What is Vega Strike?
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Vega Strike is an OpenSource 3d Space Simulator. Work is proceeding on both the Vega Strike game engine and a Vega Strike Universe game data set. Both engine and data are in a playable state, but still under development. Each release serves as a beta for both engine and data.
- Trading
- Exploration
- Plenty of shoot 'em up action
- Preliminary multiplayer Deathmatch (testing server only)
The Vega Strike engine serves as the foundation for the Privateer Gemini Gold, Privateer Remake, Vega Trek, and Pi Armada projects, whose websites can be reached via the sidebar to the right.
The project goal is, at version 1.0, is to be a generic space simulator. Currently developed features include:
Vega Strike is Free (as in liberated) Software
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Vega Strike is an Open Source Software project under the GNU license (with dual-licensed GNU/Creative Commons artwork). We believe that, even in the realm of computer games, it is important that people have access to codebases that will let them imagine, create, and expand on their own terms, not those of some restrictive proprietary license.
- For more information about Free Software and the Free Software Foundation, GNU and their licenses, and Open source or free software in general you can visit http://www.gnu.org/fsf/
The Game: Vega Strike: Upon the Coldest Sea
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As you play, you will see that several species and numerous political entities are present in the game, and they do not all co-exist peacefully. With the invasion of the Union of Dispossessed Colonists,a lesser political entity, the brink of war has been reached between the human dominated Confederation of Inhabited Worlds and the Aeran Ascendancy even as the border between the Rlaan Assembly and the Aera still smolders under a long, tense cease-fire that has failed to become a peace.
- Some player character backstory can be found here: Deucalion's Monologue: (A Dead Man's Ship)
- The Vega Strike Wiki Database contains many entries on the ships, species, and factions found in the VS universe, and is a good starting point for those interested in exploring backstory. The Wiki Database is, however, still a work in progress. Many entries are minimal or in need of significant editing. However, it's still the best (non-developer/non-spoiler-filled) source of information on the VS universe and entities therein.
Developer Contributions
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Would you like to contribute to Vegastrike and become a developer? Great! Just sign up for the developer mailing list (our apologies if it's a bit on the dry side, the deluge of spam really gunked things up for a while and recovery has not been swift, with many developer communications moving to alternate channels) and send us an email about youself, noting your skills (or which ones you'd like to develop by working with us ;-) ) and what
you would like to do. Or, go to the forums and developer blog and poke around until you find someone working on something that interests you and contact the people working on that aspect of the project directly. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A CODER! We have a profound need for people to do many other things as well -- documentation, web maintenance, fiction development, artwork etc. Believe us -- we'd kill for people with good cat-herding skills even if their skillset doesn't include anything technical (Scatter-brained academic code-developers attempting to remote manage busy artists, artisans, and even each other doesn't politely lend itself to the smoothest operation one can imagine).
If you would like to help, or would like to find out more about the project first, then go to our forum and ask any questions you might have, what you can do, what needs to be done, etc.