Experience the challenges and rewards of running an interstellar empire in real-time, in a shared, persistent universe with thousands of other players. Time is compressed to allow the passage of several game days in a single real-world day. React to events in real-time, or "catch up" while the game clock is suspended during evening hours. Use pre-defined scripts to control political, economic, and military behavior, or script your own behaviors.

The Starfire Real Time Strategy game is Starfire - with a twist. The Starfire RTS is a massive multiplayer game focusing on the strategic decisions made while running an empire. Battles within the game are resolved through an abstraction based on relative force constitutions, standard operating procedures, and force multipliers such as surprise, technological advantage, and superior skill.

Players will be assigned a starting system and initial resources to build their infrastructure and starting forces. From that point, it is up to the player to determine how to allocate resources across economic development, exploration, military power, colonization, scientific research, and political activity. Upon expanding out into the galaxy the player is confronted by other players and non-player empires, and must choose between confrontation or peaceful co-existence.

In a significant change from the existing Starfire strategic system, game play will progress in real time rather than strategic turns. The game clock is compressed to allow several in-game days to progress over the course of one real world day. As events occur over the course of the day, event notifications are logged for player review. Players may also opt to receive event notifications via email or wireless messaging. Typical events might include the completion of scientific research, the discovery of planets suitable for colonization, or contact with unknown forces. Players have the option to issue orders immediately in response to event notifications, or during the evening hours when the game clock is suspended to allow players busy during the day to catch up and to allow all players time to analyze their positions and perform tasks such as ship design or scripting operating procedures.

A scripting language is provided in the game system to allow players control over most aspects of the game system. Players can write scripts to respond to events occuring throughout the day (for example, deploying reserve fleets to hot spots when hostile forces are contacted).

The scripting system is also a key component of the tactical battle abstraction. With potentially thousands of players all participating in the game at the same time, it is impossible to change to the tactical time scale every time a battle occurs. There are two reasons for this. First, when contact occurs between forces, one or both players may not be logged in to the system. Second, as the number of players increases, the probability of hostile contact between forces increases geometrically. As there is some possibility that the result of a battle in a system may affect the events occuring in its neighbors, it becomes necessary to slow time in neighboring systems as well. This potentially leads to a cascade effect in which time is slowed throughout the entire game environment. Consequently, the tactical combat system is abstracted in the RTS. The scripting language provides a mechanism for players to continue to have an effect on the tactical use of their forces. Players may specify how forces will behave under a variety of circumstances (e.g., first contact, ambush, warp point assault, warp point defense), and the instructions will be used to determine the disposition and behavior of forces when the RTS resolves battles.

One of the most exciting features will be the capability to receive event notifications via email or wireless. With this feature you can truly experience the exhiliration - or panic - that comes with running an interstellar power (Excuse me people, but I need to leave this meeting because I just received a page telling me that my homeworld is under attack). Through this optional feature, you may receive a message when an in-game event is reported to one of your capitals or command centers. You may respond immediately or defer responding until later.

Players who opt not to receive message traffic need not despair; all players will be able to view events as they are recorded through the game interface. Each capital or command center will provide a log of events reported at that center, and will provide the capability to issue orders in response to events.

With the ability to play through years of game time comes the opportunity to really explore the strategic elements of the Starfire game. Players may experience the thrill of growing an empire from a fledging star state to a mighty, galaxy-spanning empire as they climb the technological ladder and deal with numerous foes along the way.