Stellar Objects
Stellar objects are the astronomical bodies inside an orbital system. They are the primary source of extractable resources and the main sites for infrastructure construction.
Purpose
Stellar objects give each orbital system its economic and strategic identity. A system is not a single homogeneous location — it is a collection of distinct bodies, each with its own composition and potential. The combination of stellar objects inside a system is what makes that system worth controlling.
This feature defines what types of stellar objects exist, what properties they carry, and what they mean for players.
Player Value
The stellar objects in a system determine what resources can be extracted there and what can be built. Two systems that share a region may feel completely different depending on the bodies they contain.
Stellar object composition creates natural specialisation across the game world. Some systems will be rich in bulk construction materials. Others will be valuable for rare fuels or advanced industrial inputs.
Each stellar object can be individually claimed. A player does not need to control an entire system to gain access to a body within it. This makes individual stellar objects meaningful targets for colonisation and competition in their own right.
Stellar Object Types
Every stellar object belongs to one of the following categories.
| Type | Layer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Star | Centre | Default centre anchor. Visual identity only. |
| Black Hole | Centre | Replaces the star. No conventional gameplay in the current game. |
| Planet | Primary orbiter | Habitable and special subtypes. Colony eligibility depends on planet type. |
| Asteroid Belt | Primary orbiter | Few slots, high occurrence concentration. |
| Moon | Secondary orbiter | Orbits a planet. Type determines composition and accessibility. |
Rules
- Each stellar object belongs to exactly one orbital system.
- Each stellar object has a type from the list above.
- Each stellar object has a composition that determines what resources, if any, can be extracted from it.
- A system with no stellar objects yields no extractable resources.
- Most stellar objects are created during world creation. Homeworld planets created during new player spawn are the exception. After a stellar object exists, it does not move, change type, or disappear through normal gameplay.
- The resources available in a system are derived from the combined compositions of its stellar objects, not from the system as a whole.
- Each stellar object can be individually claimed or colonised. Controlling an orbital system does not automatically grant control of the stellar objects within it.
Player Actions
- View all stellar objects within an orbital system.
- View the details of a specific stellar object: its type and composition.
- Claim or colonise an individual stellar object (subject to ownership and colonisation rules).
- Extract resources from a stellar object (subject to extraction and infrastructure rules).
- Construct infrastructure on a stellar object (subject to construction and ownership rules).
Constraints
- Players cannot freely create, move, or destroy stellar objects. New homeworld planets are created only by the new player spawn rules.
- Stellar object subtypes and classification subdivisions are not defined here. They will be covered in their own documentation when the relevant features are specified.
- Extraction and infrastructure construction rules are defined in their respective features, not here.
- Ownership and colonisation rules are defined in their respective features, not here.