Game Guide

Everything you need to know about Interstellar War.

Getting Started

Welcome to Interstellar War — a free-to-play, browser-based space MMORPG where you pilot ships, fight real-time battles, colonise planets, and trade on a player-driven market.

This guide will walk you through your first steps in the galaxy.

Creating Your Account

Head to the registration page and fill in your details:

  • In-Game Name — This is your commander name, visible to all players. Choose wisely — it can't be changed. Max 20 characters, no special characters.
  • Email — You'll receive a verification email. Check your spam folder if it doesn't arrive.
  • Password — Min 6 characters. You'll need this to log in.

After registering, check your email and click the confirmation link to activate your account.

Your Starting Position

When you first log in, you'll find yourself at your faction's home starbase. Every new player begins with:

What Value
Credits 2,000 CR
Experience 2,000 XP
Ship None — you'll need to buy one
Location Your faction's home starbase

Your first priority is to buy a ship. Without one, you can't leave the starbase.

Buying Your First Ship

At the starbase, navigate to the Starbase section. You'll see a list of ships available for purchase. As a new player with 2,000 credits, you'll be limited to starter-class vessels.

Look for ships that balance:

  • Speed — faster ships escape danger more easily
  • Hull — more hull means you survive longer
  • Weapons — you'll need firepower for NPC encounters

Once purchased, you can launch from the starbase into the system.

The Interface

Tactical View

After launching, you'll see the tactical view — the main game screen. Key elements:

  • Top Navigation — Switch between Faction, Starbase, Tactical, Starmap, Starship, Industry, and Board views
  • Scanner — Shows nearby ships, planets, starbases, and other objects within 90 units
  • Ship Status — Your hull, shield, speed, and power levels
  • Chat — Communicate with your faction, ship crew, or the global OOC channel
  • Target Panel — Information about your selected target

Your First Steps

  1. Launch from starbase and get familiar with the tactical view
  2. Move around — click on objects in the scanner to set course
  3. Find an NPC — look for non-player ships to practice combat
  4. Check your modules — make sure your weapons and shields are online
  5. Engage in combat — target an NPC and fire when in range
  6. Return to starbase — dock to repair and resupply

Key Concepts

The Tick

The game universe updates every 15 seconds — this is called a "tick". During each tick:

  • Ships move toward their destination
  • Weapons fire if targets are in range
  • Shields and hull passively repair
  • Production and building queues advance

The game is persistent — things happen whether you're online or not.

Crew Roles

Every ship has crew positions. As a solo player, you fill all roles yourself:

Role Skill What It Does
Commander Command Leadership, required to pilot larger ships
Pilot Piloting Speed and handling bonuses
Engineer Engineering Hull, shield capacity, and repair rate
Gunner Gunnery Damage, accuracy, and weapon range

Other players can join your ship's crew, each taking a role and contributing their skills.

Chat Channels

  • OOC — Out-of-character global chat. Talk to everyone.
  • Faction — Private to your faction members.
  • Ship — Only your ship's crew can see this.
  • System — Game events (damage, kills, spawns) in your current system.

What's Next?

Once you're comfortable with the basics: