OD
Power in Outer Directive is not held alone. Alliances claim star systems, negotiate binding treaties, and wage wars that reshape the galaxy map. Every agreement is enforced by the game itself. No handshake deals, no broken promises.
Founding an alliance requires a one-time payment of rare resources, ensuring only committed groups establish formal organizations. Once founded, an alliance supports four hierarchical ranks: Leader, Officer, Member, and Recruit.
Each rank carries configurable permissions, from fleet command authority to treasury access to sovereignty management. Leaders can tailor the permission matrix to fit their organizational style.
Full control. Treasury, diplomacy, and sovereignty authority.
Fleet command, structure management, and recruitment.
Standard access. Can use alliance structures and markets.
Probationary. Limited permissions, no treasury access.
Overhead scaling is the key constraint. As membership grows, the administrative cost per member increases. A 10-player alliance runs lean. A 100-player alliance needs dedicated logistics just to maintain itself. This prevents any single mega-alliance from dominating through numbers alone.
Sovereignty is how alliances project power onto the galaxy map. To claim a star system, an alliance must anchor a Sovereignty Hub in the system and defend it through a 48-hour vulnerability window. Once established, the claim is visible to every player on the galaxy map.
Claimed systems grant tangible benefits: increased extraction yields, reduced marketplace transaction fees, and access to sovereignty-exclusive structures like Jump Bridges and Capital Shipyards.
Sovereignty upkeep formula
upkeep = 100 * n^1.5Systems
1
Cost/cycle
100
Systems
10
Cost/cycle
3,162
Systems
50
Cost/cycle
35,355
Empires must choose carefully which systems are worth holding.
All diplomatic agreements in Outer Directive are system-enforced. When two alliances sign a treaty, the game itself prevents violations. Friendly-fire locks engage, trade tariffs adjust, and defense obligations trigger automatically.
Prevents members from attacking each other. Violations are mechanically impossible.
Reduces marketplace fees between alliance territories by 50%.
Automatically alerts allies and enables fleet sharing when sovereignty is attacked.
Formally opens hostilities. Enables sovereignty attacks and removes safe-zone protections.
Crucially, there are no secret treaties. Every diplomatic relationship is public. If two alliances sign a mutual defense pact, the entire galaxy knows. This creates a political landscape where reputation and trust are built on observable actions.
The sovereignty cost curve and overhead scaling naturally push alliances toward coalitions rather than mega-alliances. It is cheaper for three focused alliances to coordinate via treaties than for one bloated alliance to claim the same space.
This creates rich multi-polar politics: blocs form, fracture, and reform as the strategic landscape shifts. A coalition that controls a vital chokepoint today may fragment tomorrow when a new resource discovery reshapes trade routes.
Wars are rarely total. More often, conflicts are fought over specific systems or trade lanes, with third parties mediating, profiteering, or waiting to pick off the weakened victor.
Outer Directive is in active development. Join the community to get early access, share feedback, and shape the galaxy.