CAMPAIGN PRESSURE · BUILD CHECK 1.0.4

Dread Admiral Game Black Fleet Timer Guide

In the Dread Admiral game, the Black Fleet timer loses one turn each campaign turn. When it reaches zero, free enemy reinforcements arrive every turn. Escape with the Flagship instead of overstaying: city population, victory-point thresholds and ships left behind can add delay to the next map, but exact release-build breakpoints need fresh testing.

QUICK ORDERS

What the evidence supports

01The timer ticks down once per turn.
02At zero, enemies receive free reinforcements each turn.
03Remaining turns carry between maps.
04Population, victory points and left-behind ships can increase later delay.

The stay-or-leave decision

First reserve enough movement to reach the yellow exit with the Flagship.
Count optional rewards against permanent ship-loss risk and the timer cost.
Leave once the expected value of one more city or objective is lower than preserving the fleet.
A completed exit with a living Flagship remains viable even when the objective is failed.

Ways the developer documented delay

Grow city population for income, victory points and additional next-map turns.
Cross victory-point thresholds to gain more turns on the following mission.
When rich, build expendable ships to leave behind for additional delay.
Prefer Downtown-style population growth when immediate time pressure matters more than refinery income.

Version warning on breakpoints

The Primer cited 10k, 15k and 25k victory-point thresholds.
It cited a first left-behind fleet breakpoint of $50 and an example of one Battleship plus two PT Boats.
Later Demo 0.12.4 notes say turn scaling was removed and base turns increased.

Evidence boundary

Those numeric breakpoints were developer-authored Demo guidance, not independently reproduced in release 1.0.4. Use the live tooltip as authority.

CONTINUE THE CAMPAIGN

Dread Admiral Game Beginner & Campaign Start Guide→Dread Admiral Game Difficulty Levels & Rewards→Dread Admiral Game Missions & Achievements Guide→