Stellar Throne: Building a 4X Strategy Game with AI Coding Tools

What is Stellar Throne?

A turn-based 4X strategy game where players command fleets, colonize worlds, negotiate agreements, and compete for galactic dominance.

What inspired you to create it?

Lifelong science fiction enthusiasm, with Master of Orion (1993) as the primary creative influence.

What makes Stellar Throne different?

• Tactical Combat
• Fuel Logistics Mechanics
• Giant Star Maps (800+ stars)
• Deep, Functional Diplomacy

Design Philosophy

Prioritizes gameplay and readable aesthetics supporting smart decision-making over ultra-realistic visuals.

Tools Used

Built in Zig with SDL2 rendering. Development accelerated using LLMs including Claude Code, ChatGPT, and Grok for code and art generation. The project explores agentic coding approaches.

Visual Style

Futuristic yet minimal UI with clean visuals and lighter, playful tone.

Target Audience

Hardcore strategy gamers seeking deep systems and long-term planning gameplay.

Development Challenges

Communicating effectively with LLMs requires precision, particularly regarding bug descriptions.

Next Steps

Alpha release planned for itch.io with core gameplay loop.

Development updates posted at blog.mrphilgames.com.