Hi, I’m Marek, the designer of Fire Commander. I’d like to tell you about our game: what it is, how it works, and how it came to be.
Let me start by saying that I find our game very special, and for many reasons. It’s the game I’ve been “destined” to make. At one point in my life I joined the Volunteer Fire Department, but I fell in love with it much, much earlier. One of my most vivid childhood memories is my first visit to the school library. The first book I’ve ever picked was--no surprise here--about a boy who becomes a firefighter.
Fire Commander is the game I’ve wanted to play. It’s a tribute to my childhood (and adulthood) heroes. So what is it about, exactly?
If you asked me to encapsulate Fire Commander within one genre, I’d call it a real time tactical game.
I guess that would be fair, but then, it’s like calling Aliens just a sci-fi film. Well, yes, it is a sci-fi film, but this kind of pigeonholing gives you a very vague understanding of what makes it special. The soul is in the details, and in the case of Fire Commander, in the different levels of ‘scope’.
There are three such levels in our game. The one you’ll see the most often in gameplay videos is the fire fighting missions. It’s where the tension is: you control several specialized fire fighters, in some missions also vehicles, and have to tame the blazing inferno. Our game plays in real time and doesn’t have turns, but you still have to think about your every move and care for your teammates. More about it later.
During missions, you can also use the active pause to collect your thoughts if the situation is getting out of hand. However, mind that the pause doesn’t stop the game entirely. It slows it down to super slo-mo, but things are still happening, so you can’t just take a walk and think it over.
After all, you’re dealing with fire. Fire won’t give you a break.
This is one of the elements of realism we’ve introduced. However, it’s a video game, so while we have been heavily inspired by the true heroes of our world, it’s not a perfectly faithful simulation of their work. What we hope to simulate are the emotions of this profession, the sense of responsibility, the respect that you need to have to the most dangerous element.
The second gameplay layer, placed above the missions but not as pronounced, is the overarching theme of running your fire station. You get rewarded for completing missions, and the funds that you get help you equip the building and your crew. The deeper you go in the game, the more it becomes yours. We, the designers, simply present you with situations you have to face. It’s up to you to choose the approach. This also connects with the third layer.
The third big aspect of the gameplay is maintaining the well-being and development of your crew.
Each member can specialize in different fields. Some will become technicians, some will be medics, experts in toxins, or specialize in working at height, etc. Each can also develop their general skills, such as speed, the effectiveness of escorting civilians to safety, and so on. There are quite many classes and skills to choose from, and in the end two different players can end up with two significantly different crews. A lot depends on your preferred way of playing. However, there will be challenges more suited for certain classes or approaches.
At the end of the day, it’s all about discovering it yourself. I will talk more about classes in a separate devlog. Today, I’d rather focus on what this skill system means for the game, and how you, the player, are expected to care for your crew.
Some of the many characters you can control in the game. Each of them has their own name and personality. They aren’t just units. They are people, and you need to take care of them.
Every mission, every danger you face, leaves a mark. Your firefighters will become more experienced, but since they’re people, they can also get tired or stressed out. This affects their effectiveness, so you need to choose wisely who you send into action. You can counteract the negative effects with certain additions to your fire station, but this is walking a thin line between having your crew equipped and having them willing to put their lives on the line.
As you see, the three layers of gameplay intertwine, and this will hopefully result in a genuine, thrilling, captivating experience. In real life, firefighting is not just action. It’s a thinking process. I hope that this will shine through Fire Commander’s gameplay, and that it’ll be a worthy tribute to the real world heroes.
If you’re interested in the game and would like to learn more about how we made it, stick around. Follow this page, add Fire Commander to your wishlist. Wishlisting helps us get more visibility on Steam. It’s the easiest way to support a developer you like. Thanks, and see you next time!