Galaxy map

A universe consists of several galaxies with 400 solar systems each. You open the map with the Galaxy button below your avatar. It always opens centered on your own system. Drag with the mouse or use the arrow keys to move around, zoom with + and −, and jump to other galaxies via the universe overview.

Clicking a planet opens its window. Depending on its status, you find buttons there to message the player, spy on the planet, fire the Particle cannon or send a fleet (Fleet commands).

A real coordinate system

The galaxy map is not a numbered directory but a real, continuous surface. Every solar system is a grid of 50 × 50 fields with the sun in the middle, and every planet sits on one particular field within it. The 400 systems of a galaxy lie side by side like tiles, and the galaxies of the universe are arranged around a common centre.

The distance between two planets is therefore the real straight line across this surface – across system and galaxy borders. One field equals 15 million kilometres. That is also how the fleet window converts the distance into kilometres.

This has consequences you might not expect:

• The system number does not tell you the distance. Systems are numbered in a spiral from the centre of the galaxy outwards. Consecutive numbers are usually next to each other, but where the spiral turns, numbers that are far apart become direct neighbours – in galaxy 1, for example, systems 59 and 351.
• The neighbouring system can be closer than your own. A planet in the next system may be closer than a planet on the far side of your own sun.
• Galaxy borders are not walls. The nearest systems of a neighbouring galaxy are sometimes closer than the most distant systems of your own galaxy.

On top of that, planets orbit their sun and move a little further every day. So the distances – and with them flight time and fuel use – change from day to day (Planets, Flight model).

What the colors mean

• Bright green: your own planets. Green: members of your alliance. Light green: wing alliances. Grey-green: coalition partners. Grey: alliances with a non-aggression pact (Diplomacy).
• Crimson: players you can attack – and who can attack you (Points & Attack Zones).
• Dark red: players above your range. Pale blue: players below your range. No attacks are possible with either group – neither by you nor against you.
• Gold: inactive players you can attack. Pale yellow: inactive players below your range.
• Blue: players in vacation mode (Vacation Mode). Orange: banned players. Magenta: game operators who watch over the game.
• Light red and red: alien planets (Alien planets).

More on the map

• Debris fields are marked in blue and are waiting for your recyclers (Recycling). Orange fields belong to you alone – they come from Debris Field Week (Debris Field Week).
• Black holes can be recognized by the fact that they replace the sun of a system (Black holes).