History VideoGame / GalaxyOnFire

* ArmorIsUseless: Averted. Armor is very useful and provides an extra layer of protection if your shields go down. Story-wise, Terran ships tend to rely more on shields, while the Vossk trust their armor more than shields. Thus, the very best shields tend to be of Terran design, while the best armor comes from the Vossk Empire.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: One of the Most Wanted fugitives you can pursue in the Supernova DLC is wanted for piracy, murder, theft of weapons prototypes and a space station docking procedure violation for coming in too fast.
* AsteroidMiners: One of the ways of getting resources or making money is mining resources from asteroids. Almost every planet has them not far from the station. To mine an asteroid, the player needs a scanner (to determine which ore the asteroid is made of and how much of it is there), a laser drill (different drills allow for better stability and output), and a large enough cargo hold. A-class asteroids also contain valuable cores, which are difficult to obtain but are worth a lot more than ores. The most powerful scanner is able to identify A-class asteroids without even pointing at them. Occasionally, blasting an asteroid (either with weapons or by simply plowing through it) can, occasionally result in some ore or a core being left behind, which can be [[TractorBeam tractored]] by the player.

* TheBattlestar: The Terrans start deploying fighter carriers to this sector of space during the Supernova DLC. In the multiplayer GoFA, your fleets consist only of Battlestars and fighters., and you fight against other factions' Battlestars.

** In the base game there is the Betty, which zips around really fast but is definitely not something that should be brought to a firefight.

** The Mantis has immense firepower and protection, but cargo space and customizability through available equipment slots are nothing to write home about.

** Supernova also gives us the Groza Mk 2, the fighter with the highest primary weapon damage capability, but little else.

* EarlyGameHell: ''[=GOF2=]'' doesn't give very many options to earn money directly outside of mining at the start of the game. Your starting ship is extremely slow, only has room for one weapon, has an extremely slow targeting sensor, and not much armor. The first few mining drills in the game are widely inaccurate and extremely difficult to control (putting strain on your thumb trying to control it), and it comes down to luck if you can last long enough to get a core from an asteroid. If you leave the completely secure Terran systems, you always run the risk of a pirate attack as soon as you enter a sector or leave a base. This puts you in auto-fight mode which disables fast travel to space stations and hyper gates, slowing down your progress even more. Fighting off pirates won't yield any loot until you get a tractor beam that costs in the mid-hundred thousand credits range in order to pick up their supplies. An early story mission offers you a tractor beam, but you still need to have collected 80,000 credits first. Combat becomes much easier once you're able to upgrade to a ship that would generally cost a few dozen thousand credits, and even then only if it can support a turret to fight off enemies without having to chase them down or put yourself in their line of fire.

* GargleBlaster: Two are encountered in the game, both are sold by the dodgy dealer Mkkt Bkkt. The first one [[spoiler: is Neuro-algae that got an entire space station's crew completely wasted with tentacle growth on their faces as a side effect]] while the second one is the Pascal Inartu Flabbergaster that leaves everyone babbling incoherently.

* HarderThanHard: Extreme difficulty. Enemies when they attack will outnumber you eight to one in Secure systems, to twelve to one in Dangerous. And unlike easier difficulties, they will swarm you all at once instead of attacking in waves. You need twice as many Energy Cells to use your wormhole drive to travel, those cells and most other commodities become rare to find and in very low numbers when found. Mining becomes harder with an aborted mining op giving you only half of the tones you extracted, and ore as well as cores cannot be bought on stations. Furthermore, wingmen cost five times as much, bribes are ten times as much and certain blueprints require significantly more amounts of certain rare commodities to complete.

* ItemCrafting: ''[=GOF2=]'' has blueprints that can be purchased on some stations or obtained during storyline missions. The blueprints typically allow the player to build a piece of equipment that is superior to what is normally available on the market. Opening a blueprint reveals all the component necessary and their quantities. Some components can be mined (such as ores and cores), while others (including the ores and the cores) can be purchased. Once components are moved into the blueprint, the item is considered to be under construction on the current station. Transferring components to the item under construction is free only at the current station. If the player wishes to ship the components from another station (to avoid flying back and forth), this costs credits. Once the item has received all the components, it is completed and placed into the player's cargo hold. In case of missiles, each completed "item" is usually 10 missiles. In ''[=GOF2=] HD'', blueprints can be auto-completed without all the necessary resources for a lot of credits. Some items can even be sold for profit. As of ''Supernova'', there are new components that cannot be automatically shipped due to their volatility, which means they must be carefully ferried by the player and can go off for any of the following reasons: using boosters, turning sharply, firing weapons a lot, getting hit by weapons, collisions, using the Khador Drive, etc.

* MidairRepair: The Kedar Repair Bots fix your ship’s hull and armor even in the middle of combat. Without this upgrade all piloted ships have RegeneratingShieldsStaticHealth.

