game:
general:

• usually one sun per starsystem
• different star system can only be reached via jump, not using sublight engines (would take years otherwise)
• this eliminates the need for rendering each star individually since they don’t alter their positions visually when travelling at sublight or less.
• upon arrival in a new star system: skybox texture has to be calculated only once. Star position within the same star system are fixed.

• galaxy / planets: fractal-based
• generate planets as they get discovered
• person who discovers a previously unknown planet gets to name it
• first person to reach a new starsystem gets to name it
• generate planet: server creates db entry with resource distribution etc., sends seed string to client
• client: parses seed string, calls fractal function to calculate planet surface in desired resolution
• since fractal function is deterministic, planet will look exactly the same on each client that receives the same seed string
• careful: discovering a new planet triggers server-side generation of seed string and resource initialisation, not client-side.
• Client only gets seed string and current resource distribution, as queried from the server-side db
• and: iphone/web interface (ship movement / trading / ingame messaging)

ship configuration:

• each ship class has a max. complexity (#of elements to be added)
• each element has a complexity level, so that the maxed out ship doesn’t get too complex
• elements must be connected to other elements of the ship, cannot be free flying
• elements can be added in any place and/or angle as long as they touch one of the ship’s components or are close enough to one
• crucial elements (elements that connect “leaves” to the ship’s body) cannot be removed if they’re the only connector a leave has to the ship’s body
• elements can be researched/constructed, bought, stolen or found/salvaged from wreckages (both in space and on planets)

element examples:

• cargo container
• crew quarter
• ngine room
• exhaust
• cockpit
• solar panel
• certain elements (such as a solar panel) have animation attached to them. All elements attached to an animated element get transformed as well (cargo container connected to a solar panel gets pulled towards/pushed away from the ship if the panel folds or unfolds)

jump effect:
if own ship jumps:

• wavelength compression of surrounding (blueshift, fade out of all visible light, fade in of invisible spectrum, etc.)

if other ship jumps:

• ship starts to glow (starflare, blind effect on viewer, scales with distance), at jump
• ship disappears, leaves a glowing “hull” of itself that fades out and expands quickly (shockwave, in the shape of the ship), as well as a short trail pointing towards the direction the ship has taken off to.
• jump isn’t instant, but has a charge-time of ~30s?

sublight: all stars (everything) in front of the ship experience blue-shift, all stars behind the ship: red-shift (can be done using shaders).