FAQ

My ship keeps flying in the wrong direction. What am I doing wrong?

The launch works like a real slingshot — you drag the ship backward from where you want to go, and it fires in the opposite direction. The further you drag, the faster it launches. The arrow that appears while you're dragging shows you exactly where the ship will go and at what speed. If you're consistently overshooting or undershooting, try shorter or longer drags rather than changing the angle.

Why does my ship curve so much when it gets near a planet?

That's gravity doing exactly what it should. Every planet in every level exerts a continuous gravitational pull on your ship, calculated using the inverse-square law — the closer your ship gets to a planet, the much stronger the pull. Flying near a massive planet at high speed is how you execute a gravitational slingshot, gaining or redirecting velocity. Flying too close at low speed is how you get captured and crash. The skill is reading the difference.

What are the rings I need to fly through before reaching the destination?

Those are checkpoints. Some levels (primarily hand-crafted ones from the Level Editor) require you to pass through one or more checkpoint rings before the destination ring counts. The destination ring glows white; checkpoint rings glow a different color. Passing through a checkpoint locks it in — you don't need to revisit it, but you do need all of them before you can finish. Checkpoints are there to guide you through a specific trajectory or to make a level more challenging.

What are the red barriers that destroy my ship?

Those are force fields — invisible (or faintly visible) boundaries placed by the level designer to block certain routes. They're used to close off easy solutions and force you to find the intended trajectory. If you're flying into one unexpectedly, try a different approach angle or a different speed. Force fields only appear in hand-crafted levels from the Level Editor; randomly generated levels don't use them.

I can see my previous failed attempt as a faint trail. Is that intentional?

Yes. The ghost trail from your last attempt stays on screen when you reset, giving you a reference line to help you adjust your next shot. It fades out after a new attempt. It's one of the most useful tools in the game once you start using it deliberately — you can see exactly where you went wrong and aim a little further left, a little faster, and so on.

How long does my ship fly before it's considered lost?

The ship has a maximum flight time of 60 seconds per attempt. If it hasn't reached the destination within that window, the round resets. In practice, most solutions are found in under 15 seconds — if you find yourself waiting for a very long time, the trajectory probably isn't heading anywhere useful and you should reset early.

Is there a way to pause or slow down the flight?

Not currently. Once launched, the ship flies at real simulation speed and you can only watch. This is intentional — the satisfaction of finding the right trajectory comes from the aiming phase, not from real-time steering. The game is about reading the physics before you launch, not reacting after.

What's the difference between the planet types?

Each planet type has a different density, which affects how massive it is relative to its visual size, which determines how strongly it pulls your ship. A small black hole exerts far more gravity than a large white planet. From lightest to heaviest: white, grey, blue, green, yellow, red, red star, neutron star, black hole. Easy levels mostly use lighter planets; harder levels introduce the more extreme types. For a full breakdown, see the Space Science page.

How do I publish a level?

Open the Level Editor, place your planets, set a ship start position and a destination ring, then click Save. You'll be prompted to name your level and choose a difficulty rating before it's published. Published levels appear immediately in the Saved Maps browser for all players to discover.

Can I test my level before publishing it?

Yes. There's a Test Mode button in the editor that lets you play your level directly without saving it first. You can switch back to editing at any time, adjust the layout, and test again. It's a good idea to verify that your level is actually solvable before publishing — the editor won't check for you automatically.

Can I edit a level after publishing it?

Yes. You can reopen any of your published levels in the editor and save an updated version. Note that because there's no login system, "your" levels are determined by your browser — if you clear your browser data or switch devices, you won't be able to edit levels published from your original browser.

Can I delete a level I published?

Yes. Go to the Saved Maps page, find your level, and use the delete option. Deletion is immediate and permanent. If you're unable to find the delete option (because you've switched devices or cleared your browser data), contact us via the contact page and we'll remove it manually.

My level got removed. Why?

