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Welcome to the [AI War], Destroyer of Worlds out now!
Drake
Edgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered User regular
Edgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered User regular
With the recent Arclight Royale Bundle and comments I've seen around about how hard this game can be to get into, I figured the time was right for a fresh, new AI War thread with up to date information and advice on this wonderful mash-up of RTS, 4X and Tower Defense. But first I figure I should fill you in on what the situation is.
Welcome to the AI War, Commanders! We have prepared a full briefing to make sure you are up to speed since Cryosleep has been known to have short term effects on memory and we need your skill-set ASAP.
Let me be frank with you, commanders. We've lost a war you didn't even know we were fighting. You're collectively the best military minds humanity has ever produced, and you've been called out of stasis as a matter of last resort. It's been a few decades for some of you, centuries for others. You come from both factions, so you may have fought against one another in the past -- but it is time to put any grievances aside.
What many of you may not know due to your time in the freeze is that our scientists and engineers have been hard at work creating automated war machines. Over the last century, we've moved to pilot-less ships that are both created and operated using highly computerized technology. With the ability to command these mechanical fleets from a distance came the idea to use Artificial Intelligence. These decisions were not undertaken lightly, and we thought all of the appropriate safety checks were in place, but I think you can guess what has happened.
Both factions created AI commanders so fast, so organized, that none of our contemporary human commanders could match them. There was even a great debate as to whether to remove the lot of you from stasis and let you go on with your lives. Thank God we decided to keep you in reserve. After the two AIs decided to work together, they eradicated us in a matter of days.
That was three weeks ago, and already they view us as beneath their contempt, not even worth stamping completely out. The AIs have focused their attention elsewhere, on something outside the galaxy. We don't know what it is that they are doing, what it is that they have found out there, but this may provide us with our one chance to strike back at them.
You're in the last tiny corner of the galaxy that is left to us, though we think there may be some captive settlements that yet survive. When I say this is our last chance, do not think I exaggerate. The AI is disinterested in our pitiful remaining forces at the moment, but they don't know about you -- when they see our fleets are growing, and are guided by competent, intelligent commanders, they will react. The more you infringe on their territory, the more you demonstrate your power, the more likely they are to crush us.
The AI forces outnumber us ten thousand to one, so a direct assault would be suicide. We have no resources, we have hardly any ships, and the schematics for our most advanced hardware are lost to the AIs. Your mission is to take what little we have, and turn it into victory in whatever way you can. Take back our resources from the AIs, steal knowledge of the ships we once built with ease, and destroy their data centers whenever you find one. Most importantly, find and destroy their core command stations to wipe them out.
We've been beaten to our knees, but we're not going to sit by and watch our species die. You're the best military minds we've ever been able to produce, and so if you can't prevail we really are lost. Use your heads out there, and make sure not to let emotion or aggression cloud your better judgment. Fight smart. Remember your tactical training as well as the bigger picture. Win where all others have failed.
-Quoted from the AI War WikiWhat many of you may not know due to your time in the freeze is that our scientists and engineers have been hard at work creating automated war machines. Over the last century, we've moved to pilot-less ships that are both created and operated using highly computerized technology. With the ability to command these mechanical fleets from a distance came the idea to use Artificial Intelligence. These decisions were not undertaken lightly, and we thought all of the appropriate safety checks were in place, but I think you can guess what has happened.
Both factions created AI commanders so fast, so organized, that none of our contemporary human commanders could match them. There was even a great debate as to whether to remove the lot of you from stasis and let you go on with your lives. Thank God we decided to keep you in reserve. After the two AIs decided to work together, they eradicated us in a matter of days.
That was three weeks ago, and already they view us as beneath their contempt, not even worth stamping completely out. The AIs have focused their attention elsewhere, on something outside the galaxy. We don't know what it is that they are doing, what it is that they have found out there, but this may provide us with our one chance to strike back at them.
You're in the last tiny corner of the galaxy that is left to us, though we think there may be some captive settlements that yet survive. When I say this is our last chance, do not think I exaggerate. The AI is disinterested in our pitiful remaining forces at the moment, but they don't know about you -- when they see our fleets are growing, and are guided by competent, intelligent commanders, they will react. The more you infringe on their territory, the more you demonstrate your power, the more likely they are to crush us.
