Dive into hardcore space combat tactics in NEBULOUS: Fleet Command

If you’re a fan of real-time space combat, Nebulous: Fleet Command will appeal to you. Sitting at the intersection between ship design and realistic simulated combat, you are both a space navy outfitter and a squadron in a tactical commander nebula.

Nebulous: Fleet Command (NFC) is a detailed strategic-tactical space game where each engagement begins with setting heading, intuition for radar signals, and trying to jam the enemy while gaining your own sensor lock. From there, it’s anyone’s game, with everything from a different set of missiles to energy weapons, point defenses, CIWS, railguns, and vintage artillery. It’s not a simple damage system either, individual ship components are modeled to strike based on where enemy fire strikes – then damage control takes over, repairing the system and putting out fires in combat.

Released in early access about a week ago, NFC is an infrequent hardcore combat sim. Sci-fi space battles are the kind of cool combat you see in relatively “hard” sci-fi novels like The Expanse, and for some, it’s enough to give the game a peek. It’s still early days, with functional tutorials and skirmishes against AI or other players. It’s still early days, but a surprisingly active multiplayer community has emerged around NFC.