Question 1

What is Starforge MMO?

Accepted Answer

Starforge MMO is a free-to-play browser-based massively multiplayer online strategy game set in a shared, persistent galaxy. You colonise planets, mine resources, forge fleets, research technologies, join factions, and compete or cooperate with thousands of other commanders in real time — all without installing anything. The game runs in your browser, combining a full strategy HUD with an interactive 3D galaxy map powered by Three.js.

Question 2

Is Starforge MMO free?

Accepted Answer

Yes — entirely free to play. You can register, choose your faction, and begin building your empire without spending a single credit. No trial, no credit card required, no "starter pack" blocking access to core gameplay. A premium subscription (£3–£10/month) exists for cosmetic items and convenience perks, but it does not affect combat power or resource production in any way.

Question 3

Do I need to install anything?

Accepted Answer

No installation needed. Starforge MMO runs entirely in your browser using Next.js for the UI and Three.js for the 3D galaxy map. Any modern desktop browser works. Mobile browser support is currently limited but a dedicated mobile app is on the roadmap.

Question 4

Which faction should I choose?

Accepted Answer

For beginners, the Terran Federation is the recommended first choice — balanced stats, construction speed bonuses, and strong diplomacy tools make the learning curve gentler. If you prefer trading over combat, Free Traders is an excellent pick. Void Syndicate suits commanders who want stealth and sabotage, while Solar Empire rewards aggressive territorial expansion. Veterans who enjoy the highest skill ceiling tend to gravitate toward Void Syndicate or Solar Empire.

Question 5

How long does it take to build my first fleet?

Accepted Answer

Your first patrol squadron can be commissioned within minutes of starting. A basic three-fighter fleet is ready in under an hour of real time. Scaling up to corvettes and frigates takes several hours as your Metal Mine, Crystal Extractor, and Shipyard reach higher levels. Fleet growth is persistent — your colony produces resources even while you are offline.

Question 6

How do resources work?

Accepted Answer

Your colony automatically generates resources on a server-side tick every 5 minutes. Each tick calculates the output of every active building — Metal Mines, Crystal Extractors, Hydrogen Synthesisers, and Drone Arrays — based on their current upgrade level and any active production boosts. Higher-level buildings produce exponentially more per tick. Resources are deposited directly into your storage automatically; you can view your per-tick yield and projected daily output from the Colony Overview panel at any time.

Question 7

What happens to my base while I'm offline?

Accepted Answer

Your colony keeps running 24/7. Mines extract resources, factories process materials, and defence platforms guard your sector — all while you sleep. If your defences are overwhelmed by another player's raid, resource losses are capped by your storage capacity. You cannot be permanently destroyed while offline; you only lose what is currently stored above the "protected reserve" threshold.

Question 8

What is the galaxy map?

Accepted Answer

The galaxy map is the shared universe all players inhabit. It is divided into concentric rings of sectors: the protected Core Worlds near the centre for new players, contested Mid-Rim sectors where PvP raids are permitted with warning, and the lawless Outer Rim where full open-PvP applies. Alliances can claim territory by holding systems for extended periods, turning sectors a faction colour on the live map. The 3D interactive galaxy map updates in real time and shows fleet movements, alliance borders, and active conflicts across the entire galaxy.

Question 9

How does the tech tree work?

Accepted Answer

Research is conducted at your Research Institute building. Each technology tier unlocks new ship blueprints, building upgrades, production multipliers, and combat abilities. Technologies are grouped into four branches — Military, Economy, Engineering, and Espionage — and higher-tier nodes require completing prerequisite techs first. Research takes real time to complete (minutes to hours depending on tier), but you can queue multiple projects. Upgrading your Research Institute reduces research time for all projects.

Question 10

Can I attack other players anytime?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the sector. Starting zones are protected — new players cannot be raided for the first 72 hours. Mid-galaxy sectors are "contested" — raids are allowed but the defender gets a warning alert. Deep outer sectors are full open-PvP with no warning. Alliance territories add additional rules negotiated between alliance leaders.

Question 11

How does combat work?

