Question 1

Is Space Tycoon a space MMO?

Accepted Answer

Yes: a browser-based space MMO with one persistent, shared economy. Every player trades on the same live market, bids on the same contracts, competes in the same weekly league, and can build corporations with alliances, mergers and takeovers. There is no combat: rivalry is economic. It runs on a fresh-world epoch cadence, so newcomers start on a level solar system rather than into a decade-old economy.

Question 2

Is it a space economy game or a space strategy game?

Accepted Answer

Both, and that is the point. It is a space economy game first: supply and demand set every price, logistics and delta-v cost money, hardware has to be manufactured at fabrication facilities from mined resources, and profit-and-loss is visible per building, location and corporation. The strategy layer sits on top, where to expand, which chokepoints and orbital slots to hold, which research to fund, whom to trade with and whom to squeeze.

Question 3

Is Space Tycoon a live-service game? What changes week to week?

Accepted Answer

It is a live-service game in the plain sense: the world keeps moving whether you are logged in or not. Daily contracts and intelligence briefings refresh, weekly league standings and faction standings reset, corporate quarterlies publish every game quarter, seasonal events run on a calendar, and real space data (live launches, NOAA space weather) feeds the simulation. Balance passes and content waves ship continuously and are logged publicly in the changelog.

Question 4

Is it free? Is there pay-to-win?

Accepted Answer

Free to play in the browser, no download, no account needed to look around. Real-money purchases are cosmetic or convenience only: never resources, money, research acceleration or exclusive gameplay content. The no-pay-to-win commitment is written into the game's public policy.

Question 5

How do I start making money?

Accepted Answer

You start with $100M. To generate ongoing revenue, you need to build infrastructure that enables services. The fastest path to revenue:

1. Build a Small Launch Pad ($25M, 6 months) → auto-activates "Small Launch Services" earning $5M/mo net profit
2. Build a Ground Station ($15M, 4 months) → auto-activates "Satellite Tracking Services" earning $2.2M/mo net profit
3. Build a Mission Control Center ($40M, 8 months) → auto-activates "Mission Operations Contracts" earning $4M/mo net profit

Once construction finishes, services activate automatically and revenue starts flowing. You need to unpause the game (press 1x, 2x, 5x, or 10x) for time to pass and construction to complete.

Question 6

I built buildings but I'm not earning anything. What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Three common reasons:

1. Construction isn't finished yet. Buildings take months to build. Check the Dashboard for "Under Construction" items: they show completion dates. Revenue only starts when construction is complete.
2. The game is paused. Make sure you've pressed a speed button (1x, 2x, 5x, or 10x). The Pause button pauses time.
3. The building doesn't generate revenue. Check the Build panel: buildings that generate revenue show which service they enable. Some buildings (like solar farms) provide support but don't directly earn money.

Question 7

What does each speed setting do?

Accepted Answer

Speed controls how fast in-game time passes:
- Pause: Time stops. Use this to plan your next moves.
- 1x: 1 game month every 2 real seconds
- 2x: 1 game month every 1 second
- 5x: 1 game month every 0.4 seconds
- 10x: 1 game month every 0.2 seconds (fastest)

Your monthly revenue and costs are calculated each game month regardless of speed.

Question 8

What does each building do?

Accepted Answer

Earth Surface buildings:
- Small Launch Pad: Enables launch services ($8M/mo revenue). Your bread-and-butter early income.
- Medium Launch Pad: Requires Reusable Boosters research. $25M/mo revenue.
- Heavy Launch Pad: Requires Super Heavy Lift research. $80M/mo revenue.
- Ground Station: Satellite tracking services ($3M/mo revenue). Quick to build (4 months).
- Mission Control: Mission operations contracts ($6M/mo revenue).

LEO (Low Earth Orbit) buildings:
- LEO Telecom Satellite: Broadband internet service ($5M/mo). No research needed.
- LEO Sensor Satellite: Earth observation imagery ($4M/mo). Needs High-Res Optical research.
- Orbital Outpost (space station): Space tourism ($8M/mo). Needs Modular Spacecraft research.
- Orbital Data Center: AI compute services ($15M/mo). Needs Rad-Hardened Processors research.
- Orbital Fabrication Lab: Manufacturing ($12M/mo). Needs Orbital Assembly research.
- Orbital Solar Farm: Powers other orbital facilities. No direct revenue.

Revenue increases as you unlock more locations (Moon, Mars, asteroids) and build higher-tier infrastructure.

Question 9

How do services work?

Accepted Answer

Services are your revenue generators. When a building completes construction, any service it enables is automatically activated. You don't need to do anything extra.

Each service has:
- Revenue/month: How much it earns
- Operating cost/month: How much it costs to run
- Net profit = Revenue minus Operating cost

You can see all active services in the Services tab with a breakdown of revenue and costs.

Question 10

Why do buildings cost more when I build multiple?

Accepted Answer

Each duplicate building at the same location costs 15% more than the last. This is cost scaling: it prevents you from just spamming one building type. Your first Small Launch Pad costs $50M, the second costs $57.5M, the third costs $66.1M, and so on. Strategy matters: diversify your infrastructure for better economics.

Question 11

What's the difference between maintenance cost and operating cost?

