Battlefleet Gothic

[Gusington]

Are the current MP skirmishes filled with undesirables?

[JasonPratt]

The comparison to Nappy naval warfare is apt.

[Cyrano]

Re: Napoleonic naval combat, yep...and that's a wonderful thing...really want to see what it means for the monster ships.

Re: MP skirmish...not really.  I've had a number of very positive experiences.  Besides, given the small ships, the combats are typically less than 10 minutes each.

[Nefaro]

My knee-jerk reaction to frustration with z-axis is...why would you play a space-based game if space frustrates you?  Its like saying I don't like playing naval games that are in water.

Z-Axis is fine.   Being forced to use an unsuitable game interface, in order to move many ships around in a 3D space during an RTS click-fest, is the problem. 

Take any one of those issues out of the picture and it feels more like you're fighting the digital enemy, and not the UI.  Make it utilize only one plane = better.  Or keep it 3D but make it turn-based instead of RTS = better.  If you were just controlling a single warship in real-time, instead of a fleet, that would be a different thing too. 

Ideally someone would come up with a brilliant UI that makes clicking a spot in the large 3D area, which is portrayed on a 2D screen, easy to do with a mouse and some basic WASD keys.  That's not been done yet AFAIK.  Only need one solution and the "flat map" single plane must be the easiest since it's a popular tendency. 

I don't mind the flat plane in this game because it's heavily modeled on the tabletop, so that's excuse enough for me.  Same with the SFC series.  I just hope there's a good variety of content;  that's what will keep me fenced more than anything.

[JasonPratt]

I meant to add that I agree with the recommendation to hold off until open beta is over, if you aren't a strong fan of the property or at least aren't strongly interested in getting into the property.

Even after the full release, I might suggest holding off for a sale. I suspect there are better line-fleet games out there. Leviathan: Warships comes to mind immediately as a better cost-value.

[Cyrano]

OK, perhaps I was the only one NOT in the know on this, but:

I was troubled by the look of the game as rendered using the "Epic" settings I had chosen.

Turns out the Anti-aliasing algorithm in the BETA is a bit borked.  I turned the AA down to LOW and holy cats is it a different looking game.

If I can get that look with Epic settings...

[panzerde]

Yep, that definitely makes a difference!

Getting the hang of the controls now. Controlling a multi-ship fleet (well, three) isn't bad when using a combination of auto-orders, specific ship targeting, and occasional micro-management. MUCH less of a click-fest. Turning on the map icons also has the useful effect of not only showing areas of influence for clouds and asteroid fields, but shows persistent course tracks for all of you ships, making formations easier to maintain.

Liking my shiny cruiser with fighters, bombers, and assault boats, too!

[JasonPratt]

I played the first campaign mission again (which I'll no doubt get a further chance on, since the campaign currently doesn't save) with AA turned to low, but it had been too long since I previously played it to appreciate any difference. (Other settings still on Epic.)

This time once the fight started I kept it on super-slo-mo the whole time, once that unlocked. I think I may have done worse than before at first!! Toward the end I was starting to get the hang of carefully plotting for fire effect. At the very end, I tried making a full burner run for a cloud to hide in as I set up a warp-out, but that was very nearly disastrous: the final killer shots were coming in as the warp engaged.

[JasonPratt]

Latest news is:

1.) Full game release now April 21st.

2.) Orks now released for beta skirmish and mp.

3.) Focus (the publishers) have granted money to the devs, based on initial success, to add a sixth faction, which like the 5th (Space Marines) will be provided free for everyone who pre-ordered (preorders are I think still ongoing?), and otherwise as DLC. The specific 6th faction hasn't been announced yet, and will naturally take some more months in production. The phrasing "a few months" suggests that the 6th fleet type will either have already been on the drawing board, or will be a modification of some existing fleet.

If the latter, that might suggest the Sisters of Battle or the Dark Eldar (as modifications of Marine and Eldar fleets of course). The Tau, Necron, or Tyrannid fleets would require substantially more design work; but maybe that has already been partially done. Everything is speculation for now -- but it's welcome speculation! 

[Gusington]

Should I preorder this right now? I want to swear off pre-ordering, but well you know...

[Tpek]

Latest news is:

1.) Full game release now April 21st.

2.) Orks now released for beta skirmish and mp.

3.) Focus (the publishers) have granted money to the devs, based on initial success, to add a sixth faction, which like the 5th (Space Marines) will be provided free for everyone who pre-ordered (preorders are I think still ongoing?), and otherwise as DLC. The specific 6th faction hasn't been announced yet, and will naturally take some more months in production. The phrasing "a few months" suggests that the 6th fleet type will either have already been on the drawing board, or will be a modification of some existing fleet.

If the latter, that might suggest the Sisters of Battle or the Dark Eldar (as modifications of Marine and Eldar fleets of course). The Tau, Necron, or Tyrannid fleets would require substantially more design work; but maybe that has already been partially done. Everything is speculation for now -- but it's welcome speculation! 

Considering they currently have 2 "good" fleets (Imperial, Eldar) and 2 "evil" ones (Chaos, Orks), and the first DLC is for another "good" (Space Marines), it would be logical for them to add the Dark Eldar (them being truly evil and all).

[JasonPratt]

Should I preorder this right now? I want to swear off pre-ordering, but well you know...

If you like 40K, and if you like any number of the current teams (Imps, Orks, Chaos, Eldar), and you like the idea of 2D slowwww real-time naval battles with some squadron management (in and out of battle), you can pre-order with confidence, I think. The beta is going very well. Whether you care about the upcoming factions being added on is irrelevant at worst, or frosting on the cake since you'll get them included instead of as pay-extra DLC. Ditto if you don't care especially about any of the current teams but just like the property of 40K.

If you only care about playing a Space Marine fleet, or whomever Team 6 is (which I fully expect to be announced before the beta and thus the preordering ends April 21), and the other criteria holds (2D slowww real-time naval battles with etc.), then I still think you can pre-order with confidence; although you may have to forego doing a story campaign. But the skirmish and multiplayer is set up rather like an ongoing campaign anyway.

If you don't like the property of 40K, I'd say wave off; there are other naval games out there.

If 2D is a dealbreaker, or if you don't like naval tactical combat games, then ditto. There are plenty of other 40K games already out there, and coming.

[Gusington]

What do mean 'forego a story driven campaign'? Won't campaigns be available after the April release?

[Nefaro]

What do mean 'forego a story driven campaign'? Won't campaigns be available after the April release?

Yes.

I think he means there won't be any until that point.

[Cyrano]

Orks are profoundly silly.  I love them.  They're ships are maneuverable little bastards, though, as one might expect.  Keeping them at arm's length is vital.

Also, while all this will, of course, be wiped away with some sale after launch, the Space Marines and the sixth faction are going to be "bonuses" for those who pre-order, otherwise available only as DLC after launch.