping a body’s gravity:
- Orient prograde and apply enough thrust to raise your eccentricity above 1.0
- The orbital path will show an ESC marker where you leave the sphere of influence
Orbit Diagram Window
Press I to display the Orbit Diagram window, which shows:
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Reference Body | The body you’re currently orbiting |
| Speed | Your velocity relative to the reference body |
| Altitude | Height above the reference body’s surface |
| Periapsis | Lowest orbital altitude |
| Apoapsis | Highest orbital altitude (elliptical orbits only) |
| Eccentricity | Orbit shape (0=circle, <1=ellipse, ≥1=escape) |
| Inclination | Orbital plane tilt |
| RAAN | Right ascension of ascending node |
| Arg. of Periapsis | Orientation of the orbit within its plane |
| True Anomaly | Your current position along the orbit |
| Period | Time for one complete orbit |
| Orbital Energy | Specific orbital energy (conserved quantity) |
| Angular Momentum | Specific angular momentum (conserved quantity) |
Attitude Modes
Your ship’s autopilot can maintain orientation toward specific directions:
| Mode | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Hold (H) | Stops all rotation. Good for manual maneuvering. |
| Prograde (P) | Point nose along velocity. Use for orbit-raising burns. |
| Retrograde (Shift+P) | Point nose against velocity. Use for braking or orbit-lowering. |
| Normal (J) | Point nose perpendicular to orbital plane. Use for plane changes. |
| Antinormal (Shift+J) | Opposite of normal. Also for plane changes. |
| Radial (K) | Point nose away from body in orbital plane. |
| Antiradial (Shift+K) | Point nose toward body in orbital plane. |
| Local Horizontal (L) | Point nose along the horizon. |
| Local Vertical (Shift+L) | Point nose toward/away from body center. |
| Target (G) | Point nose toward selected target. For rendezvous approach. |
| Anti-Target (Shift+G) | Point nose away from selected target. For departure burns. |
| Target Prograde (Y) | Align with relative velocity toward target. For fine approach. |
| Target Retrograde (Shift+Y) | Oppose relative velocity toward target. For braking at target. |
Target modes require a selected target (ship, station, or Lagrange point). Select targets with X / Shift+X.
The attitude controller is critically damped — it reaches the target orientation with no oscillation. Settling time depends on ship class: ~8 seconds for the fast frigate, ~27 seconds for the cargo hauler.
Thrust and Fuel
Ship Classes
| Property | Cargo Hauler | Fast Frigate | Long-Range Explorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry mass | 100,000 kg | 8,000 kg | 50,000 kg |
| Fuel capacity | 60,000 kg | 15,000 kg | 120,000 kg |
| Total mass (full fuel) | 160,000 kg | 23,000 kg | 170,000 kg |
| Main engine thrust | 400 kN | 600 kN | 200 kN |
| Specific impulse | 15,000 s | 20,000 s | 50,000 s |
| Fuel consumption rate | 2.72 kg/s | 3.06 kg/s | 0.41 kg/s |
The default ship class is Fast Frigate. Ship class is selected at spawn. The Long-Range Explorer trades thrust for extreme fuel efficiency — its high specific impulse and large fuel capacity give it the highest delta-v budget of any class.
Managing Fuel
- Thrust level is shown in the Ship Systems window (U)
- Fuel is displayed as a percentage gauge
- Fuel consumption scales with thrust level — 50% thrust uses half the fuel rate
Docking at Stations
When you approach a space station within proximity range (50 km), a proximity warning appears. Stations are passive orbital objects — they orbit their parent body but don’t maneuver. When within 100 meters, press F to dock. Docking refuels your ship. Press F again to undock.
Navigation
Spawn Locations
Press R to open the Spawn Location Selector, which shows a hierarchical list of celestial bodies. Select any body to spawn in orbit around it at a curated altitude. Press Shift+R to instantly respawn at Earth LEO.
