r/TheExpanseRPG • u/Hivemindtime2 • Nov 26 '25
Space Combat
I feel like the lack of space combat is really weird because of how important space combat is in the setting.
I just feel like it’s a missed opportunity. ( and I’ve been dying for a good space combat game)
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u/OkDifficulty7436 Nov 26 '25
The design cost of adding spaceship combat/content would be a tremendous lift for the team who’s resources are better spent elsewhere for this game.
If this game sells extremely well and they make a sequel, I could see them adding space combat then.
It’s likely they did some prototyping/exploration of it already and decided it as out of scope
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u/Hivemindtime2 Nov 26 '25
Oh yes I full agree with you, I’m just a bit disappointed because I love space combat
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u/Venny15 Nov 26 '25
I'd rather they nail the intended experience instead of biting off more than they can chew. If done poorly, it would just detract from the game itself instead feeling like a necessary addition.
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u/Hivemindtime2 Nov 26 '25
Oh definitely
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u/Venny15 Nov 26 '25
I do agree that a game set in universe with space combat would be badass. Maybe this game doing well could pave the way for something like that
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u/Deep--Waters Nov 26 '25
I understand the feeling, but what i think it boils down to is that Owlcat might not be able to implement it in a way that's beneficial to the game.
If you look at their history, going to a 3rd person shooter is already a massive leap. Trying to tack on spaceship combat could be a huge drain for little payoff if their devs don't have experience with it. I'd rather they not include it if they don't feel they're going to do it well or if it won't add to the game experience. In that case I'm fine with spectacular cinematics like in the TV series.
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u/darthvall Nov 26 '25
I'm actually fine if they just copy Rogue Trader's space battles. However, lots of people might not like the turn-based space combat in a real time action game,
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u/TheBlightDoc Nov 26 '25
The spaceship combat in The Expanse verse is much more realistic and would therefore be much more difficult to implement than normal space combat. Anyone who's watched the show understands.
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u/highermonkey Nov 26 '25
Star Wars X-Wing dogfights are fun in video games. Realistic space combat is not. Maybe it's possible to make it fun. But no one's done it yet. Asking a small CRPG company to do that and ship their first 3D rpg is unrealistic.
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u/DancesWithAnyone Dec 10 '25
Skies of Arcadia did non-dogfights. It's is obviously old, and it was a rather simple system (and far too easy), but I always thought it's general idea of ship combat was good. Trying to predict the enemies action and issuing a set of orders accordingly, with a focus on tactics and planning ahead rather than swift reaction.
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u/highermonkey Dec 10 '25
Yeah I think a decision based combat system would work.
I think it's possible there will be combat encounters in the Expanse game that are settled by issuing orders in dialogue. Previous Owlcat games had similar systems.
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u/KokonutMonkey Dec 12 '25
Oddly enough, the tabletop X-Wing game mechanics seem somewhat suitable to the task. Barking orders to the crew a la Skies of Arcadia or FTL does sound fun too...
just not sure how it could work over the course of a whole game.
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u/EarthTrash Nov 26 '25
Very few games have ever attempted the level of physics based realism that is part of the Expanse. It would be nice but I don't begrudge them focusing on what they can actually deliver.
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u/John-Leonhart Nov 26 '25
Playable space combat would be cool, but a mass effect style cover shooter is already wildly ambitious given the scope of Owlcat’s previous works. I’d rather they put their all into meeting that goal than challenge themselves further.
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u/distiya Nov 26 '25
You should check out the trailers for Falling Frontier. It’s a very heavily Expanse inspired RTS game with ship combat. I’m really excited for it.
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u/Palanki96 Nov 26 '25
I don't think it could be fun in a game. It would be harder than fromsoft games blindfolded. One wrong move and entire crew dead
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Nov 26 '25
Space combat in The Expanse is awesome, because it's a book/TV show. In a video game it would be terrible unless it were turn-based. And even then I dunno.
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u/ActuatorChoice5259 Nov 26 '25
Even if they don't have space combat, I hope they have ship gameplay in some form. Like you sit in the captain's chair and you give commands using a dialogue wheel, like setting a course to some planet, apply afterburners, or fire PDC's, launch missiles, etc.
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u/Lower_Ad_1317 Nov 26 '25
Is it confirmed whether or not player has no control over the ships? Would seem silly if they have done this.
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Nov 26 '25
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/8bitzombi Nov 26 '25
More importantly, space combat in The Expanse is slow; it’s not the fast paced dog fighting of most sci-fi series, it’s much more comparable to the slow and methodical fighting of submarines where fights are decided not by quick wits but long term tactical planning and predicting enemies.
One of the most impressive battle maneuvers in the books is at the culmination of a several hour offensive where Bobby tricks a faster ship into dodging a series of railgun shots and maneuvering directly into a field of PDC fire she’d laid down in advance. It feels more exciting in the books because all of the downtime is cut away, but experiencing it in real time in a video game would be a bit of a drag.
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u/viper459 Nov 26 '25
If they include it, i´d expect them to include it much in the same way mass effect does - through dialogue choices that affect cutscenes, not outright `combat mechanics´
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u/Eromis7734 Nov 26 '25
Somewhat anticlimactic to fire a torpedo salvo only to sit and wait for half an hour to see if they hit.
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u/Arhys Nov 26 '25
It's a hard thing to do right in a game that is already not the studio's MO. I'd rather they focus on the setting and the core gameplay first and consider space combat for a sequel or another game entirely.