About the Game
The thinking behind the game: how it is designed, the science it is built on, and the reason behind each number.
- Design philosophy
The rules behind Hostile Flagship: fun first with real-world numbers as flavour, no waiting, commanding instead of piloting, one world whether you watch it or not, and where realism was bent on purpose.
Science →
- Geostationary orbit
Geostationary orbit height: 35,786 km above the equator, where one orbit takes one turn of the Earth. What it is, and how Hostile Flagship uses three points on it.
- How the Phalanx CIWS defends a ship
The Phalanx close-in weapon system fires 4,500 rounds a minute from a 1,550-round magazine. How it works, and how Hostile Flagship's point defence copies it.
- Low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit is any orbit of 128 minutes or less, below about 2,000 km. The ISS flies at about 400 km. How Hostile Flagship uses two low-orbit points.
- The Earth-Moon L1 point
Earth-Moon L1 is 326,400 km from Earth's centre, where Earth's and the Moon's pulls balance. What it is, and why it is the gateway in Hostile Flagship.
- The far side of the Moon
The Moon always shows Earth the same face, but its far side gets as much sunlight as the near side. Why, and how Hostile Flagship's far-side point uses it.
- The Tsiolkovsky rocket equation
Tsiolkovsky published the rocket equation in 1903. It says why far trips cost so much more fuel than near ones, and Hostile Flagship uses it for every jump.
- What a carrier air wing carries
A modern US Navy carrier air wing has 74 to 78 aircraft and about 1,500 people. Here is what flies from the deck, and how Hostile Flagship models it.
Why the numbers →
- Fighters: why these numbers
Why the Striker fighter is 18 m long, pulls 10 g on orders and 5 g in a fight, tops out at 500 m/s and climbs a steep Mark ladder: the reason, anchor and date behind each number.
- Formations: why these numbers
Why groups in Hostile Flagship form rings round their biggest ship, why small craft fly at their own speed, and why smaller ships give way to bigger ones.
- Height bands: why these numbers
Why Hostile Flagship uses four height bands near the ground, why hot drops fall at 2.5 km/s, why burns are banned at Low, and why neither costs fuel.
- Hit rules: why these numbers
Why every shot in Hostile Flagship is rolled between 1 % and 99 %, why one Mark up is worth about five below, and how range comes from gun spread.
- Point defence: why these numbers
Why the carrier's point defence shows 25 rounds a second, carries 500 rounds, reaches 1,250 m and hides inside the hull: the reason, anchor and date behind each number.
- Rivers: why these numbers
Why rivers in Hostile Flagship are as wide as they are, why the narrowest are left out, and why the water is blue-green: the reason, anchor and date behind each number.
- Swarm wings: why these numbers
Why the machine swarm in Hostile Flagship comes in wings of 25 with one brain each, spreads its fire over 5 targets, and loses a drone per drone of damage.
- The carrier: why these numbers
Why the carrier is 350 m long, has 80,000 hull at Mk3, is disabled rather than destroyed at zero, and moves at 100 m/s: the reason, anchor and date behind each number.
- The hangar: why these numbers
Why the carrier in Hostile Flagship has two side bays, launches in 4 seconds and docks in 6, goes hot on its own, and rearms in 20 seconds.
- The Hawkeye: why these numbers
Why the Hawkeye scout in Hostile Flagship is crewed, 17.6 m long, carries a 7 m³ tank, spools in 4 seconds and flies at 400 m/s: the reason, anchor and date behind each number.
- Travel nodes: why these numbers
Why the places in Hostile Flagship are fixed circles 800 km across in space and 200 km near the ground, and why a jump moves one link and never through a planet.
- Warp fuel: why these numbers
Why jumps in Hostile Flagship cost fuel from the rocket equation, at 1 g with a 10,000 km/s drive, and why hot drops cost nothing: the reason, anchor and date behind each number.