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Living Universe Online — Game

This site documents the current state of Living Universe Online (LUO). Everything here is already implemented and live (or in the process of being published on an active branch).

What This Documentation Covers

  • Wiki — the rules, mechanics, and player actions for everything currently in the game
  • Glossary — shared terminology used throughout all documents

This is not a design or planning document. For ideas and proposals, see the Ideas site. For backend architecture and code conventions, see the Developer site.

Core Design Principle

Living Universe Online runs on real-world time, continuously, whether or not you are actively playing.

Everything that takes time — moving a fleet, constructing a building, executing a research project — counts down in real-world hours and minutes. The game does not pause when you log out. The clock is shared by every player in the galaxy.

This is what puts strategy at the center: a player who plans well will be effective even with limited play sessions. A player who spends all day clicking will not automatically beat a player who spends thirty minutes thinking.

Project Summary

The game universe is structured as:

  • a single universe containing a galaxy
  • a galaxy divided into named regions
  • regions containing orbital systems
  • orbital systems containing stellar objects

That structure is the foundation on which all gameplay systems — routing, ownership, economy, warfare, logistics, and exploration — are built.