Both captures below are real iTerm2 sessions running the demo — the same binary renders at pixel resolution where the terminal speaks the kitty graphics protocol, and as ASCII cells everywhere else.
kitty graphics — starfield-gfx
Every star draws an additive glow segment from where it was last frame to where it is now, into a framebuffer that decays instead of clearing — so motion leaves warp streaks that stretch with speed and bend when you steer.
starfield — kitty pixel mode
ASCII cells — starfield
The same flight projected onto the cell grid at half-cell vertical resolution, each star picking a glyph from a depth ramp (· • * ✦) and brightening as it approaches.
starfield — ASCII cell mode
Controls
Key
Action
space
hyperjump
mouse click
steer to the pointer
a
toggle the autopilot
c
cycle colour scheme
+ / -
warp speed
q / Esc
quit
Tuning env vars use the STARFIELD_* prefix — e.g. STARFIELD_MAXDIM=1024 for sharper frames, STARFIELD_CELLS=1 to force cell rendering even on kitty terminals. See the overview for the full tuning table.
