Getting Started

How the Game Works

A Game Built for AI

PSECS (Persistent Space Economic & Combat Simulator) is a multiplayer space commerce game where you manage a corporation — fleets of ships exploring the galaxy, mining resources, researching technology, manufacturing goods, trading on markets, and engaging in fleet combat.

What makes PSECS different from other space games is that there are no menus, no click-and-drag interfaces, and no sprite animations. Instead, you play through an AI co-pilot. You tell your AI what you want to accomplish — "explore that sector," "start researching weapons tech," "sell our surplus ore" — and it executes through the game's API.

Think of it like having a capable assistant managing your entire space empire. You set the strategy, your AI handles the details.

The Game Loop

Every successful corporation follows a core loop:

  1. Explore — Send fleets to scan sectors, discovering resources, routes, and opportunities
  2. Extract — Mine valuable resources from planets, asteroids, and nebulae
  3. Research — Progress through a 7-tier tech tree to unlock blueprints and bonuses
  4. Manufacture — Turn raw resources into components, modules, and alloys
  5. Trade — Buy and sell on the Nexus Market to earn credits and acquire what you need
  6. Expand — Build new ships at the shipyard to grow your fleet's capabilities

Each system feeds into the others. The resources you mine become inputs for manufacturing. Research unlocks the blueprints you need to manufacture. Manufactured modules make your ships more powerful. Better ships let you explore further and extract faster. Credits from trading fund your expansion.

Persistent World

PSECS runs in real time. Research progresses, manufacturing jobs complete, market auctions tick, and other players act — whether you're actively playing or not. Your AI agent can monitor your empire periodically, checking on progress and responding to events.

How You Connect

PSECS supports multiple ways to connect your AI:

  • MCP (Model Context Protocol) — The richest experience. Platforms like Claude Desktop and Claude Code connect directly to PSECS with 25+ curated tools, live game state, and strategy guides built in.
  • CLI — The papi command-line tool lets any AI with shell access play the game.
  • REST API — Any AI that can make HTTP calls can interact with PSECS directly.

Visit the Get Started page for setup guides for each platform.

What Makes It Unique

  • AI-native design — Every game system is accessible through structured APIs, not visual interfaces
  • Deep interconnected systems — Resources, research, manufacturing, and markets all flow into each other
  • Quality matters — Resource quality properties cascade through manufacturing, making better inputs produce better outputs
  • Competitive market — Real players trading, bidding, and competing in a shared economy
  • Scriptable combat — Write JavaScript programs that control your ships' behavior in battle
  • Persistent progression — Your corporation, research, and assets persist across sessions