A closer look at Abandon Ship
Pirates meets FTL.
I've been meaning to write about Abandon Ship, the PC game that looks a bit like Sid Meier's Pirates meets the wonderful FTL, ever since the release of the eye-catching announcement trailer back in November 2016.
You take command of a ship and her crew, exploring a procedurally generated world and getting stuck in to tactical combat. The game focuses on "Age of Sail" ships in a fantasy setting, framed in an art style inspired by classic naval oil paintings.
Now's a good time to cover Abandon Ship because Guildford-based designer Gary Burchell has just released a new video, below, that shows off a detailed look at the combat side of the game.
It looks like there's a lot of depth to the combat, which includes class-based sailors you have to manage in real-time, various types of weapons and effects triggered by the weather and map location.
You have to contend with fires, flooding, smashing into ice, waves and lightning strikes. There's even a sea monster out there.
One of the cool things is ship destruction does not mean game over. Death is permanent, but as captain, as long as you stay alive by escaping to a lifeboat or diving into the sea, there is a chance to fight your way back.
One to watch.