The object of the game is to be the first to capture half of all stars in the galaxy.
The game is real-time and played over several weeks. You can log in at any time of the day to check the progress of your fleets, view the results of battles, and issue new orders.
Massive carriers loaded with fighters make hyperspace jumps from star to star. A single jump can take hours or even days of real time to complete.
Each Star you control will build new ships, raise money for upgrades, and research new technologies.
Your job is to negotiate with the other players, dispatch fleets to capture new stars, and choose where and how to upgrade your existing stars and technology.
Neptune's Pride is not like most other 4x strategy game because its streamlined mechanics allow players to focus on high level strategic decisions and diplomacy.
Source: The Developer Website.
The game now features a turn-based mode, where a chunk of game-time(8 hours by default) are processed each turn.