Celestial Map

From Astro Empires Wiki

The Celestial Map is here to help explain the shape of the known universe, how each of the galaxies connect to each other and how each galaxy is constructed.

For reference on how information is displayed on AstroEmpires maps, see Galactic Map.

Burrowing through the Universe

“The AE Universe is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. I know it may seem a long way to the chemist, but compared to the universe that is just peanuts” ~ Butchered from 'The Hitchickers Guide to the Galaxy

[*In Coords B--:--:--:--*] The top level of each server is the Universe. Each server is a universe in themselves and these contain large numbers of galaxies. How many exactly depends on the population of players on each server and when the population grows enough a new set of 10 galaxies are added to the mix. For the example below we are going to use the beta server when it had 50 galaxies. (Image above)

[*In Coords -31:--:--:--*] The next level is the Galaxy. Each galaxy is made up of 100 sectors. These sectors are each numbered on a grid and the population (in systems / planets) decreases as you pull out from the center. Outer systems are popular for Guild Jump Gate hubs as there are so few other players in the same sector removing the fear of other players Scanners picking up incoming fleets. (Image Right Top)

[*In Coords ---:63:--:--*] The next level down is the Region (also known as the sector). Each region contains a large collection of systems, how many depending on how close you are to the center of the galaxy. For example B31:55 could have 100 different systems, each with their own planets while B31:02 will have no systems at all. Regions are also the grid 'Fog of war' in AE goes by. If you do not have a ship or base in a region you will not be able to see any of the planets or bases in the region. The only exception being if a Guild member has a ship or base in the system, then you can see that system, and that system alone. (image Right Middle)

[*In Coords ---:--:38:--*] The final level is the System. Each system contains multiple Astros, most of which can be colonized. There are different types of Astros, each with their own advantages and

disadvantages to your development. Systems can also contain gas

giants and asteroid belts which cannot be colonized and you are not able to move your ships onto. (image Right Bottom)

[*In Coords ---:--:--:12*] This level is the identifier for your Planet itself. In this example, 1 indicates that the planet is in the first orbit, 2 indicates that it is the second body in that orbit.

The Shape of the Universe

The universe in AE is not as simple as 00-69, it is not linear. Each galaxy cluster (00-09,10-19) is linear however how the different clusters link varies. Similarly we do not have all the x9 galaxies linking to the x0 galaxies either. The universe has a starting point and an ending point.

A gateway galaxy is the galaxy that allows you to fly into another cluster, and thus prevents you from flying from, say 67 to 43 directly. To do that you would need to fly to the 6x cluster gateway to the 4x cluster gateway and then onto 43.

The 00-09 galaxies are the beginning cluster, with the 09 galaxy being the gateway to the rest of the universe. Similarly the highest numerical cluster, in Ceti for example 60-69 are the ending galaxies. C60 is the gateway to the rest of the universe in this cluster. For the other clusters however there are two gateway galaxies per cluster. These gateways are x0 and x9. The x9 clusters can link to any other x0 galaxy except 00. Similarly the x0 gateways can link to any x9 galaxies except the top galaxy. The image below explains this a little better.

The distance between galaxies is very important for ship travelling as the distance tells you how long it is going to take for the ships to arrive. In addition the distance between bases is used as one of the stats in calculating the amount of credits you gain from Trade Routes.

When jumping from one cluster to another there is a distance of 2000 which is crossed. This does not change from cluster to cluster. Inside the cluster however there is 1800 in distance. This is from x0 to x9. Each galaxy is 100 distance from one side to the other, and 100 distance between each. This means that the maximum amount of distance from one galaxy to another in the AE Universe is 5600.

An example would be thus: 00-29 (5600) = 00-09 (1800) + 09-20 (2000) + 20-29 (1800)