A space trading game for the PowerShell terminal, inspired by classics like Elite and Tradewars. Buy low, sell high, upgrade your ship, and explore a procedurally generated galaxy.
- Procedural Galaxy — 15 star systems with unique names, coordinates, and tech levels
- Dynamic Markets — 12 tradeable commodities with prices that fluctuate each turn
- Ship Upgrades — 6 ships from the humble Sparrow to high-end freighters, with trade-in system
- Interactive Star Map — Arrow-key navigation with real-time distance/fuel info
- Warp Animation — ASCII warp-drive effect when travelling between systems
- Save/Load — Full game state persistence to JSON
- Auto-Refuel — Optional automatic refuelling on arrival
# Requires PowerShell 7+
./SpaceTraders.ps1Optional parameters:
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
-SystemCount | 15 | Number of star systems to generate |
-Seed | -1 | RNG seed (-1 = random) |
-StartingCredits | 3000 | Initial credits |
- Create a character and buy your first ship with your starting credits
- Trade goods — buy commodities at low-tech worlds and sell them at high-tech ones (and vice versa)
- Travel between systems, managing your fuel supply
- Upgrade your ship at ship dealers for more cargo space, fuel range, or speed
- Save your progress and come back later
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | View Star Map |
| 2 | Trade at Market |
| 3 | Sell Cargo |
| 4 | Travel to Another System |
| 5 | Refuel Ship |
| 6 | Ship Dealer |
| 7 | Status |
| 8 | Toggle Auto-Refuel |
| 9 | Save Game |
| Q | Quit |
Prices are driven by each system's tech level (0–6) and per-good variance. Markets update every turn with ±10% random fluctuations, creating opportunities for arbitrage across the galaxy.
Fuel costs 10 + (TechLevel × 2) credits per unit. Fuel consumption depends on distance and your ship's efficiency rating.
| Ship | Price | Cargo | Fuel Tank | Fuel/LY | Min Tech |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparrow | 500 | 10 | 20 | 1.0 | 0 |
| Hauler Mk I | 2,000 | 30 | 40 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Comet Runner | 3,500 | 20 | 50 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Star Barge | 6,000 | 60 | 35 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Nebula Clipper | 10,000 | 40 | 60 | 0.8 | 4 |
| Phantom | 15,000 | 50 | 80 | 0.6 | 5 |
Trade-in value is 60% of the ship's purchase price. Cargo must fit in the new ship.
SpaceTraders.ps1 # Entry point & main game loop
Modules/
UI.psm1 # Console display, menus, star map, warp animation
Universe.psm1 # Procedural galaxy & market generation
Ships.psm1 # Ship catalog & upgrade system
Trading.psm1 # Buy/sell goods, travel, refuelling
SaveLoad.psm1 # JSON save/load system
Data/
goods.json # 12 trade commodities with base prices & variance
ships.json # Ship definitions
system-names.json # Name prefixes/suffixes for procedural generation
Saves/ # Saved games ({PlayerName}.json)
Tests/ # Pester test suite
Invoke-Pester ./Tests- PowerShell 7.0 or later
- A terminal that supports ANSI colors and cursor positioning