Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy guide - Tips and tricks to cover your six

Being a space captain can be pretty tough - especially when you're thrust into the position prematurely and asked to lead a relatively puny force against hordes of squid-like aliens.

And that's exactly what happens inStar Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy, the new turn-based strategy game by Slitherine.

To help you get up to speed, we dove deep into the interstellar combat scenarios to bring you this guide to combat.

Use every view available all the time

Yes, we know, Star Hammer doesn't have the most elegant or readable interface, but it overcomes some of that by providing multiple camera views of the action that you can use to your advantage.

Make sure you check each of them out every move before you end your turn. Once you hit go, you can only rewatch what you've done, so if you miss those inbound missiles or fail to double-check that you won't bump an allied ship, it's too late to do anything about it.

Immediately restart missions to alter formations

Star Hammer's formation system can be handy when you've created a pattern perfectly designed to counter your enemies, but you won't know if you have the perfect formation in place until you start the mission.

To overcome this, it's best to enter a mission and assess the enemy layout before restarting and tailoring your formation accordingly.

Read up on your enemies / weapons prior to engaging

Enemy and weapon types in Star Hammer are pretty diverse, and it's really important to know their strengths and weaknesses so you know exactly how to exploit them.

When you're in the planning phase, you can tap on weapons and enemies to see what they're capable of. Get in the habit of doing this before each mission so you can adapt your strategy accordingly.

Have you successfully held off the Nautilid threat? Have some expert tips? Share them in the comments!