Children of a Dead Earth

Children of a Dead Earth claims (and earns) the title of most scientifically accurate space-warfare simulator. Every technology, from Nuclear Thermal Rockets to railguns to Magnetoplasmadynamic Thrusters, is implemented using actual equations from engineering and physics textbooks and white papers. Efficiency, size, mass, power usage, and heat dissipation all derive from valid equations rather than balance choices.

Orbital mechanics run through an N-body simulator of the kind NASA uses to plot real spacecraft trajectories. Hyperbolic orbits, Lagrange points, and orbital perturbation are all simulated correctly. The solar system is modeled 1:1, with all planets, moons, and asteroids at their actual sizes and distances. Spacecraft station-keep or enter free-falling perturbed orbits.

Ship design is freeform and granular. Build rockets, propellant tanks, weapons, powerplants, radiators, and crew modules; layer armor and Whipple shields. Tweak nozzle length, stoichiometric mixture ratios, railgun armature and rail dimensions, and watch exhaust velocity or muzzle velocity change in real time. Material properties, chemical reactions, and emission spectra all follow physical correctness. Campaign mode chronicles the solar system's descent into war; sandbox mode pits your designs head-to-head, with Steam Workshop support and in-engine modding.