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RTS Falling Frontier - a hard sci-fi game, combining RTS and simulation elements

Harthwain

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Dec 13, 2019
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4,691
http://www.stutterfoxstudios.com




https://af.gog.com/game/falling_frontier?as=1649904300

In short - a single developer is making a hard sci-fi game that combines the RTS and simulation elements (especially logistics, but there are other aspects as well). However, because it's a one-man project the game won't have PvP, multiplayer or modding support as of right now. All in all it's really impressive game, if the AI isn't brain-dead (or if multiplayer gets included) this could be truly an amazing game.

Just watch the video below. It's well structured and covers the game in great detail:
 
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Xamenos

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Pathfinder: Wrath
Sounds too good to be true, to be honest. I find it very hard to believe it's gonna deliver.
 
Glory to Ukraine
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Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming!
Sounds too good to be true, to be honest. I find it very hard to believe it's gonna deliver.

This. I would love it if this actually works out as described in the video, but honestly I am getting some Mandate vibes here. At least the guy is not doing a KS, so the likely failure of the project wont generate too much buthurt in the end.

Wish-listed anyway, lets hope for the best. After all, if someone told me that a single man could produce something like Shadow Empire, I would not believe that either.
 

Ironmonk

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Sep 29, 2014
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Mordor
It's impressive, again, too good to be true... BUT, as more and more projects like this appear, sooner or later this dream might become true (and properly done)
:hypeship:
 

Beowulf

Arcane
Joined
Mar 2, 2015
Messages
1,963
Hard science in the form of Napoleonic era ship ranges and 2d deployment of spacecraft limited to the ecliptic plane?


Anyhow, the game looks neat and has some nice ideas, I already have it wishlisted. The videos have really surprising level of quality if that's really a one man team effort. I really like the radio chatter, even if it's unintelligible, really adds to the atmosphere (and was a part of why people loved Homeworld games).
 

gurugeorge

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Strap Yourselves In
Looks very cool.

But I always laugh at the idea of space combat. I mean, realistically, if you think about the velocities involved and the narrow windows of opportunity, space battles would have to be handled largely by AI (or perhaps highly enhanced humans) because they'd go by so fast they'd be over in a flash. The way that space games always have spaceships analogous to the age of sail gliding along majestically really close to each other - well, it's quite good fun gameplay-wise, but it's hardly simulationist :)

I like Peter F. Hamilton's take on space battles. Warships spherical with crew in center, to maximize armor from any angle. Drone swarms always the first phase. Engaegment phase one or two lightning-fast passes, decided in the blink of an eye by railguns or similar (ultra-fast kinetic weapons).

Mind you, I suppose a way you could save appearances for super-enhanced humans is that their minds could be sped up so that subjectively things did move along at an easier pace (like the slowed-down scenes with Quicksilver in the young X-Men movie).
 

somewhatgiggly

Scholar
Joined
May 31, 2018
Messages
169
Looks very cool.

But I always laugh at the idea of space combat. I mean, realistically, if you think about the velocities involved and the narrow windows of opportunity, space battles would have to be handled largely by AI (or perhaps highly enhanced humans) because they'd go by so fast they'd be over in a flash. The way that space games always have spaceships analogous to the age of sail gliding along majestically really close to each other - well, it's quite good fun gameplay-wise, but it's hardly simulationist :)

I like Peter F. Hamilton's take on space battles. Warships spherical with crew in center, to maximize armor from any angle. Drone swarms always the first phase. Engaegment phase one or two lightning-fast passes, decided in the blink of an eye by railguns or similar (ultra-fast kinetic weapons).

Mind you, I suppose a way you could save appearances for super-enhanced humans is that their minds could be sped up so that subjectively things did move along at an easier pace (like the slowed-down scenes with Quicksilver in the young X-Men movie).

From what I've seen/read of it, space combat is either two local forces fighting in low to high orbit, or the equivalent of a high speed joust with 18 wheelers, which is fucking awesome. The low orbit stuff is also basically jousting unless the two sides are following each other's orbits, trying to overtake them via weaponry.

I don't know why games shy away from that. Jousting is fun. Even with drones, or ai, we have plenty of sapient robot characters. If you need them to be sexy, just have them DL into a body somewhere for groundside ops.

