The people, inspirations, and tools behind Milliways Arcade.
"The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
— Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Milliways is the Restaurant at the End of the Universe from Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide series. The arcade's full address — Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha — is the sector where Earth is located (or was, before the Vogons showed up). The answer, of course, is 42. 🐬
This arcade now features 100 games and counting — well past the Answer to the Ultimate Question. The Deep Thought mainframe assures us that more games only bring us closer to understanding the Question itself.
Curated and assembled by NateSnow. A full browser arcade with 100 playable games, online multiplayer, local co-op, leaderboards, 7-language support, category browsing, and a space theme that would make Zaphod Beeblebrox jealous (both heads).
By Weston Campbell (TheDewd) — a recreation of the original Bulldozer game series by John "FlyMan" Hattan.
AHK Forum Thread
By Spawnova — AHK Wordle implementation using GDI+ game classes.
AHK Forum Thread
· GitHub
AHK Klondike Solitaire with full card tile graphics. Author from the AutoHotkey Community.
Various authors from the AutoHotkey Community Forums. These games were shared as open scripts on the AHK forums and compiled into this arcade collection.
AHK implementation. The game concept was popularized by the TV show The Big Bang Theory, originally invented by Sam Kass and Karen Bryla.
By tic (Tariq Porter) — GDI+ wrapper library for AutoHotkey, used by several games for graphics rendering.
Console manipulation class for AutoHotkey, used by console-based games in the collection.
Browser-playable versions of Snake, Tetris, Tic-Tac-Toe, Pong, Connect Four, Wordle, Maze, RPSLS, Pac-Man, Frogger, Chess, Solitaire, Sudoku, Boggle, Bulldozer, and AHKroid were built as JavaScript/Canvas reimplementations inspired by the original AHK scripts.
Checkers, Mancala, Yahtzee, Chinese Checkers, Cribbage, Battleship, Memory Match, Simon Says, Blackjack, War, Video Poker, Liar's Dice, Hearts, Crazy Eights, Go Fish, Dominoes, Farkle, Shut the Box, Mahjong Solitaire, Spades, Gin Rummy, Euchre, Old Maid, Slapjack, Bridge, Canasta, Pinochle, Bunco, Scrabble, and 20 Questions are JavaScript implementations of timeless game concepts.
Rummikub (Star Tiles), Azul (Astral Mosaic), and Qwirkle (Astral Qwirkle) are implementations of modern tabletop tile games. Rummikub is a trademark of Lemada Light Industries. Azul was designed by Michael Kiesling, published by Plan B Games. Qwirkle was designed by Susan McKinley Ross, published by MindWare.
Risk (Exoplanet Conquest), Scrabble (Interstellar Scrabble), Stratego (Phantom Stratego), and Monopoly (Galactic Tycoon) are full-featured implementations of legendary board games with sci-fi theming. Risk, Scrabble, and Monopoly are trademarks of Hasbro. Stratego is a trademark of Jumbo Games. Connect Four is a trademark of Hasbro. These are fan-made tributes, not affiliated with or endorsed by the trademark holders.
Trouble, Sorry!, Simon (Simon Says), Battleship (Sector Strike), Yahtzee (Star Dice), and Boggle (Transmission Decode) are trademarks of Hasbro. UNO is a trademark of Mattel. Othello is a trademark of Mattel (Reversi is public domain, but Othello is trademarked). Mastermind was originally created by Mordecai Meirowitz, published by Invicta Plastics (now Hasbro). These are fan-made tributes, not affiliated with or endorsed by the trademark holders.
Jeopardy! — created by Merv Griffin. Jeopardy! is a trademark of Sony Pictures Television. Galactic Jeopardy is a fan tribute. Wheel of Fortune — created by Merv Griffin. Wheel of Fortune is a trademark of Sony Pictures Television. These are fan-made tributes, not affiliated with or endorsed by the trademark holders.
Wordle — originally created by Josh Wardle, now owned by The New York Times Company. Crossword puzzles — a public domain game format. These implementations are original code inspired by classic puzzle formats.
Space Invaders (Alien Armada), Galaga (Vanguard Squadron), Missile Command (Orbital Shield), Angry Birds (Asteroid Launcher), Lunar Lander (Lunar Descent), Q*bert (Quantum Hopper), Centipede (Space Centipede), Dig Dug (Core Miner), Joust (Gravity Joust), Bubble Bobble (Bubble Nebula), Bomberman (Supernova Blaster), and Bust-a-Move (Plasma Pop) are inspired by legendary arcade games by Taito, Namco, Atari, Williams Electronics, Hudson Soft, and Rovio. Q*bert was originally by Gottlieb (now Konami). RC Pro-Am (Ionosphere Rally) and Excitebike (Redshift Motocross) are inspired by classic Nintendo/Rare racing games. RC Pro-Am is a trademark of Rare Ltd. Excitebike is a trademark of Nintendo. Spy Hunter (Phantom Pursuit) — inspired by the classic by Bally Midway. Spy Hunter is a trademark of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Paperboy (Orbit Courier) — inspired by the classic by Atari Games/Midway. Skee-Ball (Cosmic Skeeball) — Skee-Ball is a trademark of Bay Tek Entertainment.
Plasma Cutter, Alien Whack, Use the Force, Transmission Interceptor, Asteroid Run, Orbital Defense, Stellar Blocks, Cliff Ascent, Orbital Kick, Ethereal Oracle, UFO Dodge, Shield Breaker, Nebula 2048, Crossword, and Alien Queen are original creations built for this arcade.
