Lazy Evaluation

Ember Galaxies has no game loop. Instead, everything is calculated on demand using timestamps.

How It Works

When you perform an action (build, research, launch fleet), the server records a completion timestamp:

buildFinishAt: 2026-04-10T14:30:00Z

When anyone queries that planet later, the server checks:

1. Is buildFinishAt in the past? → Building is complete.
2. How much time has passed since last resource tick? → Calculate production.
3. Has a fleet arrived? → Update fleet status.

Why This Works

Traditional MMO	Ember Galaxies
Game loop runs every tick	No loop, idle when unused
Server calculates every player every tick	Only calculates when queried
Offline players miss ticks	Offline production works naturally
CPU scales with player count	CPU scales with query volume

Offline Production

Since time is the only variable, offline production works automatically:

• You log out at 10:00 with a mine producing 10 iron/hour
• You log in at 14:00 → Server calculates 4 hours × 10 = 40 iron produced
• No catch-up mechanics needed — time IS the mechanic

Timer-Based Events

The server uses WebSocket to broadcast events when completions are detected:

• building_complete — A building finished
• ship_complete — A ship was produced
• fleet_arrival — A fleet reached its destination
• research_complete — Research finished

These events fire when a connected client queries state and a timer is found to be past due.