The AI forces outnumber us ten thousand to one, so a direct assault would be suicide. We have no resources, we have hardly any ships, and the schematics for our most advanced hardware are lost to the AIs. Your mission is to take what little we have, and turn it into victory in whatever way you can. Take back our resources from the AIs, steal knowledge of the ships we once built with ease, and destroy their data centers whenever you find one. Most importantly, find and destroy their core command stations to wipe them out.
We've been beaten to our knees, but we're not going to sit by and watch our species die. You're the best military minds we've ever been able to produce, and so if you can't prevail we really are lost. Use your heads out there, and make sure not to let emotion or aggression cloud your better judgment. Fight smart. Remember your tactical training as well as the bigger picture. Win where all others have failed.
Ok, now that a little scene setting it out of the way, let's get down to business. AI War is an immense RTS of grand proportions. WIth a truly massive amount of units and facilities which are picked from during galaxy generation you will always find new surprises, tactics and strategies available. This variety is one of the games biggest strengths, but it's also one of the game biggest barriers to entry. This is not a game like Starcraft where it's possible to wrap your head around every unit and their counters. No amount of study will teach you all of the unit synergies or possible AI combinations. This is intentional in the games design, it provides the player with a practically endless variety of tactical and strategic situations. That said, the game is designed around some core concepts that hold true from game to game. These core concepts create the overall strategic framework for the game. The next stumbling block though is that a hefty chunk of these concepts are unique to AI War. They come together to create a game that is rich in tactical and strategic depth, with a focus on minimizing micromanagement and maximizing the time spent on strategic planning and execution. For a new player all of this variety can feel overwhelming, and that's one of the main purposes of this thread. I'd like to see it become a resource for PA players to discuss and share insights into this incredible game.
I figure now is a good time to talk about what sets AI War apart from the vast majority of RTS games. The biggest thing is the titular AI that you will be fighting. The AI at its core is a data miner. It doesn't cheat, it only knows what it can see (or what you show it). As it gathers information it creates a pool of data that it mines, looking for weaknesses to exploit, always searching for the best way to decapitate you. In this endeavour you will be treated to a remarkable ability for the AI to use unit synergies in an emergent fashion. Combine this with the fact that the AI has it's own ruleset that it plays by and you will be facing an AI opponent that isn't hamstrung by rules and concepts meant for human players. It will be able to utilize a full range of capabilities in its quest for your complete annihilation and the extinction of our species. And the harder you push and the more capability you acquire, the more alarmed the AI becomes, causing it to draw on its virtually unlimited resources and vast pool of technology as it escalates its own aggresiveness. This serves to reinforce the asymmetrical, guerrila warfare nature of the players position. You will use misdirection and deception. You will use blitzkrieg surgical strikes. Try to take every world between you and your enemy and you will almost certainly face a shockingly fast and brutal defeat.
Next is the research and technology model for the game. Research is driven by the Knowledge resource. This is the only limited resource in the core game. You gain Knowledge by sending Science vessels to unresearched planets, where you can gain 3000 units of Knowledge. This can be used to instantly unlock the next available tier of facility, defensive device, or ship level. These choices are vital, and should be made cautiously with an eye towards your long term strategy and the unique strategic and tactical landscape (spacescape?) of each campaign. There are also Hacker ships that can hack AI controlled systems for Knowledge at the price of a very agitated AI response. Hackers are also good for a few other things but that's getting into the advanced strategies.
Speaking of the campaigns, these are procedurally generated. At the start of a new game you get a lobby in which you and any coop players decide the number of planets, the general difficutly level, the difficulty level of each of the AI, what level of complexity of ships are available, and which of the various features of any expansions you have installed you will use.
Your basic goals remain the same game to game; Scout the galaxy and gather information, create a core of defensible worlds to provide you with basic resources for building your fleets and static defenses, destroy and capture vital AI facilities to increase your capabilities while decreasing the AI's, and finally shutting down the Core Defense Grid so you can assault the AI cores themselves and win the game (good luck with that). Within this framework you will be treated to a vast variety in enemy capability and approach. This creates a game that has a common strategic thread from game to game but also requires the player to be strategically and tactically flexible. One game may hinge on high tech fleets of massive starships, another game may be decided by smart utilization of stealth capable units.
