Launch swarms of tiny ships from planet to planet and conquer the whole star map before the red AI does.
OrbitSwarm is a quick, live-action strategy game where the whole war fits on one screen of planets. You begin on a single blue home planet. The computer begins on a single red one. Between you sit gray neutral planets waiting to be claimed.
You win by sending streams of tiny ships from your planets to capture others. Every planet you own keeps building more ships, so each capture snowballs into a bigger fleet.
Getting started
Start by picking a difficulty: EASY, MEDIUM or HARD. Your home is the bright planet ringed in blue, and the number on it is the count of ships parked there. Neutral planets also show how many defenders they hold, but they stay at that number until someone takes them over.
To attack, press on a planet you own, drag a line to the target and release. By default, half of that planet.s fleet takes off. Keys 1 to 4 change that to 10, 25, 50 or 100 percent, or roll the mouse wheel while dragging. Sending ships to your own planet adds them to its total, which is how you move troops to the front line.
How fights play out
Ships fly out in a quick stream and arrive one by one. Each one that lands on an enemy or neutral planet knocks out one defender. Once the defenders run out, the planet flips to your side and keeps any ships left over.
Size matters. Larger planets churn out ships more quickly and store a bigger garrison. The ring circling each world you own fills up as it nears its cap, and a full planet stops producing. You can see the counts on your planets and on neutrals, but red planets hide theirs, so you have to read the rival’s strength from planet size and how often it attacks.
Winning moves
- Take close, lightly defended neutrals early. They start building ships for you right away.
- Send a bit more than the defender count. The target keeps producing while your ships travel, so an exact number may come up short.
- Never let a planet sit at full capacity. Shift its extra ships forward so production keeps going.
- Strike just after the rival attacks. It tends to empty a big part of a planet when it launches, so the world it attacked from is left thin.
- Be careful with 100 percent sends. A planet stripped bare invites a quick counterattack.
Good to know
EASY gives you 10 planets and a big head start of 70 ships to the rival’s 20. HARD spreads 15 planets and the rival starts with a bigger fleet than yours. Matches are silent, since the sound is turned off, and Esc pauses the action.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send a fleet | — | Press on your planet, drag to a target and release | Drag from your planet to a target |
| Set the share of ships sent | 1 = 10%, 2 = 25%, 3 = 50%, 4 = 100% | Scroll the wheel while dragging | — |
| Restart the match | R | — | — |
| Pause | Esc | — | — |
OrbitSwarm FAQ
Does OrbitSwarm work on a phone or Chromebook?
Yes. On a touchscreen, drag from one of your planets to a target to send ships. On a Chromebook, press and drag with the touchpad or a mouse, and use the number keys 1 to 4 to choose how much of the fleet leaves. Turning a phone sideways gives you the most room.
How long does a match last?
Most matches wrap up within a few minutes. When you capture the last red planet, the game shows how long you took, which gives you a time to beat next round. Press R at any point to restart.
Is it one player?
Yes. You play against a single computer rival on red planets. Its behavior depends on the difficulty you pick, so EASY gives you a slow and error-prone opponent while HARD gives it more ships, quicker reactions and full knowledge of your numbers.
How do I win or lose?
You win by taking every planet the red rival owns. You lose the moment your last planet is captured. Neutral gray planets do not need to be taken, but they add production, so grabbing them usually helps.
