Ephemeris is a turn-based 4X space game with emphasis on fully 3D real-time space combat.
It features physics-based space combat with ships driven realistically by linear and angular acceleration and other forces. Ship sizes range from fighter class to battleship and carrier classes. The ship’s armaments and components will be chosen by the player, so the ship’s size is not necessarily tied to any role. Due to realistic space physics, the combat will not only look cool but will allow for unique tactics usually only found in realistic non-RTS space simulations.
Weapons come in four different sizes and with different types of mounts. The smallest weapons are typically only available for fighter-class ships and suitable for fighting other fighters or other smaller targets. Bigger weapons are typically needed to efficiently damage bigger ships, but a huge number of smaller weapons may also do the trick. Weapon mounts can be fixed, slightly pivoting (gimbal) or turret-type. Fixed mounts are the cheapest in terms of money and also as regards power and size required, but they largely rely on the agility of the ship to get the target in sight. All in all, a huge fixed weapon on a slow ship might be next to useless against a small agile ship. For a big ship to fend off a threatening swarm of smaller ships on its own, it will need small weapons mounted on turrets, since those turrets will be fast enough to target agile fighters. These turrets can also act as a point defence system against incoming missiles.
Because of all the variations in the ship design system, there is no single best design for all situations. Instead, you have to adapt and assess what is needed in the current situation and in the future. The research system is randomized. It makes sense thematically that you can’t know in advance what you are going to invent in the future and it also adds to the replay value of the game. It prevents the possibility of always going for the optimal tech combinations, instead in every playthrough you have to adapt to what is available.
The world map consists of a randomly generated set of star systems. For gameplay reasons, each star system has up to one planet which can be colonized. There are different planet types and the type affects the colonization, fertility and productions of the planet among other things. There is a food exporting and trade netwok systems which allows for the specialization of planets and makes the economy interesting due to interaction between planets. These mechanics are quite sophisticated under the hood but are designed to be easy to play to minimize unnecessary micromanagement when the size of the empire is large.
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