Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is it better to upgrade existing buildings or build new ones in early game?
In the early game, focus on building multiple level 1 buildings rather than upgrading. Higher-level buildings become increasingly expensive, making low-level buildings much more cost-efficient. Fill all your available building slots with level 1 structures before investing in upgrades.
2. Can I run a building with fewer workers than required?
Yes, factories will continue to produce even when understaffed. However, production speed is proportionally reduced based on the percentage of missing workers.
3. Do consumables apply to total workforce or only actively working workforce?
Only employed workers consume consumables—unemployed workers (shown in the "FREE" column) do not consume anything.
Employed workers consume consumables continuously, regardless of whether your factories are actively producing. Consumption continues even when factories are idle due to missing production orders or insufficient input materials.
4. Do I need a building to research or just Research Data in my warehouse?
No building is required. You only need Research Data in the warehouse at your Headquarters location (typically your starting base). Research Data can be purchased on the Exchange or produced at your facilities.
5. How can I set up production to run automatically without stopping after one batch?
When creating a production order, enter a large quantity (e.g., 10,000) in the amount field. This will keep your factory running continuously for an extended period.
6. What happens when a production order runs out of input materials?
Your factory will automatically attempt to start the next available order that has sufficient materials. Orders lacking materials will remain queued at the top of your production list and will be retried in the next production cycle when materials become available.
7. Does the galaxy reset or is this game persistent?
Galaxy is persistent and will not be reset or shut down. Eventually, a new galaxy may open when the time is right, providing fresh opportunities while all existing galaxies continue indefinitely.
8. How do I see market demand and statistics to know if my products will sell?
You can view demand statistics in two places: the Exchange or the Material Encyclopedia. Click the pie chart button to open the statistics window. Note that this button is grayed out for materials that have not yet been traded by any players.
9. Can I trade directly with players?
Currently, all trading must be done through the Exchange. We may add direct player-to-player trading functionality in the future.
10. Can this game be played on mobile devices?
Yes, the game is fully playable on any device with an internet browser. Simply visit https://galactictycoons.com to play. We plan to create a dedicated mobile app sometime in the future.
11. How to reset my company and start over if I made mistakes?
Click your profile picture in the top right corner, select "Settings", then click the red "Reset company" button and follow the instructions.
Warning: Resetting your company is permanent and cannot be undone. You will lose all progress and start completely fresh.
12. How to rename my company?
You can rename your company from your company profile (click your profile picture in the top right, then select "Company"). Click the pencil icon next to your company name to begin renaming. Note that renaming costs stars. Alternatively, resetting your company also allows you to choose a new name, though this will erase all your progress.
13. How do I earn more stars?
Stars can be earned and purchased through several methods:
- Complete the Daily Login mission for free stars every day.
- Complete missions that reward stars upon completion.
- Purchase a Starter Pack—an excellent value that permanently doubles your daily login star rewards.
- Purchase stars directly.
14. What's the fastest way to transfer all cargo between my ship and warehouse?
Right-click the transfer button (or press and hold on mobile) to transfer an entire stack of materials instantly.
15. How to build a second base and what materials are required for it?
Before building a second base, you must upgrade your Headquarters building in your main base. Each HQ level grants you one additional base slot.
To see the required building materials, open the galaxy view and click on the planet. Note that tier 2+ planets require additional high-tech materials beyond the standard base construction materials.
Once you have an available base slot, load all required materials onto your ship, fly to your desired planet, click on the planet, and click the "Build base" button.
16. What materials are needed to build on Tier 2, 3, and 4 planets?
Building on higher-tier planets requires special materials in addition to standard construction costs. These materials are needed both when constructing your initial base and for every building you construct on that planet.
Required materials by tier:
- Tier 2 planets: Pressure Sealant Kit
- Tier 3 planets: Composite Shielding
- Tier 4 planets: Nanoweave Shielding
You can view the specific quantities required in the Building Encyclopedia.
