Built on a foundation of real-world space science and architectural design, Fleetyard Studios’ upcomingStarship Simulatorpromises an entire galaxy to explore on a realistic and detailed ship and a campaign charting the future of human space exploration. It’s something that should be right up anySci-Fior simulation game fans' alley, and that’s clear in how successful its Kickstarter has been, with it far exceeding its initial goal.
Interested Sci-Fi fans can check out Starship Simulator’s KickstarterHERE
Players can take their ship out into the vastness of space and take on the roles of various potential crew positions while using concepts from actual physics in pursuit ofthe popular subgenre of hard science fiction. For instance, ships inStarship Simulatorare able to leap from system to system using the faster-than-light drive theory proposed by Miguel Alcubierre and honed by Erik Lentz. Distances between stars are accurate, and so many research papers were consulted in the game’s design. Game Rant recently spoke with Fleetyard’s director, Dan Govier, about this entire approach toStarship Simulatorand the number of comparisons it has drawn.
That probably sounds familiar, in that it’s a premise that is reflected in plenty of major games, in particulargames likeStarfield,which also adopts a hard sci-fi approach to some degree. The idea of a space sandbox where realistic technology powers the future of human expansion is popular in games, and the idea of incorporating more accurate science has been a major selling point for the genre of space sandboxes itself.
Starship Simulator Takes Star Citizen Comparisons as a Compliment
In particular, the fact thatStarship Simulator is coming off a successful Kickstarter with grand ambitions and is funding itself in part through selling ships as DLC draws comparisons tothe goliath project ofStar Citizen. Govier doesn’t think it’s a particularly apt comparison. However, he does think the comparison flatters his comparatively smaller and less-funded team.
I mentioned to someone recently that being compared toStar Citizen, when we have a tiny team and a very, very small budget versus multiple studios with over half a billion dollars in funding, we take that as a compliment really, to be compared at that scale…We’re just completely separate products.
Instead of being anMMO live service game, explained Govier,Starship Simulatoris a game where the player steps into the shoes of a member of a wider crew, some of whom could be other players in a multiplayer co-op environment. It can also be played entirely solo, using NPCs to fill out the rest of the crew.
ForStarship Simulatorto prevent the feature creep that has largely defined over a decade ofalpha testing withStar Citizen, Fleetyard has taken pains to closely control the focus of its game’s development, including transparency in the studio’s process and a firmly-set roadmap through the game’s planned development. Govier said he doesn’t want to be waylaid by cool ideas, which is an understandable position.
Those differences permeate throughout the game far deeper, however. Govier explained thatStar Citizenfocuses on a personal journey seeking wealthand bigger and better ships through daring combat. By contrast,Starship Simulatoris focused on the future of humanity as a whole and an individual’s place in it.Starship Simulatoris more concerned with exploring space, engaging with the science upholding the universe, and meeting new alien races.Starship Simulatorplayers would engage in combat as a result of failed diplomacy, instead of as a means to an end. The motivation of wealth is less important than the motivation of discovery.
We’re more about being a part of a crew living and working in space. We focus on the exploration side of it, exploring the galaxy and seeing what’s out there, with combat and conflict being generally a consequence of failed diplomacy, rather than the main gameplay loop…We want to be different. We want to focus on that science and that exploration and progressing humanity in that way.
In short,Starship Simulatorwants its players to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Starship Simulator is ‘Star Trek, but Realistic’
The more apt comparison for Govier is the idea thatStarship Simulatoris a more groundedStar Trek. Those influences can be seen throughout the game, leaving its fingerprints on things like ship architecture, crew dynamics, and uniform design. It also vibes more with the notions of exploration and wonder that have been characteristic ofStar Trekat its best. This influence is pretty baked into the development of the game, withStar Trek’s design for ships being a major piece of the design ethos ofStarship Simulator’s fleet, along with modern architects. The Alcubierre Drive that the game uses to power its faster-than-light flight even shares a lot of traits withStar Trek’s warp drive, but it is adapted to actual physics.
I think you could probably describe what we’re doing asStar Trek, but realistic. How would we really do it? If we wanted thatStar Trek-style future for humanity, as it stands, how would we do that? I think, in some ways, many aspects ofStar Trekaren’t realistic, and they’re perhaps a little too clean and not very human. We’re looking at this from the perspective of being human. How would humans actually do this?
The focus Govier expressed on science and the wonder of space travel are also baked into the DNA of what makesStar Trekwhat it is. It’s no understatement to say that the passionStar Trekhas inspired for science and technology is utterly unique and that influence is still prevalent today. Facts of everyday life like cell phones, touchscreens, 3D printers, and more gained popularity as part ofStar Trek’s vision of future technologyto such an extent that the current era of the franchise had to update expectations of the 23rd century to still seem futuristic forStar Trek Discovery.
That, too, is something Govier hopes to be a part of. The amount of research Fleetyard put into the game means that just playing it can be passively educational, and there are hopes thatStarship Simulatorcan even be used as a tool to teach and inspire space enthusiasts like Govier himself. The game’s O-type stars behave like O-type stars, its readouts are accurate, the electrical engineering on the ship is accurately designed, and even the layout of the galaxy is as accurate as it can be.
For someone who’s coming into it maybe as a space enthusiast, but not as someone who knows those things yet, you’re able to literally learn actual astrophysics just by playing the game. One of my dreams is to have an astronomer with a class of students all together on the ship, learning astronomy by actually flying around the solar system and looking at all the different planets. I think that would be really cool. I’d love to see the gameused as an educational tool.
Science fiction in general has had a major role in inspiring people, from a love of space to designing tools and technology to exploring the frontiers of creativity. By its nature, science fiction asks people to imagine what the future will be. The future thatStarship Simulatorinvites may be more grounded and human thanStar Trekat its height, but it’s no less brazen in its advocacy for science and the bullish view it takes on human nature.
Starship Simulatorwill enter Early Access on Steam in late 2024/early 2025.
