Carrying a torch forward in a collective vision. Built from scratch in Rust.

What is it?

A spiritual successor to Subspace/Continuum. Same physics DNA — discrete 40-step rotation, 80-step rotation for large ships, axis-separated wall collision, gravity deceleration per hull, values pulled from .conf files and validated against 40 client. Arrow keys + ctrl. No WASD. If you've flown in SS, you already know how to fly here.

What's playable right now?

Ships & Combat

8 hull classes, 28 variants — each with unique stats from TOML config
All original ships from subspace.so that is even more ships.
Bullets, bombs (per-hull bounce count), burst lasers (wall ricochet)
Double barrel, multifire spread
Cloak, Stealth, XRadar, AntiWarp — per-hull energy drain
Repel — deflects projectiles and bombs
Strafing, cruise mode, docking
 

Enemies

9 types with boids flocking behavior
Chase, converge, rally when sectors clear
Deployable turrets with configurable ranges

World

Galaxy map with sector-to-sector warping
Conquest — destroy stations, claim sectors
Frontline war with counterattack waves
Galaxy simulation — sectors fight each other off-screen

Editor

In-game sector editor
.lvl import — fly your old Subspace maps
All tuning in TOML files, just like .cfg

In game config editor.;

Multiplayer

TBA 

Single player is the zone editor. Build sectors, place enemies, tune your settings. Multiplayer is the game. Fly what you built with other people.

I am back in school currently for computer science. I have 2 other silent partners helping develop as well in their spare time. 

More updates coming. Happy to answer questions.

Come join our discord. https://discord.gg/XUWxsvDPmd

Beyond Aphelion — Development Roadmap 2026
Tracking every feature — built, in progress, and planned. Beyond Aphelion is a 2D space combat game carrying the legacy of Subspace/Continuum into the modern era.

✓ = Done  →  = In Progress  ○ = Planned

PHASE 1 — Ship Systems & Physics  ✓ COMPLETE

✓ 8 hull classes — Scout, Fighter, Frigate, Destroyer, Cruiser, Battleship, Carrier, Capital
✓ Subspace-authentic rotational thrust (not WASD)
✓ Discrete 40-step rotation (9° per step, matching Continuum)
✓ Per-hull gravity deceleration toward top speed
✓ Axis-separated wall collision (slide along walls, not stick)
✓ Cruise mode with energy drain
✓ Strafing (Z/X keys)
✓ Afterburner — Shift held for 1.5x thrust/speed, drains energy
✓ Docking system (F dock at stations, G undock)
✓ Unified energy pool — weapons, abilities, cruise share one bar
✓ Per-hull energy recharge rates and max energy
✓ 6 upgrade tiers (engine, shield, armor)
✓ Ship hangar — own up to 8 ships, switch while docked

PHASE 2 — Weapons & Combat  ✓ COMPLETE

✓ 6 weapon types — Laser, Plasma, Railgun, Missile, Ion Cannon, Flak
✓ Mk1 / Mk2 / Mk3 weapon tiers with damage/speed/range scaling
✓ Hardpoint-based weapon mounting (per-ship turret configs)
✓ Double barrel fire mode (per hull)
✓ Multifire spread shots (configurable angle per hull)
✓ Bouncing bullets off walls (per-hull bounce count)
✓ Bomb system with configurable bounce count
✓ Bomb shrapnel on detonation (24–70 fragments per hull)
✓ EMP bombs — energy drain + engine shutdown
✓ Mine laying (reverse thrust + Tab, per-hull limits)
✓ Deployable turrets with tier scaling
✓ Brick walls — temporary obstacles blocking ships and projectiles
✓ Repel — deflects projectiles and bombs
✓ Safe zones — tile-based invulnerability, 3x energy recharge

PHASE 3 — Abilities & Items  ✓ COMPLETE

✓ Cloak — invisibility toggle, per-hull energy drain, disrupted by damage
✓ Stealth — hidden from radar, per-hull energy drain
✓ XRadar — detect cloaked/stealthed enemies
✓ AntiWarp — prevent nearby enemies from warping
✓ Prize system — 6 powerup types spawn on enemy kills
✓ Weighted random prize selection, 30-second temporary buffs
✓ Consumable generators — auto-produce items over time
✓ Cosmetic engine trails — 14 effects (Inferno, Cryo, Plasma, Void, more)
✓ All balance values in game_settings.toml — zone owners tune everything

PHASE 4 — AI & Galaxy  ✓ COMPLETE

✓ 9 enemy types — Aggressive, Defensive, Elite, Carrier, Bomber, Interceptor, Sniper, Support, Swarm
✓ Behavior-aware targeting (bombers prefer large targets, interceptors hunt small ships)
✓ Carrier fleet warp-ins (1 carrier + 10 escorts)
✓ Boids flocking for swarm drone formations
✓ Boss encounters
✓ Enemies rally to center when sector is cleared
✓ Hunt-down system — patrol centers drift toward player
✓ Off-screen galaxy simulation (sectors fight while you're away)
✓ Frontline war — counterattack waves from neighboring sectors
✓ Conquest — destroy all enemy stations to claim a sector
✓ Galaxy map with warp gate travel between sectors
✓ 6 enemy difficulty tiers with health/shield/speed scaling
✓ Station-based fleet spawning with configurable caps

Currently In Progress

MULTIPLAYER — Securing the Netcode

✓ 60Hz tick rate, Subspace-style correction, projectile sync
✓ Trailing state anti-cheat, economy validation, warp validation
→ 2-client stress testing of all security systems
→ Server-validated hit detection
→ Server-validated health/shield tracking
→ Per-slot weapon fire refactor
○ Server browser / direct connect UI
○ Host your own zone from the in-game menu

WEBSITE — beyondaphelion.com

→ Account registration + login
→ Steam & Google OAuth
→ Family pilot system (5 pilots per account)
→ Cosmetics store with Stripe checkout
→ Player moderation (bans, warnings, reports)
○ Live server status widget
○ Leaderboards + match history
○ Stats API

3D VISUALS & AUDIO

✓ Render-to-texture 3D ship proof of concept working
→ Expand 3D models to all 8 hull classes
○ 3D turret weapons on ship models
○ Toggle 2D sprites vs 3D models
○ Roll/bank animation on 3D ships
○ Sound effects (weapons, explosions, engines, shields)
○ Music (ambient + combat tracks)

What's Coming Next

ZONE SHARING

○ Embed sector editor into main game
○ Embed ship designer into main game
○ Zone bundle export — package your zone as a shareable file
○ Zone import — load and play someone else's zone
○ Community zone gallery / browser

GAME MODES & SYSTEMS

○ Flag / Capture the Flag
○ Team & frequency system
○ Bounty system — accumulate on kills, lose on death
○ Wormholes & portals with gravity wells
○ Timed door system
○ Rocket consumable
○ Asteroid mining & trade routes

SOCIAL & PROGRESSION

○ In-game chat (public, team, private messages)
○ Friends list
○ Guild / squad system
○ Tech tree & faction reputation
○ Missions & contracts
○ Achievements
○ Ship skins, paint jobs, decals

THE FINISH LINE

○ Stable sessions without crash ( Doesn't crash now)
○ Full audio pass
○ Public alpha release
○ Community feedback cycle
○ Ongoing balance tuning

https://discord.gg/XUWxsvDPmd