Less than 3 months of Early Access — from simple fleet battles to full admiral command
I launched Ship of the Line into Early Access on June 25.
At the time, it was a much simpler Age of Sail wargame — basic fleet battles, simpler visuals, and a fairly direct command system.
Since then, I’ve kept rebuilding and expanding it piece by piece: 3D ships, improved sailing physics, historical scenarios, a scenario editor, campaign systems, officers, landings, and larger fleet actions.
The latest major step has been Command Mode.
Instead of directly controlling every ship, the player now commands the fleet as an admiral. Orders are transmitted through signals, crews need time to notice and interpret them, information is incomplete, and losing the flagship can temporarily leave the fleet without centralized command.
I’ve also been connecting more of the visual simulation directly to the underlying systems. Sail deployment now affects actual ship speed, yards and canvas move more naturally, and ships feel more alive with crew ambience, hull creaks, sail sounds, and voices from nearby enemy ships.
A lot of this evolution came from conversations with the people who bought the game early and kept sharing their ideas, criticism, and suggestions. Some of the systems in the game today started from those discussions and then grew into something much larger.
The game has changed far more than I expected in less than three months, and I’m curious to hear what people think of the direction it’s taking.
Ship of the Line — A Short Look at the Current Gameplay
Ship of the Line on Steam:
Posted Sep 13, 2026, 6:24 AM UTC