Conquest mode for highly-anticipated Nebulous: Fleet Command is officially half done

Developer update highlights new and upcoming features

Developed by Eridanus Industries and part of Hooded Horse’s finely curated stable of strategy games, Nebulous: Fleet Command is one of the most exciting upcoming strategy games at the moment. Players can already fight exciting and in-depth real-time space battles in the game, which is out in Early Access on PC, but that’s not everything the title will have to offer. One of its core features is the Conquest mode, which is going to provide a turn-based strategy layer to complement the real-time battles – think of it as the Total War recipe.

In its latest development update, Eridanus Industries provided an overview of the work it has done on Conquest mode in the past few months.

Nebulous: Fleet Command features thrilling and very tactical space battles :: Eridanus Industries / Hooded Horse

This includes the implementation of faction trait cards, which allow players to customize their empire before a Conquest game starts. It’s a system you may know from games like Stellaris or Age of Wonders 4 – you have a certain budget of points, with which you can purchase up to four cards containing certain characteristics. Some of these will be negative, adding to your budget and enabling you to go for additional high-value traits.

Another big feature addition are officers. Every ship will have a range of command positions to fill, providing bonuses to it in battle based on how experienced the officer fulfilling that role is. An admiral will be able to provide additional bonuses to the entire task force they’re commanding. Players will be able to swap officers in and out of ships, transfer them to space stations, and even train them up in academies to groom them for leadership roles. However, officers always are at risk in battle, as hits to the command center may be lethal for key personnel.

“I wanted to put a human face on all these ships to get you more invested in them than you already were,” the developer explained.

Conquest mode will feature detailed logistics, requiring players to consider the ammunition and fuel supply of their fleets – a point that will be expanded further with the addition of supply ships in the future. Maintenance and repair are another brand-new aspect to keep in mind, as even ships that haven’t been damaged in combat will need to dock from time to time for standard repairs. Managing this process will be key, as you don’t want the majority of your fleet docked at port when the enemy comes knocking.

Over 50% of Conquest mode is finished, according to the developer, who also said this latest stretch was one of the most difficult in the development process, as it was all about laying down the fundamental mechanics of Conquest mode.

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