Accepted Answer

Combat in Starforge MMO is fleet-based and fully resolved server-side. When a fleet reaches its target, the server runs an automated battle simulation: fleets exchange fire in simultaneous rounds (up to 20 rounds maximum), with each ship's weapon type checked against the defender's armour and shield values. Weapon types (kinetic, energy, missile, plasma) have specific bonuses and weaknesses against different defence configurations. After resolution, both sides receive a detailed battle report showing every round's damage dealt, ships lost, and resources captured or lost. You cannot manually control individual ships during combat — strategy happens in fleet composition, upgrade choices, and targeting orders set before launch.

Question 12

What are the cooperative boss raids?

Accepted Answer

Boss raids are large-scale PvE encounters against unique enemy entities — derelict dreadnoughts reactivated by rogue AI, space megafauna, and ancient Precursor constructs. They spawn in designated raid zones and require coordinated fleets from 2–6 commanders to defeat. Rewards include rare Antimatter, Dark Matter, Precursor Artifacts, and unique blueprint fragments unavailable elsewhere.

Question 13

What are alliances?

Accepted Answer

Alliances are player organisations of up to 50 members who cooperate to control territory, share resources, and take on the biggest challenges in the game. Alliance members get access to a shared map overlay, alliance-only chat, joint fleet command orders, and a communal treasury. Alliances can declare wars, sign non-aggression pacts, and hold systems on the galaxy map. Holding a system for 72 hours uncontested grants the alliance a permanent territory bonus for all members operating in that sector. Alliance co-op boss raids are the primary way to earn the rarest materials in the game.

Question 14

How do I join an alliance?

Accepted Answer

Open the Diplomacy panel from your HUD and select "Alliances". You can browse public alliances by sector region, member count, or faction alignment, then submit a join request. Alternatively, an alliance leader can send you a direct invite. Once accepted, you gain access to the shared map overlay, alliance chat, joint fleet commands, and the alliance treasury.

Question 15

How does the player market work?

Accepted Answer

The in-game market is entirely player-driven — there are no NPC vendors for core resources. Any commander can post buy orders (offering credits for a resource) or sell orders (offering a resource for credits). Orders are visible to all players galaxy-wide and matched automatically when a compatible counter-order is posted. The market charges a 5% transaction fee on completed trades, split between the exchange and the alliance treasury if the trading post sits in alliance territory. Resource prices fluctuate based on supply and demand, making market trading a viable alternative path to economic power.

Question 16

Is Starforge MMO pay-to-win?

Accepted Answer

No — and this is a core design principle we will never compromise on. Premium currency (Stardust) purchases cosmetics only: ship skins, commander portrait frames, fleet trail effects, colony world themes, and alliance banners. It cannot buy resources, research speed boosts, stronger weapons, extra fleet slots, or any advantage that affects gameplay outcomes. Every gameplay mechanic is reachable for free.

Question 17

What does the premium subscription cost and include?

Accepted Answer

Premium subscriptions are available at two tiers: Stardust Commander at £3/month and Stardust Admiral at £10/month. Both tiers include cosmetic shop discounts (10% and 20% respectively) and a unique forum badge. Admiral additionally grants expanded commander roster slots (up to 8 vs the free 4), an additional fleet queue slot, and priority customer support. Neither tier affects resource production rates, combat power, or technology research speed — the competitive playing field remains equal for all players.

Question 18

Can I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes, at any time from your Account Settings under "Subscriptions". Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle — you retain Premium benefits until then. No cancellation fees, no minimum commitment period. We will send you a confirmation email immediately when cancellation is processed.

Question 19

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, and Apple Pay for subscriptions and Stardust purchases. Stripe processes all payments — we never store card details on our servers. Regional payment methods (iDEAL, SEPA, Przelewy24) are being added during the beta period.

Question 20

What's your refund policy?

Accepted Answer

Unused Stardust can be fully refunded within 14 days of purchase, provided none has been spent in the shop. Once Stardust is exchanged for cosmetic items, the transaction is final and non-refundable — the items are permanently yours. Premium subscriptions refunded within 7 days of the billing date if no Premium features were used. Refunds are processed within 5 business days via the support portal.

