About Flagship

Inspired by great RTS titles such as Homeworld, Sins of a Solar Empire and Total Annihilation, and incorporating the capital ship combat of sci-fi classics such as Star Trek, Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica, Flagship will allow you to command a fleet from the bridge of your own starship. Explore the stars, expand your territory and save humanity from being wiped out in a hostile galaxy.

Official Website - flagshipgame.com

Brad's Twitter - @DesignerBradley
Matt's Twitter - @MattMakesThings

Key Features

• Native Oculus Rift support 
• Build and command your fleet from the bridge of your flagship 
• A massive, procedurally generated galaxy full of systems to colonise 
• Non-linear single player 
• Fully explorable starship
• Ships in your fleet gain experience 
• Early alpha access exclusive to Kickstarter
  

Native Oculus Rift Support

Flagship is being built from the ground up to support the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, though the game can be played without one.

We’re really excited about the possibilities of virtual reality, and while it’s still a fledgling technology, we are building the game to support VR natively. There are many design considerations to keep in mind when building for VR, but the design of Flagship lends itself well to those and so far it’s been a great fit. Using the consoles on the bridge feels natural and the sense of scale is pretty incredible.

We’re also looking to integrate the Sixense STEM System, a motion controller that will allow you to interact with the world of Flagship in a more natural way.

The Setting

Humanity had only just begun its expansion beyond the solar system when it came face to face with a thriving and hostile galaxy. After a disastrous defeat, the Sol system was lost and the remains of the human race were forced into a backwater system. With limited resources and a skeleton fleet, it's up to you to rebuild what has been lost, or forge a new empire from the ashes.

Gameplay

Taking and holding systems is at the core of Flagship. Colonising planets allows you to mine the resources required to build bases and expand your fleet, in addition to getting the food and water you’ll need to support the remaining human population. Planets that are rich in resources will be attractive targets for the enemy and therefore much harder to defend. Systems with nebulae or space anomalies may make you harder to detect, offering a safer place to establish a colony.

Capital ship combat is a methodical affair, vessels maneuver slowly and have a variety of weapon ranges and firing arcs. The central map table will give you absolute control over ships within the same system, with an interface that RTS players will be accustomed to. You can also manage battles in other systems - albeit with less direct control - or warp in and save the day.

The Ships

Each ship class has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some fight best at long range, some can use their speed for effective hit-and-run attacks, while others are best in close quarters. If you want, you’ll be able to customise the armament of each ship; for example, outfit a frigate with AA turrets and it’ll be effective against fighters but weak against other capital ships. Outfit the same ship with missile launchers and the opposite is true, or go with a mix for the best of both worlds. 

Below are some of the ship classes you’ll be working with (note: current designs are placeholder).

Space superiority fighters are able to attack or defend, create holes in defensive arcs, or (at greater risk) fly in formation to concentrate firepower on a single target. Bombers can take out capital ships but being slower and less maneuverable, are vulnerable to other fighters.

As you progress you’ll gain access to new ships and weapons, while the engineers in your Navy will discover new ways to increase the performance of your existing technology and share that knowledge with the entire fleet. Ship crews will get better as they gain experience, and your veteran ships will be much more effective than novice ones.

The Galaxy

The galaxy will be filled with planets of all types, asteroid fields, nebulae and various space anomalies. We’re leveraging the power of procedural generation to help us create a huge galaxy for you to explore. Certain parts of space will disrupt sensors, and you’ll be able to rely on stealth to outwit the enemy. Other areas may exert strong gravitational forces or other hazards that will have to be carefully considered, and maybe even used to your advantage.

Planet types range from frozen ice worlds to searing hot lava planets. Some will have an abundance of water and fertile soil for farming, others will be rich with minerals and metals. Most harbour something you need.

You’ll build mines, refineries and shipyards both on planets and in space. The human population will grow around these pockets of civilisation; trade routes will form, augmenting your ability to collect resources in these areas - providing you can supply enough food and water to keep them happy. When resources are scarce however, colonies may strike and in some cases, turn to piracy.