* NitroExpress: ''Supernova'' has several missions where you are required to transport highly unstable substances from one system to another. This means no afterburners or sharp turns, meaning you can't maneuver to get out of danger. Also, a few good hits by the enemy is enough to set off the cargo, no matter your shields and armor state. Your own weapons also partly fill the "red meter". These missions absolutely require an InvisibilityCloak (although the best one out there only lasts 40 seconds) and a good dose of luck (or SaveScumming). Essentially, it's a good idea to stop at a SpaceStation (i.e. SavePoint) after every jump. Oh, and you're also not allowed to use the instantaneous Khador Drive, as it would set off the cargo, meaning you have to stick to the good old-fashioned gates. The first time you have to do it isn't too bad, although the fact that you're, essentially, carrying a quick hangover cure ruins the mood. The second time you need to collect (from a warzone, no less) the highly-unstable red plasma and move it across the galaxy, as [[ButThouMust you can't pay someone to transport it for you]] (as you can with any other cargo).

* RegeneratingShieldsStaticHealth: Initially played straight, where you need to dock at a station to recover hull and armor health. Turns into regenerating health and shields once you buy and install a Repair Bot into one of your equipment slots.

* StealthInSpace: There are several systems in ''[=GOF2=]'' that lower your signature, so the enemy has trouble tracking you. The best of these is the [[Film/TheShadow Yin Co]]. Shadow Ninja, which acts like your typical InvisibilityCloak for about 40 seconds but consumes 5 energy cells every time you use it. While the enemy won't fire at you when you're using the Shadow Ninja, nothing stops you from firing at the enemy.

* TractorBeam: Used to grab cargo dropped by destroyed enemies. More powerful versions can steal items from still-intact enemies disabled with {{EMP}} (which is a requirement for hostage-rescue missions). The most advanced tractor beam does not require the player to first lock on to an item and has an enormous range.
* TwentyBearAsses: Multiple storyline missions require the completion of blueprints that require some unusual items to get

The second game, ''Galaxy on Fire II'' (AKA ''[=GOF2=]''), starts some time later, with Keith chasing a band of SpacePirates for a bounty. After killing them in battle, he attempts to jump, only to find out that a lucky shot has damaged his hyperdrive, causing it to malfunction and send him halfway across the galaxy to the Mido system. His ship, damaged beyond repair, is salvaged by a Midorian named Gunant Breh, who gives Maxwell a ship and some cheap equipment to perform some tasks to make enough money to buy passage to Terran space aboard a battlecruiser scheduled to arrive to a planet in the system (the system is too new to have a [[PortalNetwork jumpgate]]). Additionally, Keith discovers that the malfunctioning hyperdrive not only sent him far from Terran space but also threw him over 30 years into the future (which is why he has never heard of the Mido Confederation before). After arriving to Terran space and reconnecting with an old colleague, Keith is recruited to help the fleet deal with a new threat in the form of a strange new race called the Voids. The Voids randomly appear in inhabited systems by opening [[OurWormholesAreDifferent wormholes]], strike at lightly-escorted freighters, and disappear before anyone can react. Their speech is incomprehensible, as are their goals. Eventually, Keith is put in contact with a Terran organization called Deep Science, dedicated to studying the Voids, and its leader Dr. Carla Paolini. Maxwell performs several dangerous missions for Carla, including a trip through a wormhole into Void space, convincing her to go on a date with him after he's done. He also helps a [[TheGreys Grey]] scientist named Khador develop a new form of propulsion based on the Void wormholes. This new Khador Drive allows anyone to jump to any known system without using the jumpgates, including systems without gates and Void space. With the Void threat increasing, the Terran fleet makes a deal with the Vossk Emperor to conduct a joint mission into Void space to destroy TheMothership that controls the wormholes. The mission is successful, albeit at the cost of the Vossk pilot's life, and Keith receives thanks in the form of a date with Carla (complete with a bra floating through space). Keith then wakes up alone and finds a note from Carla who lets him know that she is working at a new undisclosed location.

* UnwinnableByMistake: It's possible to get stuck in a star system without a jumpgate by jumping there with a Khador Drive without sufficient energy cells to jump back.
** In the Supernova DLC, Informer missions will fail if the [[spoiler: Stealth Fighters]] pick that time to attack you, because [[spoiler: if anyone besides TheMole gets attacked during this mission, it is an automatic fail.]]
** Those same enemies can also cause you to fail Rescue or Retrieval missions since [[spoiler: shooting the ship carrying the hostage or stolen item and destroying it before you can extract them with EMP, causes the mission to fail.]]

''Galaxy on Fire'' is a series of space trading and combat simulation games developed by Fishlabs with multiple ports, including, but not limited to, [=iOS=], Mac, and Windows. The game takes place in a galaxy ruled by four major factions (the [[PlanetTerra Terran]] [[TheFederation Federation]], the [[TheEmpire Vossk Empire]], the [[TheReptilians Nivelian]] [[TheRepublic Republic]], and the [[LaResistance Mido Confederation of Planets]]).

* LaResistance: The Mido Confederation was created during Keith's time jump as a consequence of the Nivelian Civil War. It is mostly populated by Nivelians, Terrans, and various outlaws. While the Terran Federation has recognized Midorian sovereignty, the Nivelians refuse to acknowledge them as anything but rebels and traitors, and border skirmishes are common.

