If you like your sci-fi MMOs with some more hard-bitten reality built in and you don’t mind playing that kind of game in a web browser, then you might deign to aim your science textbook-loving peepers in the direction of Project Zero-G, an indie title from developer Giuseppe Caggese that seeks to recreate the feeling of real world space flight with help from NASA data.
An introductory post on Reddit further elaborates on the game, which Caggese says he built to solve a personal frustration with space sims that require a hefty download to install and play. As such, Zero-G requires no download and simply an account sign-in to maintain character persistence in its world. The game can be played on any browser, though desktop is recommended as controls for mobile don’t really work right now.
In terms of gameplay, Zero-G invites players to explore and work together in its persistent single shard universe to form corporations, build modular space stations, and work towards unlocking FTL travel. The game simulates flight using relativistic acceleration and Newtonian physics and creates planetary topography with help from NASA data. The game is currently in what’s considered an alpha state, so players are encouraged to provide their feedback and bug reports, assuming hard sci-fi is their bag.