This week we are going to be discussing Skirmish Mode. This mode was created with the intent to let players enjoy a quick round of tactical combat in Lord of Rigel without diving into the core game. This mode was also intended to serve as a sandbox where players could experiment with various weapons and ship designs and then come up with various strategies to quickly and efficiently build effective ships.
Skirmish mode can be accessed from the main menu in the game and will load up a small galaxy that will allow players to select a system and planet for combat. Players should not expect the galaxy composition in skirmish mode in any way to match up with what the main game's galaxy generator will create - the galaxy generated in Skirmish mode breaks many of the core game's galaxy generation rules. This was done so players wouldn't click on a star only to find out that there were no planets that they could setup combat for.
Once a player chooses a planet, a setup screen appears. In this screen, the player will be able to adjust a variety of settings that allow them to choose to be attacker or defender, the species they want to participate in the skirmish, planetary defenses, etc. Players can also establish combat rules such as tech level and fleet cost caps. This will assist players in trying to focus their combat experiences when they are experimenting with various ship designs. Lastly, players will have access to the ship designer which will allow them to custom tailor a ship to their preferences. The player can do this for both themselves and the AI.
As you can see skirmish mode will provide players with an avenue for experimentation but also a quick way to enjoy Lord of Rigel if they don't have the time to play a long single player game. We are also hoping that this allows players to also treat this as a way to improve their skills at tactical combat. Players can try out a variety of strategies on how best to defend themselves or the AI or how they can destroy, disable, or take over an enemy fleet. Lord of Rigel's ship combat system will reward players who use sub system targeting, flanking, and well thought out fleet composition and design. These tasks can be extremely difficult and costly to master in a single player game where your empire is at stake. Skirmish mode allows players to learn more about Lord of Rigel in way that doesn't make the player lose a key system if they didn't realize the value of a certain weapon or ship tactic.
Thanks for reading and we hope you join us next week when we discuss some of the end game mechanics in Lord of Rigel!