These differences detailed here are by no means comprehensive. AI War is a living game. It has received an unparalleled amount of content for free in the form of new units, new mechanics and constant polish over its lifespan and shows no signs of slowing down or stopping.
That said, the AI War Wiki has some great articles on the games concepts and general gameflow, which I will link here.
AI War - Starting Out
Like Chess, A Game Of AI War Has Three Abstract "Phases"
AI War - Technologies
Also of indispensable value; The AI War Official Forums Totally not a shithole and full of friendly and helpful people. Arcen is very active on this board and open to discussion of all things AI War. Much of the polish the game has received has been a collaborative effort between Arcen and their community.
With the nature of the constant evolution and updating to the game, there is a lot of information that is out of date on the wiki, sadly. Still the general concepts of the game haven't changed much and the broader topics can give you a lot of good advice to get you moving in the right direction.
Now here is a sampling of some of AI War's amazing soundtrack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mMwU4whp4A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p84EnzxajWI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVSlZcybrI8
Drake on
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This expansion pack brings to life the first alien faction in the game that the player can encounter, the Zenith Remnant. This is the remains of a long gone galactic empire that achieved amazing technological heights. As far as the Zenith themselves go, not much is known about them or their culture, since they do not leave their ships. It has been theorized that the ships are perhaps the Zenith themselves, since they all seem to display biological components as well as technological.
Here are the features in brief;
* 122 new ships, including:
* 14 new ship classes with a variety of abilities.
* 7 massive capturable "Golem" ships.
* Dozens of other new capturables, including "experimental" ships.
* 14 new AI Types.
* 4 Zenith alien minor factions (NPCs).
* Over 40 minutes of new in-game music tracks.
* Several new map styles.
* Several new AI behaviors and many related special AI weapons.
Children of Neinzul introduces the second alien faction in the game. The vast majority of the Neinzul species measure their lifespan in the space of hours. Insectoid and highly individualistic between their various Enclaves they introduce a chaotic element into the galaxy. Wandering Enclaves can befriend who they like and follow their own agendas, or maintain a fierce independence, assaulting all they encounter. The Neinzul Preservation Wardens worship the natural splendor of the galaxy, and will attempt to destroy any that they consider defilers of its beauty. Since the AI gathers its resources elsewhere the player receives the full focus of their wrath.
All profits from this expansion go directly to Child's Play, so it has a special place in my heart. The smallest of all the expansions, it still packs a hefty amount of features.
* 36 new ships, including:
* 5 new ship classes with a variety of abilities.
* Enclave Starships and Regeneration Chambers for direct unlock.
* 6 new AI special weapons.
* 6 new AI Types.
* 3 Neinzul alien minor factions (NPCs).
* Devastating new Hybrid Hives AI plot.
* 3 new in-game music tracks.
* Two new map styles: X and Concentric Circles.
Light of the Spire is the third and final expansion to introduce an alien faction. The Spire were at their height at the outbreak of the AI War. Their civilization was nearly destroyed when the AI decided to include them in their war of genocide against humanity. While the AI's surprise attack was largely successful, the Spire were at the height of their power when the AI struck. The survivors are now in hiding and regrouping. COntact is inevitable. Proceed with caution.
This expansion pack is the first to introduce a new path to victory. THis is the expansions primary feature but it doesn't slack in other areas. This new set of victory conditions plays out as a campaign seeded within AI War's standard campaign. You can follow this campaign as you see fit, once started down the path you won't be commited to completing it. Those that do however will receive power beyond their wildest dreams.
* 180 new ships, including massive "spirecraft" (larger than starships, smaller than golems).
* Nine new bonus ship classes featuring oversized starship-like spire ships.
* New Defender campaign type that allows for a way to play shorter sessions.
* New AI weapons: Beachheads AI Plot, 4 core guard posts, and 10 guardians.
* Exciting Fallen Spire story-based campaign-within-a-campaign. Alternate way to win!
* New in-game music tracks.
These three packs comprise the most essential expansions in the game. I consider them must-haves for anyone who wants to get the most out of the game.