17. Are there any shortcuts in the game interface?
Many game elements support right-click menus (or press and hold on mobile) that provide quick actions. This is particularly useful for materials—right-clicking a material opens a menu where you can quickly navigate to that material's Exchange page, among other options.
18. What does prestige actually do beyond showing on leaderboards?
Prestige currently serves as a ranking metric for the leaderboards. It has no other gameplay effects at this time.
19. How to delete messages in chat?
Right-click your message (or press and hold on mobile) to open a menu with the delete option.
20. How do upgraded factories work?
Each factory level multiplies both inputs and outputs. A Level 2 factory consumes 2x materials and produces 2x goods. Level 3 does 3x, and so on.
Think of each upgrade as adding another Level 1 factory—same production boost, just more space-efficient (but slightly pricier).
If materials run short, upgraded factories adapt by processing smaller batches at proportionally faster speeds.
21. How do I refuel my ships, where do I get fuel?
You start with 20 fuel at your base. To refuel, park your ship somewhere you have fuel (base or Exchange), then click the ship and hit the refuel button.
Getting more fuel:
- Buy it at the Exchange
- Make it yourself in a Refinery (for Hydrogen Fuel Cell)
Tip: Adjust your ship's efficiency slider left to conserve fuel.
22. What are effects of essential and non-essential consumables?
Missing an essential consumable (Drinking Water, Basic Rations, Basic Tools for Workers) causes a severe -40% satisfaction penalty per item.
Your workers suffer a -10% satisfaction penalty per missing optional consumable (Ale, Workwear, Pie for Workers).
Satisfaction cannot go below 10%. Worker satisfaction directly affects your factory's productivity. You can check your current productivity in the top-right corner of the Production section.
23. Why are my timers stuck at 0 seconds?
If all your timers (missions, ships, production) are frozen at 0s, your device's system time is likely incorrect.
Visit time.is to check if your time is accurate. Correct your device's time, date and timezone settings if needed and refresh the game and you should be back in business 😉.
24. How many building slots (plots) do I get on my first base versus additional bases?
Your starter base comes with 12 plots ready to use. It also has 10 plots that need Terraforming (using Construction Vehicle, starting at 1 and increasing by 1 per plot) and 3 Prime plots unlocked with 100 Stars each.
Any additional bases start with only 5 open plots, plus 15 Terraformable plots and 5 Prime plots.
Every base has 25 total plots.
25. How many bases can I have total and is there a limit?
There's no hard limit! Each Headquarters upgrade unlocks one additional base slot, though HQ upgrade costs increase with each level, making expansion much more expensive as you grow your empire.
Note: You can only have one base per planet.
26. How does planet resource percentage affect mining?
Planet resource percentages (Resource Abundance) directly determine how fast you extract raw materials. A planet with 80% Iron Ore extracts twice as fast as one with 40%.
Only Resource Extraction buildings (Mine, Pump, Gas Collector, Quarry Complex, and Adv. Gas Collector) are affected by planet resource Abundance.
27. How does planet Fertility affect farming?
Planet Fertility directly determines how fast your Farms grow crops. A farm on a planet with 80% Fertility produces twice as much as a farm on a planet with 40% Fertility.
Zero-fertility planets (0%) won't support soil-based farming—no Farms or Orchards allowed. However, you can still build agricultural buildings that don't need fertile soil, like Ranches and Aquaponics Farms (their production speed isn't affected by planet fertility).
28. Are the distant planets from the Exchange more valuable?
Yes! Distant planets typically have much richer resource deposits. However, keep in mind that starter ships are not well-suited for long-distance transport—they consume significant fuel and take longer to travel, so plan accordingly.
You can upgrade your ships for more efficient long-distance travel as you progress and unlock better technology.
29. Does the Federal Reserve stock replenish?
Federal Reserve stock will never run out. The Reserve exists as a safety net to ensure new players always have access to essential resources.
30. How can I increase my Exchange warehouse storage capacity?
You can increase this storage limit through a guild Warehouse project. Guilds can construct special buildings at the Exchange Station that provide various bonuses, including expanded warehouse capacity for all guild members.