Starship Simulator Development

This page chronicles the development history of the space exploration sandbox game Starship Simulator.

Origins

The concept for Starship Simulator stems from the lifelong passion of Dan Govier, founder of Fleetyard Studios, for science fiction, space simulation, architecture, and engineering. Having previously contributed to fan projects like the Stage 9 Enterprise-D recreation and co-leading The Orville Interactive Fan Experience, Dan established Fleetyard Studios with his wife Claire in 2020. Their sole focus became creating Starship Simulator, aiming to build a deeply immersive experience featuring a realistically simulated starship exploring a scientifically accurate 1:1 scale Milky Way galaxy.

Development Timeline

• 2020: Fleetyard Studios founded. Initial development begins on Starship Simulator using Unreal Engine 5. Focus is on establishing core systems, including the procedural galaxy generation and the foundational design of the Magellan Class starship based on plausible engineering principles.
• 2022:
  • October 3: The first public Tech Demo is released on Steam, allowing players to experience early versions of ship exploration and galaxy navigation.
• 2023:
  • June 19: An updated public Tech Demo 2 is released as part of the Steam Next Fest, incorporating improvements and further showcasing the game's potential. Community feedback becomes increasingly important.
• 2024:
  • March 19 - April 19: The official Kickstarter campaign runs, significantly exceeding its funding goal and ultimately raising £402,085 from 5,761 backers. Several stretch goals, including planetary landings, are funded.
  • Mid-2024 Onwards: Development continues, now boosted by Kickstarter funds. Focus shifts to implementing stretch goals, overhauling existing systems (like sensors and galaxy generation with real-world star data), refitting the Magellan Class design, and laying groundwork for features like life generation and political states within the galaxy. Development builds (e.g., the 0.225 patch cycle) are released to backers for testing. Ongoing support is facilitated through platforms like [Ko-fi].
• 2025 (Present): Development continues towards an anticipated Tech Demo 3 to be Released in Q2 2025, Work will then begin for a VR update which will be added to Tech Demo 3)

DLC Plans

Quoted From Dan Glover

"DLC1 is the official "Distant Horizons" mission that will take place on the Pathfinder Class. It will be a story driven single player campaign that deals with mankind meeting the "Scrag" for the first time (hostile insectoids that hate mammals), and working with other more friendly races to establish cooperative interstellar relationships.

DLC2 is going to be combat focused, taking place on a carrier class military ship. The Scrag will be the main hostile force, and they'll be attacking Sol directly. DLC2 will cover the "Scrag War" from beginning to end.

DLC3 will be about rebuilding from the war, and unlike the previous DLC's it will take place on multiple ships. You'll be playing the part of a trader, working your way up to bigger and better ships. There will also be smuggling and piracy., along with building new human colonies outside of Sol for the first time. Cops and robbers in space.

If DLC1 is Trek, then DLC2 is Star Wars and DLC3 is Firefly."

Development Process & Community Interaction

Starship Simulator is developed using Unreal Engine 5. Fleetyard Studios maintains an open development approach, actively engaging with its community. Updates are regularly added Via the Roadmap Channel ON the Discord Server

• Developer Live Streams: Dan Govier hosts developer live streams twice weekly on the official YouTube channel. These typically occur every Wednesday and Sunday at 20:00 UK time (GMT/BST as applicable). During these streams, Dan showcases current development progress, discusses game mechanics, and interacts directly with viewers, answering questions and gathering feedback.
  • Official Starship Simulator YouTube Channel
• Community Feedback: Feedback from the public demo, Discord server discussions, Steam forums, and backer testing is actively monitored and often integrated into the development process.
• Funding: Initial development was self-funded, followed by the successful Kickstarter campaign. Ongoing support is possible via [Ko-fi].
• Dev Build Access to a [Dev Build] via a Steam Keys, Access to the Steam Keys are obtains via 'Kickstarter Donations' (Kickstart campaign is now closed), Ko-Fi and a random number raffle on the First Dev Stream of each month (Access to raffle via Discord which opens normally a few days before the stream - No entry for Captain level backers and above). Updates of Dev Builds are on Discord channel for Members with access on backer levels.

Future Plans

Fleetyard Studios aims to release Starship Simulator into Steam Early Access, potentially in late 2025, although users should follow official announcements for confirmation. The base game is planned to be free-to-play upon full release, with potential future expansions or story-based DLC offered separately. Continued development, as outlined on the development roadmap, will focus on fleshing out gameplay loops for different crew roles, implementing alien civilizations and diplomacy, refining planetary exploration, and expanding the overall depth of content within the simulated galaxy.