Today is an exciting day, fellow commanders!

It’s finally time to lift the curtain on one of the core gameplay mechanics of Starfall Tactics which we’ve been keeping a close secret ever since the very beginning of development. Now it might sound a bit unconventional at first, but we at Snowforged Entertainment firmly believe in innovation and hope you’ll share our bold vision for the next generation of wargames.

If you’re an attentive reader of our weekly work in progress posts, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that each of our spaceships is crafted with love, care and great attention to detail by a small group of artists. As such, every single one of those vessels has its own distinct voice and personality. And over time, whether you planned for it or not, you begin to develop a keen liking to those unique qualities. Your heart starts to skip a beat at the sight of Logan annihilating another enemy dreadnought with its powerful artillery or Talaria evading an entire fleet of adversaries without as much as breaking a sweat. There are many ways to customize and promote individual spaceships in Starfall Tactics, but sometimes it feels like installing a new module or ordering a fresh coat of paint isn’t cutting it anymore. You want something more. You want to have a relationship with your units that feels more personal, more… intimate. Well we have an answer to this problem and that answer is just one word: «Dating».

That’s right. Dating. Apart from creating a truly deep and immersive real-time wargame experience, we plan on delivering you a complex spaceship romancing simulation driven by narrative and in-game events. Every ship will be available for courting and have its own fleshed-out storyline you can unlock over the time of playing. You can even try your charm and wit on space stations to gain occasional favors and small discounts. A well-timed wink goes a long way! But keep in mind that we obviously won’t be forcing the fate of becoming a spacefaring casanova on every player. Being good pals with your allied ships will always be a viable option!

So at this point you’re probably wondering how will this system actually work. Well, the process is fairly simple. Once you’re in fleet customization menu, you’ll see a speech bubble icon floating above every ship that wishes to have an audience with you. Clicking it will open up a dialog menu that’s not unlike the familiar dialog menus in interactive novels, where you’ll be able to have a little chat with your spaceship accompanied by stylised animated artwork. The theme of these conversations will range all the way from inconsequential small talk to custom loyalty missions (eat your heart out, Mass Effect). Being caring and attentive to your subordinates will grant you small bonuses in battle as well as unique blueprints, equipment and cosmetic items at the higher levels. But be careful — once the ship is destroyed, the AI will reboot to factory settings and you’ll have to start all over again! To nourish the flower of love in the middle of a warzone is no easy task.

We can’t wait to hear what you think about this side of Starfall Tactics!

http://starfalltactics.com/news/dating-mechanics-revealed