Welcome back, Commanders! We’re back with you today to give you an overview of the gameplay and challenges that await you in Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes!
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes is a tactical fleet-management roguelite, set during the Second Cylon War. You’ll lead a fleet of survivors - hunted relentlessly by Cylon forces as you seek out humanity’s last hope, the Battlestar Galactica. To succeed as a Gunstar Commander in Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes, you’ll cycle through two major gameplay phases - Fleet Management and Combat. Mastering these two pillars will be key to your survival as you escape the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
During Fleet Management you’ll have a limited number of turns to prepare for the next Cylon encounter. You’ll need to carefully manage resources, upgrade the Gunstar and your Squadrons, train crew and explore points of interest along your journey. Even outside of combat, danger can lurk in the shadows of Fleet Management, where you’ll need to make agonising decisions and keep a constant vigil for Cylon infiltrators.
There are various elements you will need to keep a close eye on during your journey to rejoin the Battlestar Galactica:
The Cylon Attack Countdown - Time is the most valuable resource in Fleet Management phases. Each action will cost turns, meaning you’ll need to carefully prioritise time-sensitive issues as the Cylons steadily close in.
Overall Fleet Status - Not only do you need to maintain your Gunstar’s Hull so it can withstand another fight, but you must also manage survivors on board, most importantly: their health and living conditions. Should your Hull Bar or Fleet Health Bar deplete entirely, your mission will fail, and the entire Fleet will perish.
Resource Management - Scrap, Supplies, Nukes and Tylium - you’ll need to manage resource usage carefully. With most resources produced passively by your Gunstar and civilian ships within the Fleet, making sure that they survive each encounter
Heroes - Officers and high-profile crew members are here to support your perilous mission to rejoin the Galactica. With outstanding skills, Heroes can be trusted to lead important missions - but they are still human, and you will need to monitor their health and morale at all times.
Factions - Survivors in your Fleet hail from all walks of life. Between the military, civilians, and outlaws, you’ll need to monitor the delicate balance between each faction’s influence and your relationship with them, as they will impact events triggered through your journey.
During the voyage, you’ll face various Situations - negative events ranging from hull breaches to fires, Cylon onboardings, illness or panic within the Fleet. Situations can occur spontaneously, as a result of failing faction relationships, or following extensive combat damage. You can resolve these utilizing Supplies, or by tasking one of your Fleet’s Heroes to tackle the problem directly - sometimes this may come at a risk, and even cost a Hero their life. Situations can also be ignored - but this will come with its own consequences once you meet the end of the Situation countdown.
Crises are more complex events, with unique, scripted stories and challenges requiring you to step directly into the CIC. Following a briefing on the current Crisis, you will have to choose one of two paths to resolve the issue. One choice will trigger an objective-based and time-limited mission - requiring you to accomplish various objectives, or face harsh consequences. The second path will deliver an immediate (but often costly) solution. Whether you pay with dwindling resources, lose favor with Heroes or Factions, or lock away valuable features for a limited time. Crises are a true test of your leadership under pressure, requiring you to weigh the consequences of each action, considering your immediate and long-term needs. Sacrifices will always be necessary, but which are you ready to make?
It’s not all bad news, Commander! Opportunities are events which can reward you with positive effects - such as additional resources or Fleet improvements. Each Opportunity will also have time-limited objectives to fulfill, but you won’t suffer negative consequences if you fail.
Each sector brings varied points of interest, which can present a reliable way to replenish resources, at the cost of burning Tylium. Points of Interest can also offer strategic Fleet additions, such as new Squadrons, Gunstar weapons, Heroes and even civilian ships. By sending your Fleet’s Heroes to explore Points of Interest or resolve Situations, they will gain experience and acquire traits. As they grow, Heroes' newfound experience can help them with missions within the Fleet, like increasing reward rarity at Points of Interest, or unlocking new skills such as manning Gunstar weapons or piloting Squadrons.
Along the journey to the Battlestar Galactica, you’ll also have the opportunity to upgrade your Squadrons, and discover meaningful improvements for your Gunstar and the Fleet. Your first line of defense against the Cylon threat. Your Squadrons will brave enemy fire to keep you safe on your journey. In the Hangar, you can oversee repairs, assign a designated pilot and choose their next upgrade through Squadron Abilities. Some may improve basic specs, while others can offer unique active and passive skills to give an edge in combat. With sufficient Scrap resources, your R&D department can work on meaningful upgrades to the Fleet - strengthening the hull of your Gunstar, expanding squadron and weapon slots and more. R&D can also provide upgrades for your unique Gunstar model.
As the countdown for Fleet Management draws to an end, you will enter into the Combat phase, where you’ll meet the Cylon threat head-on. The Combat Phase is an asymmetrical fight - where the Cylon fleet will overwhelmingly outnumber your own. Your only option - Run. But during the two minutes it takes for the FTL calculations to complete, you’ll need to defend your Fleet in Real-Time Combat with Pause, until you can jump to the next safe sector. It’s likely that you won’t escape the Cylon fleet unscathed - and you will need to deal with the repercussions of combat within the next Fleet Management phase.
Combat starts with a deployment stage, requiring you to select the optimal Squadron and Gunstar Weapon loadout for the coming encounter. Thankfully, the DRADIS system will provide a detailed preview of the Cylon enemies as they spawn, allowing you to plan accordingly and minimise the threat to the Fleet.
Following deployment, you’ll command multiple Squadron units and weapons simultaneously. Using real-time tactical pause, you can assess the flow of the battle effectively at any time, and test each move with ballistic previews before you commit! Each of the Fleet Squadrons has its own strengths and weaknesses. In Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes, this takes the form of base specification, as well as unique Squadron Abilities such as EMP, camouflage, on-field repairs, and more. As you progress through the run you’ll have an opportunity to gather various Squadron upgrades, allowing each unit to have their own unique role, strengths, and weaknesses within each battle.
Your Gunstar itself is a powerful tool, armed with various weapons depending on your choice of starting Fleet. While the starting loadout and Gunstar model depend on your Fleet selection, you can acquire any type of weapon through your run. Some - such as nukes and missiles - must be manually targeted, while others will work passively through automated targeting, with cooldowns for both reduced through Hero traits and auxiliary systems.
Finally, once the FTL calculations are complete, you’ll need to recall your Squadrons and make the jump to the next safe sector. And here, there’s another choice to be made, Commander. Do you have the time to wait for all of your fighters to return, or do you risk the cost of burning extra Tylium and sacrificing your own people? An Emergency Jump can distance your fleet from the Cylon threat, but with the danger of losing an entire civilian ship, could you live with the damage it may cause? The choice, as ever, is yours.
Whether or not you succeed in rejoining the Battlestar Galactica, you will gain vital resources to help on your next journey. Fate is gathered between runs, and can drastically improve your odds of survival for your next Fleet. Fate can be used to start the run with additional resources, as well as upgrade the rarity of Hero Traits and Squadron Abilities offered throughout the run. Gather all of the Fate that you can, and use it wisely to ensure the next Fleet stands a better chance of escaping the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. In addition, during each run, you may complete Trials - a series of feats and tasks which can grant you Knowledge. Completing Trials will unlock new starting Fleets, Squadrons and more to help on your journey.
Today we’ve given you a look at the overall gameplay loop of Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes. We’ll be back soon with a more in-depth look at the Crisis System and Squadrons. - The Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes team