Early access to Ascent: The Space Game is now available on Steam, offering a first chance at checking out this sandbox PVE space MMOG for Windows featuring billions and billions of stars. There are a few "advanced-game aspects of the game" that come at a premium, three $0.99 monthly services that will set you back $2.97 per month if you use them all. There are all sorts of details on the game's official website along with a web-based demo to check this out in advance. Here's more:

Ascent is a Player Vs Environment space-based MMO with a focus on exploration and community. With over 270 BILLION star systems to explore and an emphasis on strong Sci Fi, Ascent encourages Exploration, Colonization, Starbase construction, Research and technology, Asteroid mining, Farming, Trading, and - of course - Combat.

Outside of a pre-defined "Apollo Sector" of nine star systems, everything in the game is made by players. Colonies and Starbases have been built on and around planets and later connected by jump gates. A fully dynamic stock market is maintained by what players frequently buy and sell, with the ability to set prices on various materials at your base. Colonies with individual NPC AI following Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be hired to trade on your behalf, or bribed to allow a smuggling enterprise in another player's colony. Even the governing bodies from colony Mayors, planetary Governors, star system Senators all the way to a Colonial President are all elected by players to give the entire player base a unified voice in their own pocket of space.