* TheReptilians: The Nivelians are lizard-like humanoids. They tend to be hard workers and are extremely loyal to their family. Most of the Nivelians live in the Nivelian Republic, but some broke away and formed the Mido Confederation with a group of Terrans and outlaws. Midorian Nivelians tend to be more easygoing than their cousins, having picked up those habits from Terrans. It's pointed out that many Terrans assume the Vossk are also reptilian. They're not.

* {{Cuckold}}: Keith meets quite a few of them in the space lounges, complaining how their wives cheated on them with an Octopod.

* FrickinLaserBeams: Lasers are the cheapest and the weakest weapons, but they have the longest range (usually 3-4 kilometers) of all non-missile weapons. As expected, they are portrayed as slower-than-light bolts of energy. However, the most powerful laser in the game, obtainable in the ''Supernova'' add-on, not only deals tremendous damage, it's also {{hitscan}} and even includes a limited auto-aim feature, as long as your ship is locked-on.

* FrickinLaserBeams: Lasers are the cheapest and the weakest weapons, but they have the longest range (usually 3-4 kilometers) of all non-missile weapons. As expected, they are portrayed as slower-than-light bolts of energy. However, the most powerful laser in the game, obtainable in the ''Supernova'' add-on, not only deals tremendous damage, it's also HitScan and even includes a limited auto-aim feature, as long as your ship is locked-on.

* HitScan: While most lasers are of the "bolt" type that travel slower than light, several higher-end models are of the insta-hit beam variety. They also tend to have limited auto-targeting ability, which tends target the closest ship in the reticle, even if it's a friendly.

* BagOfSpilling: ''[=GOF2=]'' starts off with Keith taking an unlucky shot to his hyperdrive system just as he activates it. This totals his ship and sends him 35 years in the future, only still alive because Gunant Breh found him and offered an old mining ship as a means to start over.

* EarlyGameHell: ''[=GOF2=]'' doesn't give very many options to earn money directly outside of mining at the start of the game. Your starting ship is extremely slow, only has room for one weapon, has an extremely slow targeting sensor, and not much armor. The first few mining drills in the game are widely inaccurate and extremely difficult to control (putting strain on your thumb trying to control it), and it comes down to luck if you can last long enough to get a core from an asteroid. If you leave the completely secure Terran systems, you always run the risk of a pirate attack as soon as you enter a sector or leave a base. This puts you in auto-fight mode which disables fast travel to space stations and hyper gates, slowing down your progress even more. Fighting off pirates won't yield any loot until you get a tractor beam that costs in the mid-hundred thousand credits range in order to pick up their supplies. Combat becomes much easier once you're able to upgrade to a ship that would generally cost a few dozen thousand credits, and even then only if it can support a turret to fight off enemies without having to chase them down or put yourself in their line of fire.

* ShortRangeShotguns: Scatter guns are the space equivalent of a shotgun. They tend to have shorter ranges (1-2 kilometers at most) and do splash damage, which lessens the need to aim. However, they can also damage allies or neutrals.

* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Scatter guns are the space equivalent of a shotgun. They tend to have shorter ranges (1-2 kilometers at most) and do splash damage, which lessens the need to aim. However, they can also damage allies or neutrals.

* {{Expy}}: Numerous
** Keith Maxwell - [[VideoGame/XBeyondTheFrontier Kyle Brennan]]
** Brent Snocom -[[Franchise/MassEffect Admiral]] [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Hackett]] or alternatively [[VideoGame/XBeyondTheFrontier Ban Danna]]
** Mkkt Bkkt -[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Quark]]
** Alice - [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 Aria T'Loak]]
** Loma System -[[Franchise/MassEffect Terminus Systems]]
** Valkyrie Station -[[VideoGame/MassEffect2 Omega]]
** The Voids -[[VideoGame/{{X}} Xenon]]
** The Old Ones in Gof Alliances who died out long ago and left us Citadels are an obvious Expy of the [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 Protheans]]. They even look a little bit like them.

* LaResistance: The Mido Confederation was created during Keith's time jump as a consequence of the Nivelian Civil War. It is mostly populated by Nivelians, Terrans, and various outlaws. While the Terran Federation has recognized Midorian sovereignty, the Nivelians refuse to acknowledge them as anything but rebels and traitors, and border skirmishes are common.

* HomeBase: In the third flight sim game, the player has a constant base on the merc carrier ''Manticore'', which looks very much like a modern naval carrier with a huge flat flight deck (which is pointless in space).

** There is a planet called Dis, shouting out to the infamous Leviathan of Dis in Mass Effect

** The Bloodstar [[AvertedTrope averts this hard]] by being the only ship with a very high armor, high cargo space, very high firepower, great handling, high customizability, basically the master of all stats. It is very expensive and tough to get though.

* AiIsACrapshoot: Averted. Jalen, pirate AI, becomes your shipboard AI and as the story progresses, she expresses a growing and intense dislike of pirates and greater appreciation of the player.