A complete rewrite of BlackNova Traders using modern PHP 8.1+, PostgreSQL, and minimal dependencies.

This is a ground-up rewrite of the classic BlackNova Traders game with modern technologies:

• PHP 8.1+ with strict types and modern syntax
• PSR-4 autoloading with namespaces
• Type declarations throughout the codebase
• No dependencies - uses only built-in PHP features (PDO)

• Password hashing using password_hash() (bcrypt)
• Prepared statements for all database queries (SQL injection prevention)
• CSRF protection on all forms
• XSS protection with proper output escaping
• Secure session handling with regeneration
• Security headers (X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, etc.)

• Native PostgreSQL support with proper types
• Foreign key constraints for data integrity
• Indexes for performance
• Transactions where appropriate
• Modern SQL features (RETURNING, ON CONFLICT, etc.)

• MVC-like structure with separation of concerns
• Clean routing with RESTful URLs
• Reusable components (Database, Session, Router)
• Modern views with template inheritance

• No register_globals workarounds
• No SQL injection vulnerabilities
• No XSS vulnerabilities
• Proper error handling
• Clean, readable code

• PHP 8.1 or higher
• PostgreSQL 12 or higher
• Apache/Nginx web server
• Composer (for autoloading)

git clone <repository-url> blacknova
cd blacknova

composer install

If you don't have composer, download it from https://getcomposer.org/

Copy the environment example file:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your PostgreSQL credentials:

DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_NAME=blacknova
DB_USER=bnt
DB_PASS=your_secure_password

Create a PostgreSQL user and database:

sudo -u postgres psql
CREATE USER bnt WITH PASSWORD 'your_secure_password';
CREATE DATABASE blacknova OWNER bnt;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE blacknova TO bnt;
\q

Run the initialization script:

./scripts/init_db.sh

Or manually:

psql -h localhost -U bnt -d blacknova -f database/schema.sql

Generate sectors and planets:

php scripts/create_universe.php 1000 200

This creates 1000 sectors and 200 planets. Adjust as needed.

Point your virtual host to the public directory:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName blacknova.local
    DocumentRoot /path/to/blacknova/public

    <Directory /path/to/blacknova/public>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Enable mod_rewrite:

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name blacknova.local;
    root /path/to/blacknova/public;
    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

chmod -R 755 public
chmod -R 750 config

Open your browser and visit:

• http://localhost (or your configured domain)
• Register a new account
• Start playing!

Edit config/config.php and update the admin password hash:

'admin_password' => password_hash('your_new_password', PASSWORD_DEFAULT),

php -r "echo password_hash('your_password', PASSWORD_DEFAULT) . PHP_EOL;"

blacknova/
├── config/              # Configuration files
│   └── config.php       # Main configuration
├── database/            # Database schemas
│   └── schema.sql       # PostgreSQL schema
├── public/              # Web root (point your web server here)
│   ├── index.php        # Application entry point
│   └── .htaccess        # Apache rewrite rules
├── scripts/             # Utility scripts
│   ├── create_universe.php  # Universe generator
│   └── init_db.sh       # Database initialization
├── src/                 # Application source code
│   ├── Controllers/     # Request handlers
│   ├── Core/            # Core framework components
│   ├── Models/          # Database models
│   └── Views/           # HTML templates
├── composer.json        # Composer configuration
└── README.md           # This file

• User registration and authentication with bcrypt password hashing
• Session management with CSRF protection
• Secure database layer with prepared statements
• Modern responsive UI with template inheritance
• Score calculation and player statistics

• Ship Types: Four distinct ship classes with full gameplay integration
  • Scout, Merchant, Warship, and Balanced ship types
  • Type-specific cargo capacity, turn costs, combat effectiveness, and speed
  • Starting bonuses tailored to each ship class
  • Real-time multipliers applied to all gameplay systems
  • Ship type bonuses stack with skill system bonuses
  • Displayed prominently on status page with detailed stats
• Character Skill System: Progressive skill development
  • Four skill types: Trading, Combat, Engineering, Leadership
  • Earn skill points through gameplay activities
  • Allocate points to improve specific bonuses
  • Skills stack multiplicatively with ship type bonuses
  • Beautiful UI showing current bonuses and upgrade costs
• Ship/Player Management: Full ship status, equipment tracking, and character management
• Sector Navigation: Real-time movement through the universe with turn management
• Port Trading: Buy/sell commodities (ore, organics, goods, energy) with dynamic pricing
• Planet System:
  • Planet viewing and scanning
  • Planet colonization with colonist management
  • Resource production (ore, organics, goods, energy, fighters, torpedoes)
  • Planetary base construction and management
  • Transfer and production allocation controls

