Space - Glory Through Conquest/Gameplay

Account Creation
When a player creates an account they are put into a new game, known as a galaxy, which has not yet started. Once a galaxy has enough players the game begins. Standard galaxies and DeathMatch galaxies can contain roughly 300 players, but as of November 2008, the playercount was reduced to 150.

This way you do not join a game that has already been running for some time. A reminder e-mail is sent to your account giving you 24 hrs notice.

Players take control of a system and a few ships, and through production, research, and diplomacy players expand their empire.

Environment
Each galaxy contains 3,000 systems, each system has a randomised amount of land, ore and habitability (with the exceptions of home-systems, which all have the same amount of land (1200) and ore (99%) and a 100% habitability match with the players race). A system's habitability is a rating that determines how well suited the planet is for a players race. The lower the habitability rating the more expensive colonization and construction will be. Habitability can be increased over time up to 100% suitable by building a number of bioformers in the system. Once a system has been claimed or conquered the player can build structures on the available land to further boost his economy, or increase the defensive strength of the system.

Time
Space plays in near real-time, queued buildings will be built, population will grow, ships will move towards their destinations and battles will be fought whether or not anyone is logged in. The game world is advanced one "tick" every hour. Most players will tell you that in order to be successful you have to log in often. Both in order to react to other players' actions, and to colonize new systems, move ships to new destinations or adjust the targeting orders for fleets in battle.

1 tick = one physical hour = 1 galactic year

Multiplayer Interaction
Through both formal alliances (up to 4 members) and informal greater alliances (groups of alliances linked by non-aggression pacts and player diplomacy) players attempt to create the largest empire in the galaxy. A galaxy ends when either the top 5 highest ranked alliances control a certain percentage of the galaxy, or when only a certain number of active empires remain in the game.

Currently these settings are 25 active players or 2500 systems are contained by the top 5 alliances.