Question 21

Which browsers and devices are supported?

Accepted Answer

Chrome 120+, Firefox 122+, Edge 120+, and Safari 17+ are fully supported and tested on every release. Opera and Brave work but are not officially supported. Internet Explorer is not supported. The full game HUD is optimised for desktop (1024px+). The marketing pages, wiki, and account management all work on mobile browsers. A responsive mobile game client and native iOS/Android apps are confirmed roadmap items for a future release. For the best 3D galaxy map performance a dedicated GPU is recommended, but the game degrades gracefully on integrated graphics with automatic quality scaling.

Question 22

Why is the game slow?

Accepted Answer

Common causes: (1) Too many browser tabs open — the 3D galaxy map is GPU-intensive. (2) Hardware acceleration disabled in your browser — check chrome://settings/system. (3) Antivirus blocking WebGL — whitelist starforgemmo.com. (4) VPN routing causing API latency — try disabling it temporarily. If none of these help, use the in-game performance report tool to send us your diagnostics.

Question 23

How do I report a bug?

Accepted Answer

Use the in-game bug report button (bottom-right corner on every page) — it automatically captures your current session state, browser info, and a screenshot. Alternatively post in the #bug-reports channel on our Discord with a description, steps to reproduce, and your player ID. Critical security exploits should be emailed privately to security@starforgemmo.com for responsible disclosure.

Question 24

Is my data safe? Is Starforge MMO GDPR compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We take data protection seriously. Starforge MMO is fully GDPR-compliant: we collect only the data necessary to run your account and the game, we never sell personal data to third parties, and you have the right to access, correct, or delete your data at any time. Stripe handles all payment processing — we never store card numbers on our servers. Full details are in our Privacy Policy. For data-related requests, contact privacy@starforgemmo.com.

Question 25

Can I lose my account permanently?

Accepted Answer

No — PvP in Starforge MMO is resource-based, not account-destructive. A successful raid against your colony can capture a portion of your stored resources, but your account, buildings, research progress, fleet blueprints, and commander profile are never deleted by in-game events. The only ways an account is closed are: voluntary deletion (Account Settings > Privacy > Delete Account), or a permanent ban issued by the moderation team for a breach of the Terms of Service. You cannot be wiped from the game by another player.

Question 26

How do I change my email or enable 2FA?

Accepted Answer

To change your email: go to Account Settings > Profile > Email Address, enter your new email, confirm with your current password, and click the verification link sent to the new address. To enable two-factor authentication: go to Account Settings > Security > Two-Factor Authentication and click "Enable". We support TOTP apps (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password). Scan the QR code, enter the 6-digit verification code, and save your backup codes securely. 2FA is strongly recommended — accounts with it enabled earn the exclusive "Secured Commander" cosmetic title.

Question 27

I forgot my password, what do I do?

Accepted Answer

Click "Forgot Password" on the login page and enter your registered email address. A reset link valid for 30 minutes is sent to your inbox. If you do not receive it within 5 minutes, check your spam folder. If your email address is also lost, contact support@starforgemmo.com with your player ID and account creation details.

Question 28

What ship types are available?

Accepted Answer

Ships are organised into six classes by size and role: Fighters (fast, cheap, swarm tactics), Corvettes (balanced early-mid game workhorses), Frigates (specialised roles — torpedo, electronic warfare, escort), Destroyers (heavy hitters with strong armour), Cruisers (fleet flagships with multiple weapon slots), and Dreadnoughts (endgame capital ships requiring top-tier research and massive resource investment). Each faction also has one unique ship class with faction-exclusive abilities unavailable to others.

Question 29

How do I defend my colony?

Accepted Answer

Layer your defences: build Planetary Defence Cannons and Shield Generators on your colony, keep a dedicated defence fleet stationed in-sector, and invest in the Bunker building to raise your protected resource reserve. Defenders receive a 20% combat bonus when fighting in their home sector. Joining an alliance provides the strongest long-term protection — coordinated allied fleets can be called in to help repel an ongoing siege.

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