• Combat System:
  • Ship-to-ship combat with beam/torpedo attacks
  • Planet attacks with base destruction and capture mechanics
  • Defense deployment (mines and fighters)
  • Defense vs defense combat in sectors
  • Combat results with damage calculation
• Attack Logs:
  • Comprehensive combat history tracking
  • View attacks made and received
  • Combat statistics and filtering

• Teams/Alliances:
  • Team creation and management
  • Invitation system with accept/decline
  • Team messaging and communication
  • Team rankings and statistics
  • Member management (kick, leave)
• Player Messaging:
  • Send/receive private messages between players
  • Inbox and sent message folders
  • Message read/unread tracking
  • Soft delete with trash functionality
  • Mark all as read feature

• Intergalactic Bank (IGB):
  • Deposit and withdraw credits
  • Secure fund transfers between players
  • Loan system with configurable interest rates
  • Loan repayment tracking
  • Account balance management
• Ship Upgrades:
  • 10 upgradeable components (hull, engines, power, computer, sensors, beams, torpedo launchers, shields, armor, cloak)
  • Exponential cost scaling for balance
  • Upgrade and downgrade functionality
  • Component level tracking

• Rankings System:
  • Player rankings with 7 sort options (score, ships destroyed, planets, defenses, etc.)
  • Team rankings with aggregate statistics
  • Online/offline player detection
  • Efficiency calculations
  • Top 100 leaderboard with pagination
• Player Info & Search:
  • Comprehensive player profiles
  • Player search functionality
  • Team affiliation display
  • Combat statistics and achievements

• Automatic Scheduler: Background task automation without cron
  • Turn generation every 2 minutes
  • Port production cycles
  • Planet production cycles
  • IGB interest calculations
  • Ranking updates
  • News generation
  • Fighter degradation
  • Cleanup tasks
  • Runs automatically on page loads with interval-based execution

The original game had additional features that could be added:

• Trade routes (automated trading)
• Genesis torpedoes and terraforming
• Special devices (beacons, warp editors, emergency warp, mine deflectors)
• Enhanced news system with more event types
• Advanced admin panel features
• Tournament modes

After registering and logging in, you'll start with a basic ship and limited resources. Your goal is to build your empire through trading, combat, and strategic alliances.

Choose your ship class during registration to match your preferred playstyle. Each type has unique strengths and weaknesses:

🚀 Scout - Fast & Efficient

• Best for: Exploration, hit-and-run tactics, turn efficiency
• Cargo: 70% capacity (smaller holds)
• Turn Cost: 50% (moves cost half as much)
• Combat: 80% damage dealt
• Defense: 70% armor/shields
• Speed: 150% (fastest ship, better escape chance)
• Starting Resources: 2000 credits, 200 turns
• Strategy: Maximize movement and exploration. Use speed to avoid dangerous situations.

🚢 Merchant - Trading Specialist

• Best for: Trading, economic dominance, cargo hauling
• Cargo: 200% capacity (huge holds)
• Turn Cost: 120% (more expensive to move)
• Combat: 60% damage dealt
• Defense: 80% armor/shields
• Speed: 80% (slower movement)
• Starting Resources: 5000 credits, 100 turns, full cargo
• Strategy: Focus on trading runs. Avoid combat. Join a team for protection.

⚔️ Warship - Combat Dominator

• Best for: Combat, piracy, military operations
• Cargo: 60% capacity (limited holds)
• Turn Cost: 150% (expensive to operate)
• Combat: 150% damage dealt
• Defense: 140% armor/shields
• Speed: 90% (slightly slower)
• Starting Resources: 1000 credits, 150 turns, 10 torpedoes, 5 fighters
• Strategy: Hunt other players. Capture planets. Dominate through superior firepower.

🛸 Balanced - All-Arounder

• Best for: Flexible gameplay, learning the game, adaptation
• Cargo: 100% capacity
• Turn Cost: 100% (normal)
• Combat: 100% damage dealt
• Defense: 100% armor/shields
• Speed: 100% (normal)
• Starting Resources: 3000 credits, 150 turns, moderate cargo
• Strategy: Adapt to any situation. Switch between trading and combat as needed.