14 games support local multiplayer (split-keyboard, pass-and-play, or co-op). 3 games support online multiplayer via room codes (Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four, Checkers). Online multiplayer uses Cloudflare KV for server-authoritative game state with polling-based sync.
Galactic Tycoon (Monopoly) features properties, cards, and references themed around 8 beloved sci-fi franchises. These are fan tributes — this project is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of the following rights holders.
By Douglas Adams. Properties: Magrathea, Vogsphere, Milliways. Starship: Heart of Gold. Card references include Vogons, Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters, Babel fish, towels, and the Infinite Improbability Drive. Rights held by The Adams Estate.
Created by George Lucas. Properties: Tatooine, Hoth, Endor. Starship: Millennium Falcon. Card references include Han Solo, R2-D2, and lightsabers. Star Wars is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. / Disney.
Created by Gene Roddenberry. Properties: USS Enterprise, Vulcan, Romulus. Card references include Bones McCoy, Risa, Starfleet Academy, and dilithium crystals. Star Trek is a trademark of CBS Studios / Paramount.
Created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, and Donald Wilson. Properties: TARDIS, Gallifrey. Card references include psychic paper and Time Lords. Doctor Who is a trademark of BBC.
By Frank Herbert. Properties: Arrakis, Caladan, Giedi Prime. Card references include spice fields and the Spacing Guild. Film adaptations by Legendary Entertainment / Warner Bros.
By James S. A. Corey (Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck). Properties: Laconia II, Mars, New Terra. Starship: Rocinante. Card references include the Protomolecule. TV adaptation by Amazon Studios.
Created by Glen A. Larson, reimagined by Ronald D. Moore. Properties: Caprica, Gemenon, Picon. Card references include the Twelve Colonies. BSG is a trademark of NBCUniversal.
By Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick. Properties: Earth, Discovery One. Card references include HAL 9000. Rights held by Warner Bros. and the Clarke Estate.
Created by Joss Whedon. Starship: Serenity. Firefly is a trademark of 20th Television / Disney.
Galactic Jeopardy trivia categories reference additional sci-fi properties beyond those in Galactic Tycoon. Starship Troopers — by Robert A. Heinlein, film by Paul Verhoeven, trademark of Sony Pictures. Ender's Game — by Orson Scott Card, film trademark of Summit Entertainment / Lionsgate. Alien / Aliens — created by Ridley Scott and James Cameron, trademark of 20th Century Studios / Disney. Blade Runner — based on Philip K. Dick's work, trademark of Warner Bros. All trivia content is factual reference for entertainment purposes. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by any rights holders.
Ambient synth tracks sourced from Freesound.org
under Creative Commons licenses.
"Synth 1" (main page ambient) — by Freesound Community, ID 20383.
"Atmospheric Synth Line" (gameplay ambient) — by Freesound Community, ID 24345.
"Space Chords" (credits page) — by idoberg on Freesound, ID 405055.
"Shooting Star 2" (UI click sound) — by Freesound Community, ID 104073.
"Spaceship Whoosh" (nav up) — by Dragon Studio on Freesound, ID 320171.
"Spaceship Door Closing" (nav down) — by Wolff on Freesound, ID 414429.
"Retro Explosion" (game explosions) — by Freesound Community, ID 102364.
"Coin Received" (game start) — by ribhavagrawal on Pixabay, ID 230517.
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 3.0/4.0).
Lightsaber swing, power-up, power-down, and crash sounds used in the Plasma Cutter game. Sourced from Orange Free Sounds under royalty-free license for personal and commercial use.
Droid chirp, beep, and warble sounds used throughout the arcade for score events, UI feedback, and victory fanfares. These are generic robot/droid sound effects used as fan tributes. R2-D2 is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. / Disney.
Laser, explosion, dice roll, error, and other game sounds are generated in real-time using the Web Audio API — no audio files needed. The TARDIS-inspired materialization sound (random game button) is a synthesized oscillator effect. TARDIS is a trademark of BBC.
Browser game logic and interactivity
2D game rendering in the browser
Windows graphics API used by AHK games
Image credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI) and the HUDF Team.
Public domain. Nearly 10,000 galaxies in the deepest visible-light image of the cosmos.
View on ESA Hubble
Milliways Arcade is a free, non-commercial fan project. All game implementations are original code written from scratch — no copyrighted source code, assets, or artwork from any third party has been used. Game names within the arcade use original sci-fi themed titles to distinguish them from their inspirations.
All trademarks, registered trademarks, and franchise names mentioned on this page are the property of their respective owners. References to trademarked games and sci-fi franchises are made for identification and attribution purposes only. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the trademark holders listed above.
If you are a rights holder and have concerns about any content in this project, please contact us via email at [email protected] and we will address your concerns promptly.
To the AutoHotkey Community for years of creative game development and open sharing of scripts. These games prove that you can build anything with the right tools and imagination.
To Douglas Adams, for reminding us that the answer is 42, that space is big (really big), and that a towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. So long, and thanks for all the fish.
Enjoying the arcade? Help keep the Infinite Improbability Drive running and new games materializing out of thin air. Any contribution is appreciated — even a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster's worth helps!
🚀 Put Fuel in the Starship (Venmo)"So long, and thanks for all the fish." 🐬 — Douglas Adams