Async multiplayer

How async multiplayer works

In multiplayer, every player gets the same window to submit their orders. Once everyone has submitted, the game resolves the round and ships each player a fresh view of the new state. Nobody waits in real time — you submit, walk away, and come back to your inbox.

This is the same rhythm as postal chess or correspondence games. It works because turns resolve in a fixed order, so every player sees the same outcome regardless of who submitted first.

Setting up a game

A multiplayer lobby lets you set:

• Galaxy size — small (quicker games) up to epic (sprawling, long campaigns).
• Faction selection — random, drafted, or pick.
• Turn deadline — anywhere from “no deadline” to 24 hours so the game doesn’t stall on a busy player.
• Player count — 2 to 8.

You invite friends by email. Multiplayer is friends-only at launch; public matchmaking ships later.

Submitting a turn

When it’s your turn, you’ll get a notification. Open the game, see the new state, issue your orders, and click Submit. You can edit orders any time before the deadline.

Everything you decide that round — moving a fleet, starting a building in a colony, proposing or accepting a treaty, declaring war — is gathered into one set of orders and sent together when you submit. Nothing happens the instant you click it; your orders take effect when the round resolves and everyone has submitted. That’s why a colony build or a treaty offer shows up as “queued” until the round plays out.

If you miss a deadline, the game plays a do-nothing turn for you (your fleets hold position, your queues continue). You can rejoin next round.

Fairness

Every player sees a fog-of-war filtered version of the galaxy — you only know what your scouts have seen. The game resolves everything centrally, so no player has a host advantage and no client can gain information they shouldn’t have.

What’s coming

Public matchmaking, ranked ladders, seasonal play, spectator mode, and replays are planned.