Ship Type Impact (Fully Integrated):

• Cargo Capacity: Directly affects maximum commodities you can carry in ports and storage
• Turn Costs: Movement between sectors costs different amounts based on ship type
• Combat Damage: All damage dealt is multiplied by your ship's combat multiplier
• Defense: All damage taken is reduced by your ship's defense multiplier
• Speed/Escape: Better speed improves your chance to escape from combat
• Starting Resources: Initial credits, turns, and cargo shape your early game strategy

Bonus Stacking: Ship type bonuses stack multiplicatively with character skills:

• Scout with 50 combat skill: 80% × 150% = 120% total combat effectiveness
• Merchant with 50 trading skill: 200% cargo × (100% - 25% price bonus) = massive trading profit
• Warship with 100 combat skill: 150% × 200% = 300% total damage output!
• All bonuses apply in real-time to trading, movement, combat, and escape calculations

Choosing Your Type:

• New Players: Balanced or Merchant (safer, easier to learn, forgiving gameplay)
• Aggressive Players: Warship (combat-focused, dominate through firepower)
• Experienced Players: Scout (requires skill and strategy, very rewarding efficiency)
• Economic Focus: Merchant (trading powerhouse with massive cargo capacity)
• Min-Maxers: Any type + complementary skills = extreme specialization

Develop your character's expertise through gameplay to gain permanent bonuses. Skills stack with ship type multipliers for powerful combinations.

Skill Types:

📈 Trading Skill (0-100)

• Bonus: 0.5% price improvement per level (max 50% at level 100)
• Effect: Better buy prices at ports, higher sell prices
• How to Earn: Trade at ports (1 point per 50,000 credits traded)
• Best For: Merchant ships, economic players

⚔️ Combat Skill (0-100)

• Bonus: 1% damage increase per level (max 100% at level 100)
• Effect: All combat damage doubled at max level
• How to Earn: Ship combat victories (3-5 points), planet captures (3 points)
• Best For: Warship ships, aggressive players
• Stacking: Warship (150%) × Combat 100 (200%) = 300% total damage!

🔧 Engineering Skill (0-100)

• Bonus: 0.4% upgrade cost reduction per level (max 40% at level 100)
• Effect: Ship upgrades cost significantly less
• How to Earn: Upgrade ship components (1 point per 5 upgrades)
• Best For: All players, especially those focusing on ship development

👑 Leadership Skill (0-100)

• Bonus: 0.25% general bonus per level (max 25% at level 100)
• Effect: Improves team coordination and efficiency
• How to Earn: Team activities, leadership actions
• Best For: Team leaders, alliance builders

Skill Point Allocation:

• Visit the Skills page from the main menu
• Spend earned skill points to increase any skill
• Cost increases with skill level: 1 point for levels 0-9, 2 points for 10-19, etc.
• Maximum level 100 in each skill
• Plan your build carefully - specialization vs versatility

Skill Strategies:

• Pure Trader: Max Trading skill with Merchant ship = massive profit margins
• Ultimate Warrior: Max Combat skill with Warship = devastating damage output
• Efficient Builder: Max Engineering skill = affordable rapid expansion
• Balanced Build: Spread points across skills for flexibility
• Ship Synergy: Match skills to your ship type for maximum effectiveness

Port Trading: Visit ports to buy low and sell high. Each port specializes in different commodities:

• Ore ports: Buy ore cheap, sell goods/energy
• Organics ports: Buy organics cheap, sell ore/energy
• Goods ports: Buy goods cheap, sell ore/organics
• Energy ports: Buy energy cheap, sell other commodities

Intergalactic Bank (IGB): Access from the main menu

• Deposit credits for safekeeping
• Withdraw when needed
• Transfer funds to other players (with configurable fee)
• Take loans to finance expansion (with interest)
• Repay loans to maintain good standing

Ship Combat: Attack other ships in your sector

• Requires beams and/or torpedoes
• Success depends on ship upgrades and tactics
• Destroy ships to earn bounties and salvage
• View combat history in Attack Logs

Planet Attacks: Assault planets to capture them

• Attack planetary bases and defenses
• Capture planets for resource production
• Successful captures transfer ownership

Sector Defense: Deploy mines and fighters

• Place defensive units in sectors
• Automatic defense vs defense combat
• Retrieve defenses when needed
• View deployed defenses across all sectors

Colonization: Land on unowned planets to colonize

• Requires colonists from ports
• Each planet can produce resources
• Build bases for enhanced production

Production Management:

• Allocate colonists to different resources
• Produce: ore, organics, goods, energy, fighters, torpedoes
• Transfer resources to/from your ship
• Balance production for optimal efficiency

Enhance your ship with 10 upgradeable components:

• Hull: Increases ship armor and durability
• Engines: Improves speed and turn efficiency
• Power: Boosts overall ship performance
• Computer: Enhances targeting and calculations
• Sensors: Improves scanning and detection
• Beams: Increases beam weapon damage
• Torpedo Launchers: More torpedo capacity and damage
• Shields: Better defensive shielding
• Armor: Additional hull protection
• Cloak: Stealth capabilities

Costs increase exponentially with each level. You can also downgrade for partial refunds.

