Tick-based browser strategy — no 3am shifts
Many browser strategy games run in real time, so the winner is whoever is online at any hour. Galactica - The roots is tick-based: the world advances at a fixed interval, you keep growing while you are away, and you do not need to set an alarm to defend your planet.
What tick-based strategy means
Game time is divided into ticks. One tick is 60 minutes. Everything happens at the tick: production is credited, buildings and research finish, ships are manufactured, fleets arrive and battles take place.
Your job is the decision: what to build, research and produce, whom to scout and where to send your fleet. Then the world moves on at the next tick.
Why that is better if you work or study
In a real-time game you can be hit at any hour, so it pays to watch at night. In a tick-based game the outcome depends on preparing before the tick, not on who happens to be at the screen.
In practice a few logins during the day are enough, as long as your queues do not sit empty: a planet runs 1 build and 1 research at a time, and whatever runs empty is a lost tick.
What if you cannot log in
- The first 72 ticks (3 days) are spent in the Collector galaxy, where you cannot be attacked; 24 more ticks of protection follow.
- VACATION mode in Settings: your planet is protected, but stops producing in exchange.
- A "DO NOT DISTURB" window (Credit → Extra): up to 12 hours, starting now or scheduled ahead. During it you cannot be attacked, but you cannot launch attacks, scouting or defence missions either; production keeps running.
- If you do not log in, you get a warning after 7 days, and after another 2 days of grace your planet is deleted. Logging in clears the flag by itself.
You are not at the mercy of the tick
An attacking fleet does not strike in a single instant: it stays at the target for several ticks, with one engagement and one report per tick. Defence is not one click — you shape it with defence units, satellites and alliance help.
Eight species, alliances, two languages
The tick system comes with eight playable species, each with its own tech tree, ship line and combat mechanic. An alliance has a shared treasury and elected leadership. The game runs in English and Hungarian, in the same world.
Who it is not for
If you want quick, action-packed matches of a few minutes, this is not it: it is a slow, planning-heavy strategy game.
Let the game fit your calendar
Signing up is free. The beginner's guide walks you through the first roughly 100 ticks, click by click.