Corebound
The galaxy wakes up
A shared galaxy with only you in it is a lonely place. From this version on, every start zone without a player is taken by an AI commander.
They play by the same rules you do: they build, train pilots, upgrade their flagship and conquer sectors around the clock. Some are cautious and only pick easy fights with pirates, some expand greedily, and some keep an eye out for weakly defended sectors of other commanders.
When a new player arrives and every start zone is taken, one of the AI commanders makes room – its empire falls back to the pirates.
Your newcomer protection, the shields after a lost sector and your safe home sector apply to them just like to everyone else.