Boardsides, shields, heavy armor, or stopping in front of each other to shoot? So boring. I can handle OldLOGH a bit because they're using FTL comms, sensors, and shields+armor, and even then its two sides shooting at each other, maybe they close in at times, but at least they *shoot* - like, they fire vollies, every ship is constantly firing, missiles are lobbed, everything- compare that to the most 'active' star wars battle either in ROTS or ROTJ and they're so plain in comparison - and have numbers befitting interstellar polities (and even then they're sort of on the low side).
 
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Beowulf

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somewhatgiggly gurugeorge
You guys should check this title, if you haven't already.


I just searched this Hamilton guy. He is described as space opera writer (bleh). Are his book any good?
 

somewhatgiggly

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Messages
169
somewhatgiggly gurugeorge
You guys should check this title, if you haven't already.


I just searched this Hamilton guy. He is described as space opera writer (bleh). Are his book any good?


Oh I love COADE. That just became a puzzle game in space but...I guess at that point, with the math and the velocities and scenarios, it does sort of become a puzzle. And the ship editor is great.
 

gurugeorge

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Strap Yourselves In
Looks very cool.

But I always laugh at the idea of space combat. I mean, realistically, if you think about the velocities involved and the narrow windows of opportunity, space battles would have to be handled largely by AI (or perhaps highly enhanced humans) because they'd go by so fast they'd be over in a flash. The way that space games always have spaceships analogous to the age of sail gliding along majestically really close to each other - well, it's quite good fun gameplay-wise, but it's hardly simulationist :)

I like Peter F. Hamilton's take on space battles. Warships spherical with crew in center, to maximize armor from any angle. Drone swarms always the first phase. Engaegment phase one or two lightning-fast passes, decided in the blink of an eye by railguns or similar (ultra-fast kinetic weapons).

Mind you, I suppose a way you could save appearances for super-enhanced humans is that their minds could be sped up so that subjectively things did move along at an easier pace (like the slowed-down scenes with Quicksilver in the young X-Men movie).

From what I've seen/read of it, space combat is either two local forces fighting in low to high orbit, or the equivalent of a high speed joust with 18 wheelers, which is fucking awesome. The low orbit stuff is also basically jousting unless the two sides are following each other's orbits, trying to overtake them via weaponry.

I don't know why games shy away from that. Jousting is fun. Even with drones, or ai, we have plenty of sapient robot characters. If you need them to be sexy, just have them DL into a body somewhere for groundside ops.

Boardsides, shields, heavy armor, or stopping in front of each other to shoot? So boring. I can handle OldLOGH a bit because they're using FTL comms, sensors, and shields+armor, and even then its two sides shooting at each other, maybe they close in at times, but at least they *shoot* - like, they fire vollies, every ship is constantly firing, missiles are lobbed, everything- compare that to the most 'active' star wars battle either in ROTS or ROTJ and they're so plain in comparison - and have numbers befitting interstellar polities (and even then they're sort of on the low side).

It would be a bold move for a company to go more simulationist with space combat. I think the problem would be from the investors' point of view, they'd worry that the general public can't get their heads out of WWI aerial dogfighting or age of sail ship-to-ship, and would find "real" space combat too unfamiliar. But as you point out, you could probably sell it on the concept of jousting in space.
 

gurugeorge

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somewhatgiggly gurugeorge
You guys should check this title, if you haven't already.


I just searched this Hamilton guy. He is described as space opera writer (bleh). Are his book any good?


He's a pretty terrible writer, but his concepts and world-building are really excellent, among the best in the genre. His novels are loooooong though.

I wouldn't exactly call his s-f "hard," I don't think he's a true scientist for that (not like Vinge for example); but he's definitely scientifically informed and obviously tries to keep abreast of developments. So a semi-chud s-f writer :)
 

Beowulf

Arcane
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Mar 2, 2015
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1,963
It's still 2D battleships game after all. But I agree, the developer nailed the presentation.
 

Norfleet

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12,250
Boardsides, shields, heavy armor, or stopping in front of each other to shoot? So boring. I can handle OldLOGH a bit because they're using FTL comms, sensors, and shields+armor, and even then its two sides shooting at each other, maybe they close in at times, but at least they *shoot*
What's "OldLOGH"? I've never heard of this game. Does the "Old" qualifier indicate the existence of a "NewLOGH"?
 

Endemic

Arcane
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
4,321
I assume he means Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and yes it does have a remake.
 

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