BOOT | Astrobase Command

Astrobase Command is a title that has launched into orbit on the lands of Kickstarter, and the developer, Jellyfish Games is seeking out a CA$ 40,000 end goal for their science-fiction, space-station management, base building title with RPG elements and procedural storytelling and personalities. The crowdfunding ends on the the 26th of May 2017.

Developed by Jellyfish Games, Astrobase Command is looking for CA$ 40,000 to enable their project to see completion, and at the time of writing this piece, they have managed to gain CA$ 17,962 towards the target, and with 431 backers behind the title.

Let’s See What It’s About

Astrobase Command is a title in which players command a space station and the crew on board. They’ll be able to create their 3D space station, and handle the crew who are controlled by procedurally generated personalities, and they’ll be trying to proceed with their jobs on board the station, as well as keeping their personal and social life in balance. Interestingly, the game lets you create your own species and how they function. You can create incredibly smart species, or even incredibly dumb species.

Let’s Look At The Features

Base building within this title is to allow players to build a 3D space station however big, or small they want, along any axis. Resource logistics, power distribution, maintenance, and more, all things that can be built onto the station.

Within that space station, players can hire members to populate the station, each coming with their own stats, jobs, and skills, meaning that you’ll need to think carefully about the type of people you’re bringing on board, as each personality is procedurally generated, and they will decided on what jobs need doing, and how to do it, while you just command and watch them live their lives. I’m sure you’ll feel a little bit creepy watching them after a while though. Especially as players should be able to watch relationships between the crew build or break, with the crew remembering past situations.

The RPG system the game runs on is skill based, which is supplemented by stats, and determines how productive the crew are and their performance in doing their tasks.

It sounds like a space-age Sims game!

Players take the seat of the commander, and before them they have paperwork and a Datapad. Cartridge that can be inserted, allowing them to go through various apps to plan the crews activities, promotions, resource management, and building the Astrobase. Paperwork will also fly in with recruitment logs of which you’ll have to hire or move along various characters depending on what personality you’d rather have on board your ship.

What About Stretch Goals?

Currently there are no stretch goals listed, however should the target, CA$ 40,000 be reached, then one or more will be revealed as currently the stretch goals section just shows, “Coming Soon”. So there are some planned.

The title has successfully made its way onto Steam after a Greenlight session, and immediate access to the title is planned to begin on the 29th of May 2017. A beta should be arriving in February 2018, with an full launch arriving in November of 2018. Dates are obviously due to change over time depending on how development goes.

You can check out the Kickstarter page right here.