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Interface

The game screen is divided into three parts: top, middle and bottom.

Dashboard

At the top of the screen is the dashboard.

Main menu is opened by tapping “≡” button. It can be used to create a new universe, look upon obtained and available achievements, change language, set up sound and music.

Time

The game plays in the real time with changeable scaling. One second may correspond to a year, a decade, a century and so on. There is no pause. Quitting the game does not stop time.

The speed of time can be changed by tapping buttons with numbers at the top of the screen. A digit displays the exponent of the years that will pass in one second, when you will tap this button. Basically these are normal “−” and “+” buttons, contextually labeled.

At different stages of the evolution of the universe, different speeds of time are suited better. Stars burn for a while, life also evolves for an impressive amount of time. But if you want to observe civilizations, then it is better not to rush.

If you leave Owniverse at a high speed and switch to do something else, then time inside the universe will not be stopped. You can even exit the application, but the time will continue to run anyway. However, it is not possible to pass a whole eternity using this feature: in about a billion years, the speed will decrease to the minimum. This way you will not get the random effect of a completely burnt out universe in which trillions of years have passed.

Help

In-game help is available by tapping the “?” button. Opened page corresponds to the selected object. You can flip through the help pages by swiping the screen sideways.

Gauges

The following section of the dashboard is connected to the middle part of the screen. It displays the name of the current object page and holds gauges for the most important metrics.

Energy Cache

You have access to a very large but still limited energy cache. It can be converted into hydrogen and space which are essential to construct the universe. The less energy remains in store the lower is the efficiency of the resource generators. However, don't think that in the next billion years or so the lack of energy will become a serious problem. The energy cache really is immense.

Density

Average density of the universe is the ratio of total matter mass, meaning all stars, clouds and so on, to the empty space. It increases alongside the mass and decreases when the space grows. If the “ρ” gauge will leave the “middle zone” and become inclined to any of the two extremeties, then the outcome might surprise you in a bad way.

Small universes tend to scatter into empty space if they are not held together by a sufficient mass of matter. In large universes, on the other hand, a lack of space can lead to the collapse of the entire universe on itself.

During the growth of the universe, the density indicator will probably shift to the right, and that is fine and nothing to worry about until it reaches the very edge.

Burnability

Burnability displays the current burning rate of stars. It can be influenced by the universe density (the denser the greater), the actions of superadvanced civilizations and the forces used by the player. High burnability makes more space, but can be problematic for life development.

The higher the burnability is, the faster the stars burn. High values of burnability allow you to get a lot of space, but it makes it difficult for life to develop, since the planets cease to be suitable for life before their inhabitants go out into space and gain autonomy.

Burnability is primarily controlled by forces, but some factors in the universe can also affect it.

Explosiveness

Explosiveness displays the current probability of the gamma-ray bursts and the space yield produced by any sort of star collapses. It can be influenced by the universe density (the denser the lower), actions of superadvanced civilizations and forces used by the player. High explosiveness gives more space and metals, but can be bad for life.

The higher the explosiveness value, the more often giant stars do explode not with simple supernovae, but with destructive gamma-ray bursts, leaving behind a black hole and producing huge volumes of space. In addition, the very explosions of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts at high explosiveness values become more productive and destructive at the same time. High explosiveness hurts the development of life, but it helps a lot when the universe needs to expand.

Explosiveness is primarily controlled by forces, but some factors in the universe can also affect it.

Agression

Aggression displays the intensity of competition between species, civilizations and their inner factions. It governs the progress and stability of life and societies. It can be influenced by universal trends and forces used by the player.

By default the average universal aggression is shown. But you can select any civilization level and observe the average aggression for this level, which can be different from the universal one.

High aggression accelerates the evolution of life and the development of civilizations. At the same time, the likelihood of degradation increases for those who are unlucky enough to lose in the competition within their own society or when meeting with neighbors who are eager to fight.

Aggression is primarily controlled by forces, but some factors of the universe can also affect it.

Trends are the results of prolonged civilization influences. There are five trends in total.

  • Antitheism: opposition of the will of the people against the higher will.
  • Integration: peaceful coexistence and unification of different lifeforms.
  • Xenocide: extermination of alien life forms.
  • Reconstruction: rearrangement of the universe for the convenience of the civilization.
  • Spirituality: understanding and acceptance of the higher will.

When civilizations input their influences into any one trend to the cap, an event happens and the universe changes somewhat.

Objects

In the middle, largest part of the screen, there are five pages with game objects. Objects are explained in the corresponding sections. You can turn pages by swiping the screen sideways. By selecting an object you can get basic data about it in the lower part of the screen or read relevant help that is available by tapping the “?” button.

Forces

There are many events in the universe that don't happen all the time, only with certain probability. You have access to special forces, which you can use to “tweak” chances of events that are important to you, changing the laws of nature in the process.

  • No gauges. Instead of these there are four slots for force boxes that appear from time to time. You can grab these after viewing advertisements.
  • In the full version of the game there are no advertisements, you can just grab the boxes and that is it.

Resources

Four primary resources that the universe is constructed from.

Also this page contains the log that displays last events.

  • Gauges: energy and density. Most global metrics that define the universe at large.

Stars

On the top line there are clouds instead of actual stars. Below there are dwarf stars, giant stars and degenerate objects.

  • Gauges: burnability and explosiveness. Key attributes of stellar activities.

Structures

From left to right and from top to down structures are displayed from smaller to larger. There are star clusters on the top line, next there are galaxies, and on the bottom line there are large structures of a universe scale.

  • Gauges: energy and density. Most global metrics that define the universe at large.

Life

On the top line there are planets of all kinds. On the second line there are civilizations of all types. If you tap on any civilization type or on a living planet, then one or two of the bottom lines will be expanded into separate levels of civilizations inside that type, or the eons of evolution for living planets.

  • Gauges: aggression and trends. Aggression is the most important for life in general, and trends show how life influences the universe.

Information Area

In the bottom part of the screen there is the information area displaying data about a selected object.

You can create or construct many objects, such as stars or galaxies, by tapping action buttons in the bottom part of the screen. If you have selected an object and there are no buttons there, then it is impossible to create or construct directly. Perhaps this kind of object appears in some other way. If the buttons are there, but there are no numbers on them, then you probably lack some resources to create or construct the object.