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Campaign Mode Preview — Fleet, Research, and Officer Assignment

Ship of the Line · published 30 Jun 2026, 03:01 UTC

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Behold our cute little supply boat!

But if a blockading fleet is cut off from its supply line… well, that would be a very sad fate.

Hello captains,

I wanted to share a small preview of the campaign mode currently in development for Ship of the Line.The current prototype is set in North-West Europe, 1778, where players will be able to command fleets, manage ships, develop naval infrastructure, research improvements, and assign officers before sending their squadrons into action.The campaign layer is being designed to connect strategic preparation with tactical naval battles. Instead of fighting isolated scenarios only, players will gradually build up their fleet, improve their ships, organize crews, and prepare for larger operations across the map.Current work-in-progress features include:

A hex-based strategic campaign map
Fleet movement and regional naval zones
Port and naval base management
Research trees for ports, buildings, crews, officers, ships, and shipbuilding

Individual ship lists and fleet organization

Officer assignment for roles such as captain, lieutenant, gunner, boatswain, marines, and carpenter
Officer stats such as leadership, attack, gunnery, seamanship, and fame

Historical and semi-historical naval figures
Preparation flow before major fleet actions

In the screenshots, you can see the early campaign interface, including the Channel Fleet, ships such as HMS Victory, HMS Temeraire, and Prince of Wales, as well as officer assignment and research systems.This is still a work in progress, so UI, balance, content, and mechanics may change during development. However, the goal is clear: to make the campaign mode feel like commanding a real Age of Sail naval force, where preparation, ship quality, officers, logistics, and tactical execution all matter.Thank you to everyone who has supported the game so far.
More campaign development updates will follow soon.Fair winds,
Developer of Ship of the Line

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