The Twelve Colonies, humanity’s homeworlds, have fallen. The Cylons have taken our world, and the only chance the remains of humanity have is to flee. As the Cylons pursue, resources dwindle, and tempers flare, how will you lead your fleet to safety?
That question is the guiding light of Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes, the new tactics/fleet-sim from Alt Shift set in the Battlestar: Galactica universe. But Why Tho? was given the chance to go hands-on to see how we would fare in this flight and fight for our lives.
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Alt Shift’s Space-Oregon Trail
The core of Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes gameplay is divided into two phases. The demo begins with us fresh off an FTL jump as our three ships attempt to stay one step ahead of the Cylon, beginning the fleet-sim phase. As we arrive in this unknown system, we know time is limited before our pursuers catch up, and we need to use what time we have to resupply and rearm.
This period is a bit like Oregon Trail, if it were set in space and murderous sentient machines out to kill you. You have resources to manage, crew to keep alive, and unexpected events ready to pop up at any time that will test your decision-making. A limited supply of actions defines your time before the Cylons catch up.
This initial solar system had nearby asteroids I could harvest for fuel, which seemed sensible, and I sent one of my two VIP units on the mission to increase how much we harvest. That proved to be a good decision, as I quickly learned that every action outside of my ship required some fuel, like when I harvested a derelict station for some scraps.
A few other points of interest in the system brought me more resources and an extra Nuke (for self-defense purposes, naturally). With my remaining actions, I elected to train the crew on one of my ships, giving it XP to progress towards leveling up. As I spent my last unit of time, sirens and alarms went off; the Cylond had caught up, and it was time to fight.
Fight, then flight in Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes
A massive Cylon Basestar was lined up across the expanse of space that acted as our arena, my three ships arrayed in a rough triangle formation as the battle began. Combat is technically real-time, but you can pause anytime to issue orders and plan your next move. Our capital ships had limited weaponry, just a missile launcher with a long cooldown and my limited supply of Nukes, so I deployed a pair of manned fighters to intercept the first wave of craft inbound.
You can deploy two units at a time, and, if needed, recall one damaged ship before deploying a reserve. I set one of my fighters on an intercept course, and it quickly shot down its opponent with high-speed, close-range fire. My other unit specialized in long-range attacks and eliminated its target before it could fire a shot. So far, so good as the first critical seconds toward my FTL jump to safety ticked away.
Over time, the numbers and types of units that attack change in Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes, and it’s up to you to adjust accordingly. Shooting down a few small fighters is one thing, but heavier units that can take more punishment are a different matter.
It might be good for the health of your fighters to let the opponent come toward you, but what about when they deploy long-range sniper-like craft? Or when the Cylond capital ship sends a nuke on a direct course toward your fleet?
You ran return fire with a missile launcher, which has amazing range and does good damage, but it has a long cooldown to manage likewise, your supply of Nukes can be a get out of jail free card, but the supply is limited, and, unless you find more like I did during the exploration page, you aren’t getting anymore.
Fortunately for me, we managed to hold off our foes in this initial skirmish, and when the big green jump button lit up, I recalled my fighters and made the jump. These jumps act as the encounter bookends, leading to new systems and giving you the choice from a small selection of rewards. These function as your classic roguelike random upgrades, and go a long way towards defining the nature of the current run.
Then I’m Right Back at it
This new system had its own assortment of points of interest, and I set to work gathering resources to prepare for the next fight. After a few turns, however, the alert goes up; there’s a matter that needs my attention. As I investigate, I’m told that the Hanger Door on one of my support ships is broken, and I have to decide how to resolve it.
The Workers, one of several factions aboard the ships, would prefer to fix it themselves. Conversely, I could demand that my crew be given access to handle it. I decided to trust the workers, which increased my standing with them, though it meant that this ship, and the 30 supplies it generates per jump, would be offline for the next two jumps.
After some more resource gathering, I’m told the repair worked! But now the crew wants to be paid in supplies. I have an excess, so I agree to their demand, increasing my standing with them even further. That comes with more than just some populist goodwill; with their high morale, they figure out a way to boost their production of supplies and scraps if I can gather the needed material. Gotta love the working class!
My VIPs quickly become my MVPs with the way they can increase my gains from excursions or decrease the costs associated with them. Like ships, they can earn XP and upgrade, which grants them a choice from a small selection of perks, much like your fleet in the post-jump phase.
VIPs can also command your weapons or ships during the battle phase, which can help those units avoid incoming fire or increase their rate of attack. They can also assist with those critical events that pop up, and you can find more, like my helpful Logistics Expert, Olivia Watanabe, whom we found by answering a rescue beacon.
As I get deeper into my run, everything is getting more complicated. The battles as our jump drive pools up are getting brutal, with swarms of fighters, wave after wave of heavy units, and a constant threat of inbound nukes. My ships are starting to take damage, and the Holly Blue, my botanical ship, barely makes it. Once we arrive in the new system, I have to spend my first few turns putting out literal fires and performing emergency maintenance to keep it afloat.
Meanwhile, I’m starting to lose my grip on my fleet management. I overspent on fuel, and have to spend my small surplus of scraps to buy more. As if that’s not enough, now the Underworld, another faction, is feuding with the Workers. I continue to side with the Workers, and the Underworld starts harassing members of my crew. To make matters worse, the air filters aboard one of my ships proved faulty. The fix is simple: just upgrade my ship’s logistics to level 2, but that takes scrap, and I just spent that on that damn fuel!
It’s not all bad news, as I do manage to rescue another Botanical Ship, which lets me give the Holly Blue a badly needed break in the next battle. But each of these fights seems to end with me getting away by a smaller and smaller margin, and all this drama during the resupply times is not helping.
The Cylons Are Always An Issue
The straw that broke the camel’s back, however, was the Cylon infiltration. Every fleet will have to deal with this eventually; someone on your ship is compromised, and it’s up to you to investigate and find out who. There are four areas to investigate: the Past, Medical Records, Fleet Records, and Material Evidence. You can invest your time and resources into interrogating suspects, or even put people in the brig if you think you’ve found the imposter.
The Cylon effect is real, too. After a few turns with one aboard, I had to deal with a new crisis: my shipboard computers had been hacked. In each investigation phase, your suspects report back as suspicious or non-suspicuous, and via process of elimination, you work towards finding and imprisoning the culprit.
Unfortunately for my crew, we didn’t make it that far. With the added chaos of the Cylon investigation, our stockpiles running dry, and a battered fleet, we were ill-prepared for the onslaught from the next fight. This time, the Cylon forces are overwhelming.
My upgraded squadrons fight valiantly, but one by one, my support ships fall. As the last of my squadrons is destroyed, I can only look on as the nukes arrive, and my flagship succumbs. We gave it our best shot, but this exodus has officially ended.
With my brain abuzz with ideas about how to better manage supplies and fight more efficiently, I return to the main menu, hit play, and start my next attempt. We will make it this time. So say we all.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes releases on Steam in early 2026.
