Orbit Imperium · All updates · unbought games

Orbit Imperium update · 2026-10-21 19:07 UTC

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:07:08 GMT

These changes are live on the official Orbit Imperium server. Official-server updates are published independently of numbered open-source releases.

# Changes

record universe enrollment timestamps (#9) (commit)

Orbit Imperium 0.1.0

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:26:02 GMT

Orbit Imperium 0.1.0 is our first numbered open-source release.

The official server is already in open beta. This release gives people running their own universe a specific version to install, inspect, and build on. The source and container image belong to the same commit.

It's still early. There's more game to build, and plenty to improve. You can follow the work, contribute a fix, or run an independent server. You don't need an unbought games account to run a standalone universe.

# The game so far

Build a planetary economy, research technologies, and assemble fleets. Send them on missions, read the reports, and decide what to do next. Construction, research, and fleet events are handled by the server in a persistent universe.

This release includes the initial economy, shipbuilding and defenses, fleet missions and combat, espionage reports, and alliances. It doesn't include purchased resources, speedups, or other gameplay advantages.

# Improvements in this release

Resource counts and other game quantities round down to whole numbers. The interface should show you what you actually have, rather than round a fraction up into something you can't spend.
The game explains its early beta status and links to player policies.
A What's new link opens release notes and change history bundled with the installed build. Those pages work independently of our website.
Running installations provide a download of their source and license notices.

# Running your own universe

Release assets include a complete source archive, a Linux amd64 container image, and checksums. The container is distributed as a compressed Docker archive:

gh release download v0.1.0 --repo unbought-games/orbit-imperium
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS
gzip -dc orbit-imperium-v0.1.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz | docker load

The loaded image is orbit-imperium:0.1.0. Read the deployment documentation for database, configuration, and universe initialization requirements. For a source checkout, start with the README.

Standalone installations use local authentication. OpenID Connect integration is available for operators who want it; Unbought Accounts is not required. Operators are responsible for their server's backups, access rules, and availability.

# Known limitations

This is an early version, not the complete game. The full moon and colonization systems and several advanced mechanics are not yet available. The official beta may reset its universe before the full public launch; independent operators make their own decisions about their servers.

This is the first numbered release, so there is no earlier numbered version to upgrade from. If you've been running a development build, compare its revision with this release and back up your database before changing versions.

The official server may run newer changes than this release. Its live updates are listed separately from numbered release announcements.

Read the source, or join us on Discord to talk about what should come next.

Orbit Imperium update · 2026-10-21 16:51 UTC

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:51:33 GMT

These changes are live on the official Orbit Imperium server. Official-server updates are published independently of numbered open-source releases.

# Changes

add standalone news and automated versioned releases (#6) (commit)
round frontend numeric displays down to whole numbers (#5) (commit)

Orbit Imperium is live

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Orbit Imperium is live.

It's early. There's more to build, and plenty to fix. But you can start developing planets, researching technologies, and sending fleets into space today.

You can't buy your way ahead. That part isn't going to change.

# A place to start

Orbit is a persistent space strategy game. Build your economy, research new technologies, and decide where to send your fleets. Your decisions matter, including the ones you make before you log off.

Join the open beta. You'll sign in with your unbought games account.

# Still a beta

The game is incomplete, and we may reset the universe before the full public launch. Keep that in mind before getting too attached to your first empire.

If something breaks, or something just feels wrong, tell us on Discord. That feedback helps us decide what to work on next.

# Open source, too

The source is on GitHub. You can inspect it, contribute, or run your own universe. We'll publish numbered releases for self-hosters separately from updates to the official server.

This is our first game. There's a lot left to do. We're glad you can finally play it.