Battlefleet Engineer

Battlefleet Engineer is a single-player game of designing ships and directing fleets in real-time battles against combat AI. You build ships from modules, balance maneuverability, defense and firepower, then use fleet composition and tactical control to defeat the enemy. Battles can include up to dozens of ships per side and do not involve building units or managing resources between battles.

Ship design

Ships are made entirely from modules, which define their structure and behavior. Modules include generators, thrusters, weapons and armor; ships can have anywhere from 5 to over 1,000 modules. There are 13 distinct module types, plus variants, and 5 distinct weapon types.

Most modules serve a specific function, such as generating power or dissipating heat. The resource system distributes electricity, heat and fuel between modules every frame, affecting factors such as a ship’s fire rate, shields and maneuverability. Movement follows Newtonian physics: thrusters and other actuators provide forces, with no friction or dampening, while ships and other objects are simulated as rigid bodies with collision geometry and inertia.

Battle tactics

A detailed damage model tracks damage to armor segments and individual modules. Ships can be partially disabled or split in two; projectiles can penetrate or ricochet off armor and pass through multiple modules or an entire ship. Shields are volumetric rather than simple barriers.

You select targets and time engagements according to weapon ranges, maneuverability and the defenses of both fleets. Positioning matters: keeping ships close together concentrates their damage but can leave them vulnerable to being surrounded. Specialized designs such as tanks and snipers can help determine a battle’s outcome.

You can leave ships to their basic combat AI or take full or partial control of one ship to fly it and fire its weapons. Battles can be randomized or customized, with options to watch the fight or take a more hands-on role.

Challenges and editors

You can create and test ship designs, then use them in challenge levels or custom battles. The game includes over 35 premade ship designs and 12 handmade challenge levels, covering fleet-design challenges, tactical fights using a single ship and manually piloted obstacle courses. Ship and level editors let you create designs and levels from scratch or modify the ones included.

Challenge levels award a score when completed. Custom battles let you define the fleets and level parameters. Battles are independent, with no progression mechanics between them.