Try it
Stapledon's Voyage is pre-alpha. Packaged builds currently support Macs with Apple Silicon. Windows and Linux downloads are not available yet.
Latest development review
The latest review includes local interstellar clouds and dust, bridge consoles, black-hole hover/orbit and guided planetary stops. Free navigation starts at rest near Earth, mouse movement looks around by default, and panels release the pointer.
With GitHub CLI and Google Cloud CLI authenticated for the development bucket:
gh api repos/sunholo-data/stapledons-godot/contents/tools/install_review_build.sh --jq .content | base64 -d | bash -s -- --dev
The installer verifies the download against the development manifest. This review uses the authenticated development bucket; the public download below is the same kind of build, published on GitHub. Gallery and News show the new work.
Ship controls in the latest review
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab | Open details, help and Walk to buttons |
| W A S D | Walk; W always walks up the screen, toward the bow in the Bow view |
| E | Use the console or lift in reach; step back from a console |
| M | Open the read-only star chart |
| Hold I | Show constellation guides; click a visible star or body to identify it |
| P | Pause or resume simulation time, preserving the course |
| Esc | Close the top panel or card; otherwise return to the main menu |
| 9 | Look Astern |
| 7 or R | Back to the Bow view, the default |
| J | Adjust sky brightness |
| Enter | Continue an interlude or dismiss the arrival card |
The camera follows the captain from fixed views that slide and never turn: Bow looks forward over the rail, and using a console zooms in on it. At a stop the ship turns so the body you've reached sits ahead, inside the Bow view.
To plan a destination, use Tab → Walk to → Navigation station, then E. Select a star or a body from the stable In this system list, inspect the plan and confirm Commit. A committed journey continues to its planned arrival; pause holds time and does not cancel that course. Stops are inertial standoffs.
Use the Voyage console to start the guided voyage and the Archive terminal to read unlocked physics entries and news from home.
The chart shows local clouds by default. Interstellar medium [D] toggles the layer while the chart is open; Local ISM frames the nearby clouds. Their angular outlines come from published source figures, while near/far depths are approximate. Depth guides adds the optional radial construction lines.
Public download
The newest published development build, straight from the GitHub releases. This box follows each new build automatically; the release notes list what changed.
Development build 35: bow view
Download for macOSPre-alpha and unsigned. After unzipping, clear the quarantine flag once:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "Stapledons Voyage.app"sha256 · release notes · news
Review limitations
The bridge art and lighting continue to develop; see concept art. Local warm clouds and hot gas ship in this review. Dense-cloud tomography and the Local Leo Cold Cloud remain deferred pending scientific checks. Black-hole rotation and the true Galactic-Centre background remain future work.
The app is unsigned. If macOS refuses to open it, use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. The roadmap records the remaining acceptance work for the complete journey, sky, ship and planetary experience.
From source
You need Godot 4.7 or later and the pinned AILANG version (see the repository's
CLAUDE.md).
git clone https://github.com/sunholo-data/stapledons-godot.git
cd stapledons-godot
make import
make sky-assets
make catalogue-inputs
make catalogue TIER=large
godot --path .
The default launch opens the title menu. Choose Board the ship for free
navigation. make run opens the standalone map; make voyage opens the diagnostic
sky flight with its separate developer controls.
make test runs the headless suite; make golden checks shaders against CPU
references; make capture renders reference images for visual inspection.