Using the Map View
Press M to switch to the map view for a system-wide perspective:
- Drag to rotate the camera, scroll to zoom
- Click any body, ship, or station to select it and view its details in the info panel
- The info panel shows the selected object’s name, type, mass, radius, and orbital elements
- Toggle the system browser tree with B for a hierarchical list of all objects
Distance Display
Body markers (B) show distances using appropriate units:
- Under 1 km: meters (m)
- Under 1,000 km: kilometers (km)
- Under 1 Gm: megameters (Mm)
- Under 0.01 AU: gigameters (Gm)
- 0.01 AU and above: astronomical units (AU)
HUD Indicators
Orbital Path and Event Markers
Press N to display your predicted orbital path as a cyan line. Event markers appear along the path:
| Marker | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Pe | Green | Periapsis — closest approach, with altitude and time |
| Ap | Cyan | Apoapsis — farthest point, with altitude and time |
| AN | Purple | Ascending node — where orbit crosses reference plane going north |
| DN | Purple | Descending node — where orbit crosses reference plane going south |
| ESC | Orange | SOI escape — where you leave the current body’s gravitational influence |
| IMPACT | Red | Surface impact — periapsis is below the surface |
Velocity Vector
Press V to display a 3D arrow showing your velocity direction. The arrow color indicates speed relative to orbital velocity:
- Green: Slow (below 38% of surface orbital velocity)
- Yellow: Moderate (38–88%)
- Orange: Fast (88–139%)
- Red: Very fast (above 139%)
Angular Velocity Vector
Press O to display a 3D arrow showing your rotation axis. The color indicates spin rate:
- Cyan: Slow (<1 °/s)
- Magenta: Moderate (1–5 °/s)
- Yellow: Fast (5–15 °/s)
- Red: Very fast (>15 °/s)
Tracers
Press T to enable tracer lines showing recent position history (last 10 minutes). Your ship’s tracer is green; other ships appear in orange. Tracers are stored relative to the reference body, so they accurately show your orbital path.
Crosshair
Press C to toggle a green center crosshair. Useful for manual attitude alignment.
Target Selection
Select targets to track other ships and stations. Target data enables rendezvous operations and target-relative attitude modes.
Selecting Targets
- X: Cycle forward through available targets
- Shift+X: Cycle backward
- Escape: Deselect current target
- Click on ship or station indicators in cockpit or map view
- Select from the system browser tree in map view
Targets include other ships, stations, and Lagrange points.
Target Dashboard (Shift+T)
When a target is selected, press Shift+T to open the Target Dashboard:
- 3D view: Real-time rendering of the target
- Distance: Current separation
- Relative velocity: Speed difference between you and the target
- Closing rate: How fast you’re approaching (positive) or separating (negative)
- ETA: Estimated time to intercept if approaching
Target Attitude Modes
With a target selected, four additional attitude modes become available:
| Mode | Key | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Target | G | Point toward target. Use during final approach. |
| Anti-Target | Shift+G | Point away from target. Use for departure burns. |
| Target Prograde | Y | Align with closing velocity. Use for fine trajectory adjustments. |
| Target Retrograde | Shift+Y | Oppose closing velocity. Use for braking at target. |
Typical rendezvous approach: Use Target Prograde (Y) during approach to align with your relative velocity, then switch to Target Retrograde (Shift+Y) to brake when close.
Chat
Press Shift+C to open the chat window. Chat allows real-time communication with other players.
Channels
| Channel | Scope | Prefix |
|---|---|---|
| Global | All connected players | [G] (white) |
| Local | Players orbiting the same body | [L] (cyan) |
| Direct | Private message to one player | [D] (yellow) |
Use the channel dropdown above the message input to switch channels. For direct messages, enter the recipient’s player name in the “To:” field.
Usage
- Type your message and press Enter to send
- Maximum message length: 256 characters
- Messages are rate limited to prevent spam
- When the chat window is closed, an unread indicator (red dot) appears in the menu bar if new messages arrive
- Message history shows the last 200 messages
- Messages are color-coded by channel and prefixed with
[G],[L], or[D]
Automation
The automation system lets you create rules that trigger actions based on ship and orbital conditions. Press Shift+A to open the Automation window.
Creating Rules
Each rule has:
- Name: A descriptive label (up to 64 characters)
- Mode: Once (triggers once then disables) or Continuous (triggers every tick while conditions are met)
- Priority: 0–99 (lower numbers evaluate first)
Conditions
Rules trigger when all conditions are met (AND logic). Up to 5 conditions per rule.
| Field | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| ship.fuel | Fuel fraction remaining | 0–1 |
| ship.thrust | Current thrust level | 0–1 |
| ship.speed | Orbital speed | m/s |
| ship.distance_to | Distance to a body | m |
| orbit.apoapsis | Apoapsis altitude | m |
| orbit.periapsis | Periapsis altitude | m |
| orbit.eccentricity | Orbit eccentricity | — |
| orbit.inclination | Orbital inclination | degrees |
| orbit.period | Orbital period | seconds |
| orbit.true_anomaly | Position in orbit | degrees |
| orbit.angle_to_pe | Angle to periapsis | degrees |
| orbit.angle_to_ap | Angle to apoapsis | degrees |
| orbit.angle_to_an | Angle to ascending node | degrees |
| orbit.angle_to_dn | Angle to descending node | degrees |
| game.tick | Current tick number | — |
| immediate | Always true | — |
Operators: <, >, <=, >=, ==, !=
Actions
Each rule can have up to 5 actions:
| Action | Parameter | Description |
|---|---|---|
| set_thrust | 0–1 | Set thrust level |
| set_attitude | mode name | Set attitude mode (prograde, retrograde, normal, etc.) |
| circularize | — | Begin automated circularization maneuver |
| set_inclination | degrees | Begin automated inclination change |
| rendezvous | target | Begin automated rendezvous with a ship or station |
| alert | message | Display an alert message (up to 128 characters) |
Limits
- Maximum 10 rules per ship
- Maximum 5 conditions per rule
- Maximum 5 actions per rule
Maneuvers
The circularize, set_inclination, and rendezvous actions start automated maneuvers. Only one maneuver can be active at a time. The Automation window shows the active maneuver’s type, phase, ETA, and a button to abort.