Teams/Alliances:

• Create or join teams
• Team messaging and coordination
• Shared team statistics
• Team rankings
• Invite system with accept/decline
• Team leadership and member management

Player Messaging:

• Send private messages to any player
• Inbox for received messages
• Sent folder to track outgoing messages
• Mark messages as read/unread
• Delete unwanted messages

Player Profiles:

• View detailed stats of any player
• Search for players by name
• See team affiliations
• View combat achievements
• Check online status

Player Rankings: View top players sorted by:

• Overall score
• Ships destroyed
• Planets owned
• Deployed defenses
• Cash on hand
• Net worth
• Efficiency rating

Team Rankings: See top teams by:

• Combined team score
• Total team members
• Team assets and achievements

Attack Logs: Review your combat history

• Attacks you've made
• Attacks you've received
• Damage statistics
• Combat outcomes (success, failure, destroyed, escaped)
• Sector locations and timestamps

1. Start Small: Begin with port trading to build capital
2. Upgrade Wisely: Focus on engines early for better movement
3. Defend Yourself: Deploy defenses in key sectors
4. Join a Team: Team play offers protection and coordination
5. Diversify: Balance trading, planet production, and combat
6. Bank Your Credits: Use IGB to protect wealth from attackers
7. Scout First: Check sector information before engaging
8. Track Enemies: Use attack logs to identify threats
9. Plan Production: Allocate planet colonists efficiently
10. Stay Active: Regular play helps you climb the rankings

If you're migrating from the old PHP/MySQL version:

1. Do NOT try to migrate the old database directly
2. Export player data if you want to preserve it
3. Start with a fresh database using the new schema
4. Manually recreate players with secure password hashes
5. The old passwords cannot be migrated (they weren't securely hashed)

Edit public/index.php:

$router->get('/myroute', fn() => $controller->myMethod());
$router->post('/myroute/:id', fn($id) => $controller->myMethod((int)$id));

Extend the Model base class:

namespace BNT\Models;

class MyModel extends Model
{
    protected string $table = 'my_table';
    protected string $primaryKey = 'id';

    // Add your custom methods
}

namespace BNT\Controllers;

class MyController
{
    public function __construct(
        private MyModel $model,
        private Session $session
    ) {}

    public function myAction(): void
    {
        // Your logic here
    }
}

Create a new file in src/Views/:

<?php
$title = 'My Page';
$showHeader = true;
ob_start();
?>

<h2>My Content</h2>
<!-- Your HTML here -->

<?php
$content = ob_get_clean();
include __DIR__ . '/layout.php';
?>

All configuration is in config/config.php:

• Database settings
• Game parameters (starting credits, turns, etc.)
• Trading configuration
• Scheduler settings
• Security settings

1. Enable opcache in php.ini for production
2. Use connection pooling for PostgreSQL
3. Add indexes to frequently queried columns
4. Enable gzip compression in your web server
5. Use CDN for static assets if needed

1. Never commit .env or sensitive config files
2. Use HTTPS in production
3. Keep PHP updated to the latest version
4. Restrict database user privileges
5. Enable PostgreSQL SSL connections
6. Regular backups of the database
7. Monitor logs for suspicious activity

Check your .env file and ensure PostgreSQL is running:

sudo systemctl status postgresql

Ensure mod_rewrite is enabled (Apache) or try_files is configured (Nginx).

Check file permissions:

chmod -R 755 public

Ensure PHP can write to the session directory:

sudo chmod 1777 /var/lib/php/sessions

• Original BlackNova Traders: Created by the BlackNova development team
• Modern Rewrite: Completely rewritten with modern PHP and PostgreSQL
• License: Check original license terms

To contribute to this project:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Follow PSR-12 coding standards
4. Add type declarations to all methods
5. Test your changes thoroughly
6. Submit a pull request

For issues, questions, or contributions:

• Check the documentation
• Review existing issues
• Create a new issue with details

This is a modernized version of BlackNova Traders. Please respect the original license terms.

Enjoy playing BlackNova Traders! 🚀