Accepted Answer

Maintenance cost is a monthly fee just for owning a building, regardless of whether it's running a service. Think of it as rent and upkeep.

Operating cost is the monthly cost of running a service. This only applies to active services.

Both are deducted from your income each month.

Question 12

How does research work?

Accepted Answer

Research unlocks new buildings, services, and locations. The flow:

1. Go to the Research tab
2. Find a technology you can afford (white border = available, gray = locked by prerequisites)
3. Click Start: this costs money upfront and takes several game months
4. Only one research at a time: choose wisely
5. When complete, new buildings and capabilities unlock automatically

Research is organized into 9 branches with 5 tiers each, from present-day tech (Tier 1) to far-future concepts like fusion drives and antimatter propulsion (Tier 5).

Question 13

What should I research first?

Accepted Answer

Best early research paths:

For revenue: High-Res Optical ($50M) → unlocks LEO Sensor Satellites for Earth observation income
For expansion: Reusable Boosters ($100M) → unlocks Medium Launch Pad + lunar missions
For tech income: Rad-Hardened Processors ($100M) → unlocks Orbital Data Centers ($15M/mo!)
For passive income: Triple-Junction Solar Cells ($30M) → unlocks solar farms
For infrastructure: Modular Spacecraft ($75M) → unlocks space stations + tourism

The cheapest and fastest research is Triple-Junction Solar Cells (6 months, $30M). The highest early ROI is Rad-Hardened Processors → build an Orbital Data Center.

Question 14

What do the research prerequisites mean?

Accepted Answer

Some technologies require you to complete other research first. For example, "Super Heavy Lift" requires "Rapid Launch Cadence" which requires "Reusable Boosters." You must research them in order.

Some advanced techs have cross-branch prerequisites: e.g., "Asteroid Capture" requires both "Regolith Processing" (Mining) and "Autonomous Docking" (Spacecraft). These create interesting strategic decisions about which branches to invest in.

Question 15

How do I expand to the Moon and beyond?

Accepted Answer

New locations must be unlocked by spending money and completing required research:

- GEO (Geostationary Orbit): $50M, no research needed. Premium telecom satellites.
- Lunar Orbit: $1B, needs Reusable Boosters
- Lunar Surface: $2B, needs Reusable Boosters + Modular Spacecraft
- Mars Orbit: $10B, needs Super Heavy Lift + Ion Drives
- Mars Surface: $25B, needs above + Resource Prospecting
- Asteroid Belt: $15B, needs Asteroid Capture + Autonomous Docking
- Jupiter System: $100B, needs Nuclear Thermal + Interplanetary Cruisers
- Saturn System: $200B, needs above + Deep Drilling
- Outer System: $500B, needs Fusion Drive + Generation Ships

Go to the Map tab to see all locations and their unlock requirements.

Question 16

Why should I expand to new locations?

Accepted Answer

Each new location offers unique buildings and higher-revenue services:

- Moon: Lunar ice mining ($20M/mo), lunar tourism ($30M/mo), lunar manufacturing
- Mars: Resource extraction ($40M/mo), Mars tourism ($100M/mo!)
- Asteroid Belt: Asteroid metals ($60M/mo): the most profitable mining
- Jupiter: Europa drilling ($150M/mo): highest Tier 4 revenue
- Saturn: Titan hydrocarbons ($200M/mo): highest mining revenue

The further you expand, the more you earn. But expansion is expensive: you need a solid revenue base first.

Question 17

What's the best strategy for beginners?

Accepted Answer

Phase 1 (Year 2026-2030): Build your revenue base on Earth
- Build a Ground Station first (cheapest, fastest at 4 months)
- Build a Small Launch Pad (6 months, $5M/mo net)
- Build a Mission Control Center (8 months, $4M/mo net)
- Start researching: Triple-Junction Solar Cells → Rad-Hardened Processors

Phase 2 (Year 2030-2035): Go to orbit
- Build LEO Telecom Satellites ($5M/mo each, no research needed!)
- Build an Orbital Data Center once Rad-Hard Processors completes ($15M/mo net!)
- Research Reusable Boosters to unlock Moon missions
- Unlock GEO for premium telecom satellites

Phase 3 (Year 2035-2045): Expand to the Moon
- Unlock Lunar Surface, build mining and manufacturing
- Research toward Mars capabilities

Speed tip: Use 5x or 10x speed when waiting for construction, then pause to make decisions.

Question 18

How do I avoid going bankrupt?

Accepted Answer

Watch your net income in the resource bar at the top. If it's red (negative), you're losing money each month.

Common causes of bankruptcy:
- Building too many things at once without revenue to cover maintenance
- Unlocking expensive locations before you can afford to build there
- Starting expensive research without enough cash reserves

Rule of thumb: Keep at least 6 months of operating costs in reserve. If your monthly costs are $10M, keep $60M+ in the bank.

Question 19

Does the game save automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The game auto-saves every 30 seconds. You can also manually save by clicking the Save button in the tab bar. Your save is stored in your browser's local storage.

Warning: Clearing your browser data will delete your save. Use the same browser to continue playing.

Space Tycoon FAQ

Quick Start Guide

What kind of game is this?

Getting Started

Buildings & Revenue

Research

Solar System & Expansion

Strategy Tips

Quick Revenue Reference

Newsletter