Levels are removed if they violate the Content Guidelines — which covers things like inappropriate names, deliberately unbeatable designs, or content unsuitable for a general audience. If you believe your level was removed in error, please get in touch.

How does the star rating system work?

Players who complete a level can rate it from 1 to 5 stars. Ratings are averaged using a Bayesian smoothing formula, which prevents a single 5-star rating from topping the charts — a level needs a meaningful number of ratings before it can rank highly. Each browser can rate each level once. The Saved Maps browser can be sorted by highest-rated, newest, or most-played.

How does multiplayer work?

One player creates a room and gets a four-letter code. Share the code with 1–7 friends and they join the room. The host picks a level (generated or from the saved library) and starts the game. All players get the same level and race to solve it in the fewest attempts. A live leaderboard shows everyone's attempt count. The player who finishes with the fewest attempts wins. Players can keep trying to improve their score even after someone finishes.

Do I need an account for multiplayer?

No. Multiplayer is entirely anonymous. You pick a display name when you join a room — this is temporary and not stored anywhere. No registration is required.

How many players can be in a room?

Up to 8 players per room.

What happens if the host disconnects?

If the host disconnects during a game, the room becomes effectively dead — the remaining players will need to start a new room. Multiplayer rooms are ephemeral and not persistent. This is a known limitation; better host migration is on the roadmap.

Can I play multiplayer across different devices?

Yes. Room codes work across any combination of devices — one player can be on a desktop browser, another on a phone, another on a tablet. The physics are deterministic across devices, so everyone gets a fair game.

Which browsers does Gravitydrift support?

Any modern browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge. The game requires Canvas 2D and WebSocket support, both of which are universally available in current browser versions. For the best experience, use an up-to-date browser. Chrome on desktop or Android tends to give the smoothest performance.

Does it work on iPhone and iPad?

Yes. Safari on iOS is fully supported. Touch input uses the same physics as desktop, and the game is designed to play well at any screen size. You can also add Gravitydrift to your home screen as a PWA (Progressive Web App) for a full-screen, app-like experience — tap the Share button in Safari and choose "Add to Home Screen."

Can I play offline?

Partially. After your first visit, a Service Worker caches the game's static assets, so generated single-player levels work offline. The Level Editor (in test mode only) works offline. Saved Maps, multiplayer, rating, and level publishing all require an internet connection.

The game feels different on my phone vs my computer. Are the physics the same?

Yes — the physics are deterministic and device-independent. The same shot on any device should produce the same trajectory. The game uses a fixed physics timestep (1/60th of a second), so the simulation doesn't vary with your screen's refresh rate. If you notice inconsistent behaviour, it's most likely a visual difference rather than a physics one. If you genuinely find a case where the same shot produces different results on different devices, please report it.

Is there sound?

Not yet. Sound is on the development roadmap. The game is currently silent — which some people find meditative and others find incomplete. Both assessments are fair.

Does Gravitydrift collect my data?

Very little. A random anonymous ID is stored in your browser's localStorage to prevent duplicate level ratings. If you publish a level, the level data is stored on the server. No names, emails, or personally identifiable information are collected. See the full Privacy Policy for details.

Is Gravitydrift free?

Yes. The full game — single player, multiplayer, level editor, and all saved maps — is completely free to play with no paywalls, premium tiers, or in-app purchases. The game is supported by advertising via Google AdSense.

Who made this?

Gravitydrift is a solo indie project. One developer, no team, no funding. For the full story, see the Developer Diary.

I have a suggestion for a feature. How do I submit it?

Via the contact page. Feature suggestions are read and genuinely considered, especially if they come with a clear explanation of why the game would be better with that feature. No promises on implementation timelines, but ideas that resonate tend to get built eventually.

I found a bug. How do I report it?

Please report it via the contact page. Include as much detail as you can: what you were doing, which browser and device you were on, and whether the issue is reproducible. Screenshots or screen recordings are especially helpful. Bug reports are taken seriously and usually fixed quickly for reproducible issues.