Endless Sky

The game is similar to games in the Escape Velocity series. Free software, available under the GPLv3 license in source form and for a variety of operating systems.

• Title — Endless Sky • Name — Endless Sky • Author — Michael Zahniser and others • Latest Release Version — 0.11.2 • Programming Language — C++ • Platform — Windows, macOS, Linux • Language — English • Genre — Single-player, space trading and combat simulator • License — GPLv3

Endless Sky is a space trading and combat simulation game. The gameplay is similar to that of Escape Velocity: Nova. The game is played from a top-down perspective in 2D. The player starts the game as a captain of a spaceship. There are various ways to earn money in the game, some of which are: trading commodities, delivering cargo, transporting passengers and stealing from other ships. Player can purchase spaceships, outfits and commodities when landed on planets. Various aspects of ships can also be modified, including engines, weapons, shield generators and other outfits. There are several different story lines involving different human and alien factions. The stable version of Endless Sky currently comes with one human and one incomplete alien campaign, as well as many shorter mission chains. It is possible to create and distribute additional content, such as alien species, campaigns and map additions, via add-ons officially known as plugins. Plugins currently need to be installed and updated by manually downloading the plugin's files and placing them in the appropriate directory, and can be removed by deleting these files. There is also an unofficial application which can manage plugins automatically. It is also possible (and encouraged) to contribute new features or content to the game via the Endless Sky GitHub repository.

Endless Sky takes place in the Milky Way galaxy. Various star systems are connected by hyperspace links which allow the ships to travel between the star systems, although it is possible to travel between star systems not joined by a hyperspace link with an outfit that is difficult to obtain. There are various human and alien factions in the game that may be friendly or hostile towards other factions and the player. Endless Sky currently has 18 factions. Each faction controls a region of space, and each race can be split into several different factions. In addition, there are also four factions that are known to have gone extinct at the time of gameplay. The exact spaceships used by the factions, and the territory controlled by them, change during the course of the various campaigns.

The game is programmed in C++. OpenGL is used to render the game. It is cross-platform, runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and has an unofficial port to Android. Over 300 contributors have contributed code and content to the game. Endless Sky releases can be downloaded in stand-alone binary form and also from the GOG and Steam digital game stores.