Roadmap
Stardrift launched as a focused MVP. Here's where the game is headed.
Currently Live (MVP)
- ✅ System Enrollment — Discord servers claim systems in the shared galaxy
- ✅ Mining — Ore extraction from planets and asteroid belts
- ✅ Inventory — Cargo hold and station storage
- ✅ NPC Market — Dynamic pricing with supply-driven decay
- ✅ Travel — Real-time jumps between systems with fuel and time costs
- ✅ Star Map — Local galaxy view with nearby system info
- ✅ Proxy Systems — Mirror systems across multiple servers
- ✅ 100,000+ System Galaxy — Pre-generated persistent universe
Phase 2 — Economy & Ships
Player-driven markets and a proper ship system are the next major additions.
Player Market
Replace NPC-only trading with a full order-book market:
- Post buy orders (offer credits for ore)
- Post sell orders (list ore at an asking price)
- Orders persist until filled or cancelled
- Cross-system market browsing
Ship Classes
Multiple ship hulls with different stats:
| Ship | Role | Cargo | Fuel Tank | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shuttle | Starter | 1,000 | 100 | Standard |
| Mining Barge | Mining | 5,000 | 200 | Slow |
| Freighter | Hauling | 20,000 | 500 | Slow |
| Explorer | Scouting | 500 | 1,000 | Fast |
| Corvette | Combat | 200 | 300 | Fast |
| Cruiser | Combat/Fleet | 1,000 | 600 | Standard |
Ship Modules
Equip modules to customize your ship:
- Expanded cargo bays
- Mining laser upgrades (yield bonuses)
- Fuel efficiency drives
- Warp speed enhancers
Phase 3 — Progression & Skills
Skill System
Train skills over real time to unlock bonuses:
- Mining skills — yield multipliers, cooldown reduction
- Trade skills — better sell prices, market analysis
- Navigation skills — fuel efficiency, travel speed
- Engineering — module fitting bonuses
XP & Levels
Earn XP from all activities. Level up to unlock higher-tier ships, modules, and skills.
Phase 4 — Corporations
Corps (Guilds)
Form a corporation with other players:
- Shared corporate treasury
- Member roles (CEO, Director, Member)
- Group buffs when corp members are in the same system
- Coordinated fleet travel
Population Buffs
Systems with more active players get bonuses:
- Mining yield boosts
- Market price improvements
- Defense bonuses (for future combat)
Phase 5 — Exploration
System Discovery
Unenrolled systems can be scanned to reveal their stats before committing to enrollment:
- Spend fuel to probe a system
- Preview planet types and resource rating
- Bank promising discoveries for 72 hours — a claim window before others can grab it
Phase 6 — Combat
PvP
Player-vs-player combat zones in contested space:
- Initiate attacks on ships in the same system
- Destroy or disable enemy ships to loot their cargo
- Safe zones around hub systems protect new players
Corporation Wars
Formalize conflicts between corps:
- Declare war through an in-game interface
- War systems become combat zones
- Victory conditions and spoils
System Ownership
System owners gain governance control:
- Set custom docking fees for visitors
- Configure mining taxes on all ore extracted in their system
- Set docking permissions (whitelist/blacklist corps)
- Capture systems by defeating their defenders
Phase 7 — Prestige
Long-term replayability for veteran players:
- Prestige reset option — start fresh with permanent bonuses
- Galaxy-wide leaderboards (credits, ore mined, systems owned)
- Seasonal events with limited-time resources and rewards
Have an idea? Join the community Discord and share it in #suggestions. The roadmap is shaped by what players actually want.