Star Conflict is a space dogfight simulator that came out of nowhere and has entranced many in the circles I walk in. It provides a great twitchy spaceship experience that is often missing in my usual internet spaceship game of choice, Eve Online. While still in beta, Star Conflict shows a lot of promise and depth.

Overview

Star Conflict revolves around the struggle between three warring factions that players can choose to align to. There is the militaristic Empire, fully devoted to conquest and their supreme leader, the Emperor. There is the freedom loving Federation, struggling to keep the oppressive Empire at bay. Lastly, there is the mysterious Jericho, a spacefaring group that embraces technology and enhances their bodies through cybernetic implants. Each faction provides unique ships to the pilots loyal to them, along with perks and enhancements.

As for the actual ships, there are three varieties. The first is the interceptor, a fast and nimble ship that is ideal for close up engagement. What the interceptor lacks in hit points and fire power it makes up for in shear speed. On the other end of the scale are the frigate class ships. These are the largest ships and are correspondingly sluggish. While they won’t be winning close up dogfights, frigates are bar none the best ship class for engaging at long range. Between the other two ship classes are the fighters. While not as quick as an interceptor but more nimble than a frigate, fighters are a middle of the road sort of ship type.

Each faction has its own variety of each of the ship classes. What distinguishes on ship from another is the unique ability each has. For example, Jericho interceptor can create a Tachyon cocoon, which renders the ship invulnerable and immobile. After the cocoon has finished, it explodes, disabling any nearby enemy ships. In addition to its unique ability, each ship class has a variety of versions and tech levels. Some ships specialize in offense, others in electronic warfare, as well as each ship becoming more powerful as it increases in tech level.

In addition to different types of ships, every ship is customizable. Any ship can fit any of three types of weapons: railguns, lasers, and plasma guns. Each has its strengths and weaknesses and will allow you to tailor your ship to your own playstyle. Further, there a variety of missiles that your ship can equip, from dumb fire missiles to seeking cruise missiles. Lastly, ships can be fitted with an array of active and passive modules, ranging from shield rechargers to electronic warfare to area bonuses to friendly ships.

Once you have your ship fitted to your liking, it’s time to get into the fight. After queuing up, you can be thrust into one of three PVP game types. The first is called Detonation. It begins with each team controlling three stations. The goal is to destroy the enemy stations by planting an EMP bomb before they can do the same to yours. The second game mode is Domination. Akin to king of the hill in other games, the goal is to capture the three neutral stations in order to deplete the enemy of the 100 points that each team began with. Lastly, there is Combat Reconnaissance. Similar to VIP in other games, one player on each team is designated as team captain. The goal is to destroy the other team’s captain, which prevents the enemy from respawning. You then have to eliminate the remaining enemy players. If PVP is your cup of tea, there is also a PVE mode where teams of four players are pitted against waves of NPCs while having to complete specific objectives.

Final Thoughts

Star Conflict is still in beta but it still a lot of fun. Most game mechanics you would expect are already there and functioning well. Compared to my other internet spaceship game of choice, Eve Online, Star Conflict has much more instant gratification, which is a nice change of pace from the long term gameplay of Eve. What is needed now for Star Conflict is a level of meta game, that is to say there needs to be larger goals to strive for beyond acquiring the next best ship or blowing up the next interceptor. Gaijin has hinted that they are developing as much, so hopefully such additions are on the horizon.