Ancient Shadows introduces Champions. These starships are immortal, can level up and augment their impressive array of firepower and defenses as they gain experience. The bulk of this experience is gathered on the other side of unstable wormholes that only a Champion can travel through. Once on the other side the Champion will encounter a scenario that plays out with its own victory conditions and rewards based on how successful the player is in achieving victory. Any player can opt to play a Champion in coop, including forgoing the command of a fleet. This is a great role for a co-op partner that isn't interested in running the war at large.
* A whole new kind of human player. It's possible to control champions alongside your main fleet, or to have a friend or family member control just one single massive ship.
* Several new sub-races dwelling in the backwater parts of the galaxy for your champions to interact with.
* Modular fortresses.
* 9 new bonus ship classes.
* 3 core AI guard posts and one new minor faction.
* 2 new AI types.
* 2 new map types.
* 98 minutes of awesome new music by Pablo Vega.
This expansion aims to increase the already formidable capabilities of the AI. This is for those of us who just can't get enough of an ass kicking. The player isn't left out though, and receives some new toys of their own. Some features of this upcoming expansion includes the new Dual AI type, a single AI that carries the features of two separate AI types, for even more sadistic emergent behaviors. Also there will be a new full-frontal victory condition that revolves around Showdown Devices. I'm sure it'll be exciting. And most likely painful.
* 8 new AI types, from the honorable "Chivalric" which refuses to harass your Advanced Factories and other irreplaceables to the bleedingly-hard "Vicious Exotic" which eschews normal waves in favor of hammering you with massive Exogalactic Attacks.
* 2 new Map styles: Wheel and Honeycomb.
* 6 new Bonus Ship Types, from the modular Protector Starship to the hilarious "space dock artillery cannon" Neinzul Railpod.
* 2 new optional AI Plots: Hunter (which brings the AI's Special Forces from strong to nightmarish) and Shark.
* 5 new Core Guard Posts to defend the AI homeworlds.
* 7 new Guardian types to add variety to the AI's heavier units.
* 28 new achievements.
* More awesome music from Pablo Vega!
So, as you can see, this isn't simple DLC that adds a new story mission, or skins for existing ships or any of that other bunk you so often see these days. These are the real deal style expansions of ye olden Gold Age of PC Gaming days of yore. Each one of these alone contains enough content that would justify a full blown sequel. Put them all together and it becomes apparent why AI War is nearing Version 7.0.
I liken AI War to the end of the book Ender's Game. It's about the closest thing you can get to interstellar combat at such a grand scale, with such overpowering odds. Victory in AI War feels so sweet because you will have earned every single inch of ground you gain. Defeat will make you feel like Custer or the Charge of the Light Brigade, as the enemy forces close in and wipe you out.
Did I mention that AI War also has amazing co-op? The odds are pitted so much against you, that having multiple people commanding individual groups against the enemy may be the only way you can survive.
Great game... I only wish my backlog wasn't so filled up, so I can play another huge, multi-hour massive campaign.
I also should give this game another go. I played like an hour and felt the scope and depth you mentioned above.
Origin: Broncbuster
Yeah, I have literally hundreds of games just on Steam that I should probably be playing. Especially since I have hundreds of hours in AI War already. But nope, I'm about to hit the mid-game in my current AI War campaign and it's all I think about pretty much when I think about gaming. AI War has definitely destroyed my ability to enjoy other RTS games. Well, except for the Dawn of War series, because GrimDark, and they offer enjoyable micro and small unit tactics, which is pretty much the opposite of what AI War is all about.
Also this is the first time I've heard something about Ender's Game that has made me actually want to read it. :P
Steam (Ansatz) || GW2 officer (Ansatz.6498)
DS Friend code: 3840-6605-3406
:edit: ok looking closer it's not out yet, just on the way.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
Wooden Spoon on Steam
3DS: 1005-8709-0277
Only had time to play one campaign against one of the easier AI types, and attempted to conquer all the planets and just move up my defensive lines as I spread out. Ended up bieng picked apart by the AI once I pissed it off enough, really pounded home the tutorial lesson of not trying to conquer everything. (I also died in tutorial trying to assault the enemy superstronghold you are supposed to ignore :P).
