STARHOLD

STARHOLD

The Terran Concord and the Vex Dominion each hold one world at opposite ends of a vast sector. Colonize, industrialize, and eliminate the enemy empire.

Empire

• Each world splits its population between FARM (feeds & grows pop), MINE (earns minerals), and IND (builds ships & troops).
• Minerals are empire-wide. Colony ships and troops each consume 1 population when completed.
• Production is a standing order. Pick what a world builds once and it repeats every turn — paying the minerals each time — until you change it or press HALT. The IDLE counter in the top rail, and an amber pip on the chart, mark worlds with no orders.
• So is where it goes. Give a world a RALLY star and every hull it builds leaves for it under its own power, merging with whatever has gathered there. Fleets already parked at the world stay put — only new production sails. Pick the world's own star to stop rallying.
• Transports haul troops or colonists (4 units each). Land troops on enemy worlds to invade; land colonists to boost an underpopulated colony.

Fleet orders

• Click a star or fleet to select it; repeated clicks cycle through fleets and the system. With a fleet selected, right-click a star (or use SET COURSE) to move.
• Opposing fleets that meet will fight. Fighters do the shooting; unescorted ships are easy kills.
• Sensors reach 70 units from your worlds and 40 from your fleets. Beyond that the chart is dark — uncharted systems must be surveyed, and enemy moves go unseen.
• END TURN runs turns until something happens — a hull completes, a fleet arrives, a battle opens, a world falls, a world runs out of minerals to build with, or an enemy fleet crosses your sensors. It says why it stopped. Press it again (or esc) to stop early; shift+⏎ takes a single turn.
• drag pan · wheel zoom · ⏎ end turn · shift+⏎ one turn · esc deselect
• tap select · drag pan · pinch zoom · long-press a star to send the selected fleet

Two-player campaigns

• One commander holds the bridge at a time; ending your turn hands it over. Allocations, build queues, and fleet courses are standing orders — your empire keeps working while you're away.
• Turn banking: until your empires make first contact, you may play up to 40 turns ahead of your opponent — expand freely. Once enemy signatures hit sensors, the bank tightens to 15 turns so wars stay interactive.
• At the cap you must wait for your opponent to take turns; when you're both online, command alternates turn by turn.

Victory

An empire is destroyed when it holds no worlds and no colony ships.

VICTORY