Why We're Making Flagship

It was summer, some time in the late 80’s, and we’d just finished watching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This was the movie that cemented our love of Star Trek, and it ended with one of the most thrilling movie showdowns we'd even seen. Ship-to-ship combat in Trek had always been heavily inspired by naval warfare, but this particular confrontation took place in a dense nebula that for all intents and purposes, may as well have been an ocean. It was a slow, methodical battle of wits. We were enthralled by it.

Watching it now, it’s admittedly a bit less impressive, but the feeling that this might form the foundation of an amazing game never went away. Real time strategy games and bridge simulators (many actually set in the Trek universe) came and went; some were pretty good, one or two were great, but we never quite got the experience we were looking for.

Flagship is the result of over a year's work to make that experience a reality. With your help and support we can bring it to completion.

Early Alpha Access Exclusive to Kickstarter

We're making the earliest public builds available to Kickstarter backers only. If you do chose an alpha tier, please bear in mind that this will be an early build and therefore very much unfinished, but you'll get to try the game over a year before it's final release, and it will be your feedback that helps us shape the final game.

Content Exclusive To Kickstarter

These items will be exclusive to backers who have pledged for the beta tier and above. As we added them partway through the campaign they aren't in the tier descriptions, but anyone who pledges £40 and above will get the items below.

Kickstarter-Exclusive Turret: Laser AA-6

This six-barreled variant of the battle proven laser-AA turret boasts 3 times the firepower of its smaller cousin. This power comes at an extra cost on your power core, but when you're blasting enemy fighters out of the sky it's hard to be too concerned about that.

Kickstarter-Exclusive Ship: Nova Class Battle-Carrier

A sleeker variant of the standard battle-carrier, the Nova class features a larger power core that allows for a higher top speed and two additional turrets. The Navy's top engineers have refined the design on an aesthetic level too - not that the proud captains of the fleet would admit to caring about such things.

Kickstarter-Exclusive Pet: Pet Dwarf Shark

Indeed, while other ship captains are slumming it with their pet lion fish, you can conquer the galaxy smug in the knowledge that you have a SHARK. This proud addition to your ready room will live in a specialised tank with fully automated environmental controls that will feed your toothy friend and automatically dispense medicines should any ailments be detected. Warning: Do not put your hands in the tank.

Media

The budget will mainly go towards expanding the core game mechanics, building on the procedural generation algorithms and creating the art assets that will bring the universe of Flagship to life. A full breakdown can be seen below.

35% Graphics; 3D models, 2D artwork, animation, FX.
35% Programming.
10% Sound design and music.
5% Writing.
5% Voice Acting.
4% Software licensing.
4% Hardware.
2% Web hosting, offsite backup. 

Update: It should be noted that up to 10% of the funds raised will be taken as fees by Kickstarter and Amazon. The budget breakdown above is for the funds that remain after the fees have been taken.

A Note About Platforms

This Kickstarter will fund the Windows version of Flagship. We are planning to release on Mac and Linux platforms as well, but the these may come later, pending any platform specific issues we run into.

Contact Us

Email - info@urbanlogicgames.com
Brad's Twitter - @DesignerBradley
Matt's Twitter - @MattMakesThings
Official Website - flagshipgame.com

Press Coverage 

Giant Bomb - Flagship's Promise of a First-Person RTS Looks Incredible

Rock Paper Shotgun - Take It To The Bridge: Flagship Is A First-Person Space RTS

Kotaku - First-Person Games Meet Strategy Games. In Space

Polygon - Flagship trailer teases space pirates and real-time strategy from a first-person perspective

PC Gamer - Command your fleet in first person RTS Flagship

The Escapist - Flagship Trailer Gives a Glimpse at First Person Fleet Command

Strategy Informer - Flagship teaser drops you on the bridge of a warship in the middle of a naval battle

PC Games N - Flagship is an Oculus Rift powered first person RTS in space

Games.On.Net - Flagship is a first person space-based RTS inspired by The Wrath of Khan with a sweet ass trailer

The Mittani - New Trailer Released For Flagship