Solo Space Combat Game
A singleplayer space combat game, designed and built alone from a standing start with no prior Unreal Engine or 3D tooling experience.
What it is
A singleplayer space combat game aiming for the feel of mid-Cold-War aerial combat transposed into space — think Digital Combat Simulator mixed with Starlancer, with Armored Core 6's mission-replay structure and diegetic reality-break techniques as design influences for the narrative layer.
Flight model & combat
- Assisted Newtonian physics: flight assist authority degrades at high velocity, making inertial coasting an emergent, skill-rewarding technique rather than a scripted mechanic.
- Delta-v as the core resource the player manages, rather than an abstracted fuel bar.
- Subsystem damage, aspect-limited missiles that require earned firing geometry, and an EW/jamming system with real-life inspired mechanics.
- Enemy AI driven by PID controllers, layered into a green/veteran/ace skill hierarchy.
Systems architecture
The campaign layer separates static authored data (missions, ship loadouts) from mutable runtime state (which pilots are alive, which carriers exist, campaign progress), using Unreal's DataAsset/DataTable system for the former and GameInstance state for the latter. This is the same static-vs-mutable split that shows up in most real game and simulation architectures, and it's the piece I spent the most deliberate design time on.
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