From the Devs
Humanity's vast empire is lost. With the last communication outside the Apollo Sector far beyond human memory, we've been forced to build anew, using only the dregs of the civilization left behind. Now it's your turn to make your mark and help to rebuild our understanding of where we are and where we came from.
Ascent is a Player Vs Environment space-based MMO with a focus on exploration and community. With over 270 BILLION star systems to explore and an emphasis on strong Sci Fi, Ascent encourages Exploration, Colonization, Starbase construction, Research and technology, Asteroid mining, Farming, Trading, and - of course - Combat.
Outside of a pre-defined "Apollo Sector" of nine star systems, everything in the game is made by players. Colonies and Starbases have been built on and around planets and later connected by jump gates. A fully dynamic stock market is maintained by what players frequently buy and sell, with the ability to set prices on various materials at your base. Colonies with individual NPC AI following Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be hired to trade on your behalf, or bribed to allow a smuggling enterprise in another player's colony. Even the governing bodies from colony Mayors, planetary Governors, star system Senators all the way to a Colonial President are all elected by players to give the entire player base a unified voice in their own pocket of space.
Each feature of Ascent is designed with one major rule: "It should be fun to do alone, and even more fun with others". Even things like solo exploration can be more lucrative and benefit the community at large by fulfilling player bounties for certain types of planets. How you play is up to you.
Please note that to keep the game running as smoothly as possible, we use multiple servers. These servers have an ongoing cost, and we have priced advanced-game aspects of the game at $0.99 apiece, with a total of $2.97 per month. To help you get the most out of Ascent, we have included 3 months of premium access when you purchase the game. If for any reason you cannot pay, the game will not lock you out or lose any of your assets, merely restrict you in some advanced areas.
So jump in and enjoy the vast expanse of features we're proud to offer:
- Exploration - more than 270 billion star systems generated with unique planets, mineral concenrations, agriculturual values and climate
- Farming and mining on planet surfaces - players can build their own planetary bases for resource harvesting. City simulation style play.
- Personal starbase construction - players can construct their own starbase to their own design. This becomes your home in space, and your centre for heavy zero-g manufacturing and research
- Trading - dynamic local NPC markets, player to player global market
- Dynamic NPC mission system - combat, trade (supply/demand), passenger transport, courier and salvage missions
- Asteroid mining - manual control of ship and axial mining beam. Player and character skill based.
- Research - blueprint fragments attainable from salvage missions allow the player to research forgotten and new ships and components, as well as enhancements to their buildings
- Manufacturing - every ship, weapon and utility module in the game can be manufactured by players and sold or used to customise their ships (which can also be given a custom paint scheme)
- Gas giant harvesting - because sometimes you need things like hydrogen and oxygen!
- Space combat - manual control fighter to fighter dogfighting, scales up to big ship broadside duels between cruisers
- Colonization of outer systems - the largest so far has over 50,000 structures and hundreds of thousands of colonists
- Outer Star Bases - these can also grow to vast size, open ended in 3D space just as colonies are on the surface
- Governments - Players who own colonies in a given system can vote for a colony mayor, planetary governor, system Senator and a colonial President. Governors can rename their planets, Senators can rename their systems and approve Jump Gate construction to their systems, and the President can approve jump gate construction to the inner systems.
- Player constructed jump gates - when approved by the relevant government authorities, players can band together for a community mega-project of constructing new jump gates, extending the reach of new players into the colonized outer systems
- NPC AI - we are implementing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs with our NPCs, giving them motivation to act within the game world. We are also developing a system which will enable them to engage in actual text chat with players (like old adventure games only we now have access to incredible new parser technology) in order to achieve their aims.
- Hiring NPCs as pilots - they will not be able to warp or jump unaided but that leaves a lot of capability
- Colonial Laws - these will enable you to outlaw or allow certain goods (e.g. alcohol) at your colonies, and lead to...
- Smuggling - setting up smuggler networks and sneaking banned goods into colonies for fun and profit
As an MMO, Ascent is open to constant development. Below are some of the features we plan to add.
- Bounty hunting - tracking down fugitive NPCs, whether they are running from the law, or just their enemies
- Crime and punishment - setting up police and prisons in your colonies, and adventuring as a freelance investigator
- Assassination - whether blowing up the ship they're in, or tracking them to their home and pulling the trigger, you're a stone cold killer for hire
