SpaceCraft preview: Satisfactory with a dose of EVE Online

by

Despite the automation genre traditionally being a smaller market, games such as Factorio and Satisfactory have given it a surge in popularity. This is because of its adaptability – as a creator, you can blend automation aspects with a wide variety of concepts.

Endfield is an open-world RPG with anime-style graphics, incorporating automated elements as a key part of its gameplay. On the other hand, SpaceCraft by Shiro Games seems to be leaning towards a more conventional approach in their upcoming title.

SpaceCraft can be seen as a fusion of Satisfactory, No Man’s Sky, and EVE Online, with some resemblance to the forthcoming Interstellar Utopia by Tencent Games. At Gamescom 2025, the developers made it clear that unlike survival games, SpaceCraft primarily focuses on the vastness of exploration and smooth traversal similar to No Man’s Sky.

Instead of using the standard warp drive for fast travel across large interstellar distances, the developers mention it’s also possible to navigate between solar systems using a sub-light drive. However, I don’t imagine any aficionado of space exploration games would opt for such an inefficient method.

Planetary bodies harbor a variety of valuable resources. Interestingly, you don’t need to physically dig into their surfaces to extract these resources. Instead, your spacecraft’s mining lasers do the job from above – initially at least. Later stages introduce more complex resources that demand specialized tools or multiple steps for extraction. As they put it, “We aim to make resource gathering an enjoyable experience.

Shiro Games designed resource distributions to be convenient for players, minimizing time spent on searching scattered nodes in remote areas. Once you gather enough starting resources, your bases can handle mining operations, allowing you to focus on other aspects of gameplay. The progression is simple: You collect raw materials, transform them into infrastructure, acquire technology upgrades, and use advanced resources to upgrade your bases continually.

In the current version, some aspects are still undergoing changes. At present, players must keep an eye on the crafting interface while processing resources at a public space station, which is the only option if you don’t have a base yet. This seems like an unnecessary time-consuming task that the developers are considering whether to maintain or not.

In comparison to other popular strategy titles, automation doesn’t delve quite as deeply, avoiding features like conveyor belts. Instead, the developers have opted for airborne drones to transport resources within your factories, making the game easier for newcomers to the genre. This accessibility is a common approach taken by Shiro Games in their strategy games.

It’s SpaceCraft’s ship designer that really catches my attention in the demonstration. This tool provides a great deal of flexibility to combine the various modules produced by your factories, enabling you to tailor and specialize vessels according to specific requirements. Whether it’s mining ships, large freighters, or heavily-armed escort ships designed for resisting pirate attacks, you can essentially build anything to suit your needs.

One developer affirms that the Ship Designer is undeniably a key feature within SpaceCraft, stating, “Spending an hour constructing just a single spacecraft is quite feasible, especially if you’re meticulous about it.

In a casual tone, another developer added, “If the ship is larger, you’ll likely find yourself spending an entire afternoon on it.” It’s not just numbers, but there seems to be room for strategic planning as well. Shiro Games intends for the ship designer to mirror SpaceCraft’s character generator, offering players the freedom to construct their ideal vessel, striking a balance between visual appeal and performance.

The capability to customize your spaceships aligns significantly with the game’s primary multiplayer aspect. You’re not the only explorer in the galaxy; it teems with other players and non-playable characters. However, not everyone is benevolent. Piracy is a looming danger that requires attention because eventually, every player will interact with the economy of the galaxy to some extent.

There’s a limit to the number of production bases you can control in the game. This implies that not every item or resource can be manufactured by you alone. Consequently, interacting with the market becomes necessary, which involves trading and also moving resources between planets for processing. It’s essential to note that this process doesn’t happen through teleportation; materials have to be physically transported from one place to another, making piracy a potential risk. Automated cargo ships typically handle transportation, but players can choose to take control of this task whenever they prefer.

Certainly, in this game, players can collaborate to create corporations, each focusing on manufacturing and dealing specific items or aiming to be versatile across various sectors. Specialization becomes beneficial here as some members are tasked with exploring and defending, while others get access to advanced resources and work on expanding production facilities. As the world persists even when you’re away, it’s advantageous to have teammates from different time zones in your group to keep operations ongoing.

Shiro Games envisions that the player-controlled market and corporation formation could foster an active, captivating community with self-generated stories, much like the dynamic storytelling seen in EVE Online.

In this game, conflicts are limited to player versus environment (PvE) scenarios. You won’t witness corporations assembling large armadas for battles against their competitors. Instead, the focus in space is primarily on eliminating non-player enemy pirates, while planets are frequently populated by insectoid beings that require eradication.

The developers are considering Player vs Player (PvP) features in our game, but to make things crystal clear, we’re focusing on creating a competitive environment that revolves around resource production, economy, and industry. PvP is a complex topic within the gaming community, with some players advocating for it and others against it. However, our main goal is to ensure that any PvP elements are agreed upon by all.

The developers may offer an opportunity for players to either participate or abstain from Player vs Player (PvP) interactions, but they are investigating different approaches to make this feature more dynamic. At this point, it appears that this addition won’t be available in time for the Early Access release, which primarily emphasizes economic competition, allowing larger entities to dominate smaller ones within the space capitalism system.

SpaceCraft is targeting an Early Access launch on PC in 2025.

More features on DBLTAP:

Read More

2025-09-11 13:48