Circularize: Points your ship prograde and burns until eccentricity is near zero. Completes automatically.
Set Inclination: Burns at the optimal node to change your orbital inclination to the target value.
Rendezvous: Autonomous transfer to reach another ship or station. Two strategies are available:
- Hohmann (efficient): Multi-phase orbital transfer using classical Hohmann maneuvers — plane change, orbit adjustment via impulsive burns at apsides, phase matching, and final approach. Most fuel-efficient for targets sharing the same reference body. Also supports cross-SOI transfers (e.g., Earth orbit → station at Mars) via automatic escape, interplanetary transit, and capture phases.
- Brachistochrone (direct): Continuous thrust toward the target using closed-loop ZEM/ZEV guidance. Fastest but uses more fuel. Supports cross-body transfers (e.g., Earth orbit → station at Luna). Flight time depends on distance and thrust — Earth to Moon is roughly 3 hours. Includes periapsis protection and automatic sphere-of-influence transitions.
You can abort any active maneuver from the Automation window.
Advanced Navigation
Brachistochrone Transfer
A brachistochrone transfer is the fastest way to travel between two points — thrust continuously toward the target, then flip and brake at the midpoint. Galaxy’s automation system handles this automatically:
- Open the Automation window (Shift+A) and create a new rule
- Add a rendezvous action, select the brachistochrone strategy, and choose your target (ship or station)
- Set the trigger to immediate (or any condition you prefer)
- Enable the rule — your ship will begin the transfer automatically
Brachistochrone transfers work across different reference bodies (e.g., departing Earth orbit to reach a station at Luna), with automatic SOI transitions along the way. Flight times scale with distance and your ship’s thrust-to-weight ratio:
| Route | Fast Frigate (~3g) | Cargo Hauler (~0.25g) | Long-Range Explorer (~0.12g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earth LEO → Luna | ~3 hours | ~10 hours | ~14 hours |
| Earth → Mars (opposition) | ~2 days | ~1 week | ~2 weeks |
Tip: Brachistochrone is fastest but burns the most fuel. For fuel-efficient transfers to targets orbiting the same body, use the Hohmann strategy — it uses impulsive burns at optimal points in your orbit.
Hohmann Transfer
A Hohmann transfer is the most fuel-efficient way to move between two circular orbits. The automation system can handle this automatically — select the Hohmann (efficient) strategy when creating a rendezvous rule.
To perform one manually:
- At your current orbit, burn prograde to raise your apoapsis to the target orbit altitude
- Coast to apoapsis (the orbit path marker shows time to Ap)
- At apoapsis, burn prograde again to circularize
Tip: Use the Orbit Diagram window (I) to monitor your apoapsis and eccentricity during the burn.
Earth to Moon Transfer
The easiest way to reach the Moon is to set up a brachistochrone rendezvous targeting a lunar station (like Lunar Gateway). The automation handles departure, transit, SOI transition, and arrival automatically in about 3 hours.
For a manual transfer:
- Spawn at Earth LEO (or use Shift+R to reset there)
- Orient prograde (P) and increase thrust to raise your apoapsis toward the Moon’s orbit (~384,000 km)
- When your orbital path shows an ESC marker, you’re on an escape trajectory
- After escaping Earth’s sphere of influence, you’ll enter a solar orbit
- Time your burn so you intercept the Moon’s position — the Moon is visible as a body marker (B)
- As you enter the Moon’s sphere of influence, burn retrograde (Shift+P) to capture into lunar orbit
Manual Rendezvous
To manually rendezvous with a target without automation:
- Select the target with X to see it in the Target Dashboard (Shift+T)
- Match orbital planes: burn normal/antinormal (J / Shift+J) at the ascending or descending node
- Adjust your orbit to intercept: burn prograde/retrograde to match the target’s orbital altitude
- As you close in, use Target Prograde (Y) to align with your approach direction
- Switch to Target Retrograde (Shift+Y) to brake — reduce relative velocity toward zero
- Fine-tune with small thrust adjustments until you’re within station-keeping distance
Fuel Management
- Monitor fuel in the Ship Systems window (U), which shows remaining delta-v and burn time
- Fuel consumption scales linearly with thrust — 50% thrust uses half the fuel rate
- The Cargo Hauler has more fuel but lower thrust and efficiency
- The Long-Range Explorer has the highest delta-v budget thanks to extreme fuel efficiency (50,000 s Isp)
- Dock at a station (F when within 100 m) to refuel