Star
The gravitational anchor at the center of an orbital system. Stars define the presence of a habitable zone and give a system its visual identity, but carry no gameplay mechanics in the initial implementation.
Layer
Center. Every system has exactly one center object. A star is the default center type.
Goal
Establish the visual and lore identity of an orbital system without requiring the star itself to be a gameplay target in the early game.
Core Problem
Stars are the most prominent feature of any system and essential for rendering a recognizable system map. At the same time, stellar extraction and stellar-specific mechanics are a late-game or advanced concept that should not be required to implement before the core economy is functional.
The challenge is representing stars in the game model in a way that supports future mechanics without constraining or complicating the current implementation.
Working Directions
Star Subtypes Are Visual Only
Star subtypes — yellow dwarf, red dwarf, blue giant, orange giant, and others — determine how the star looks and provide lore flavor. In the current implementation they carry no gameplay difference. Resource occurrence profiles, habitable zone definitions, and any future stellar extraction mechanics are not driven by subtype in the initial build.
Binary and Triple Systems
A star cluster is treated as a single center object. If world generation produces a binary or triple system, this is expressed as a property of the center cluster — for example, a flag indicating the number of stars and their visual configuration. The planet chain still has one root anchor. Individual stars within a binary are not separately claimable or targetable.
This keeps the hierarchy simple. When stellar extraction eventually becomes relevant, the model can be extended to treat individual stars as targetable objects within the cluster.
No Extraction in the Initial Implementation
Stars are not extractable objects in the initial build. They appear on the system map and define the visual environment but do not produce resources and cannot host sectors or holdings.
Future mechanics — such as stellar harvesting from specific star types, or effects from proximity to a neutron star — will require changes to this model and are explicitly deferred.
Minimal Test Set
Included. Every system requires a center object. Stars are zero-maintenance in the initial build — they appear on the map and do nothing else.
Open Questions
- Should the star subtype influence the habitable zone for planet generation, or is habitability a property set independently per planet at generation time?
- Should binary and triple configurations eventually allow individual stars to be targeted for stellar extraction, or will the cluster-as-single-object model hold permanently?
- Should star subtypes ever carry any gameplay modifier — even a minor one like a solar energy bonus to certain sector types?