Next, you should make your first game a basic game. Turn off any expansions you have installed, select Difficulty 3 or 4, use Easy AI opponents, select simple ship types, make sure there are no Minor Factions or AI Plots enabled. Remember, the 'P' key is the pause key. Use it. Use it a lot. Read tooltips on the AI's units and facilities. Many of them are unique to the AI and can drastically affect what's going on with the tactical situation on a system by system basis.
And DO NOT select a low amount of planets for your campaign. This is counter intuitive until you understand how the game works but trust me on this. If you go below thirty planets you are turning the game into a cage match against two 8000 lb Gorillas. So I suggest 40-60 planets on your first game. This will give you decent buffer between your core worlds and the AI's. It'll spread out objective facilities and capturables. This can increase the odds in the defense of essential, captured AI facilities and it will decrease the odds on things like concentrations of the higher tech, nastier AI worlds.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
A Steam key will be added to the bundle on release. In the meantime just download the standalone beta package, install it to AI War and play. Steam won't care.
if it does
if it kills me
i will haunt you
You may find the article on how to neuter AI planets interesting. Also false alarm distractions is relevant here. That whole broad topic on AI Reinforcements is pretty informative over all.
@Magic Pink I did the standalone installation thing for Ancient Shadows until just recently with out any problems. When I got my Steam key from Arcen I just added it, Steam scanned the directory and was like, "yep it's all here" and then let me go about my business.
Arcen has sent off the Steam keys to the Royale Bundle people so keep an eye on out for them on the bundle's key and download page. They should show up there within a day or so.
Also, I'm looking forward to your impressions Basil. Let us know what you think.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UHBbznzzf0E
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
Plus, I really need to be on a team so I can hold you guys back and make poor decisions.
Origin: Broncbuster
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
It seems neat from what little time I've spent with it so far, but there's one thing that has always puzzled me about this game.
Everyone always talks up how brilliant the AI is in this game. But...how can you tell? The AI, by design, does not behave like a human who is playing to win. Narratively speaking, it's supposed to act like it's busy with other factors outside of the galaxy and treats the human remnants as an extremely low priority. But these factors are just an abstraction; they exist outside the scope of the game world and are not simulated. Which begs the question: if the limitations placed on the AI's behavior are abstract and largely inscrutable, then how do you know whether or not it's making the best decisions it could be making under those limitations?
I mean, I haven't even scratched the surface of this behemoth, so I certainly have no reason to claim that the AI isn't good. But I feel like if it made a brilliant maneuver right in front of my face I wouldn't be able to tell.
One of my favorite examples of a great maneuver by the AI occurred during a campaign where I was driving hard at a Fallen Spire victory. I had been lazy with some of the defenses behind the front of my core systems. After a pretty nasty Exogalactic Strikeforce punched a hole in this front the AI rapidly exploited the vulnerability. First it sent through a nice big force of AI Eyes, a ship that has cloaking capability. It rapidly discovered my homeworld's location, analyzed the route and defenses and dispatched a large force of Etherjets into my territory. I was distracted trying to root out the damn AI Eyes, so I was caught flatfooted as the Etherjet force whipped in through the wormhole in sufficient numbers to clog up my tractor turrets, allowing the bulk of them to run up to my defending fleet and using their own tractor beams, haul the bulk of the fleet away. At the exact moment this is going on it bought in Raider starships that were camped on the other side of the wormhole. Raiders can bypass forcefields, of which I had three parked on my home Command Center. Passing directly through the forcefields they destroyed my command center in less than a second. This occurred in rapid succession. This chain of events played out within moments. As soon as the AI spotted an exploitable vulnerability it completely wiped me out with a surgical strike, utilizing special units with specific capability. Of course different difficulty levels, optional factors and AI types will have different outcomes.
If you want more examples, check out some of the stories in this thread at the Arcen AI War forum.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
Love the strategy and the AI is truly interesting.
Multiplayer would be fun! At the moment my strategy involves zerging like a madman early on to wall off a portion of a galaxy so that I can funnel the AI through one world.
The new XPack seems a little OP at first blush... Using that Hero ship to brutalise the enemy early on is a little too easy... Though I am only playing on 7 difficulty...
And yeah NEO|phyte, VotM is all about ramping the AI up into an even nastier force. The player gets some new toys to compensate but overall it sounds like the AI gets the beefiest upgrades in the pack.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
Warframe/Steam: NFyt