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[Spikey00]

http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_features.php

AI Wars Fleet Command
Price: $19.99 USD
No DRM!

A recent game that I discovered recently, AI War Fleet Command is a space RTS that revolves around massive fleets. Players can control a fleet consisting of thousands of ships, and games can usually have 30K ships at one time. Although the game doesn't focus around graphics, it operates efficiently, allowing players who don't necessarily have a great PC to play it. Action can also be very entertaining, and the theme of the game is to defend yourself against enemy waves of attacks that grow larger and more advanced as an "AI Progress" level increases--effectively the difficulty of the game.

The game features a diverse palette of units, along with various tiers of units. Units can be as diverse as teleporting units, AOE (area of effect), units with special abilities, larger starships, and many more--starting a game allows players to choose what their starting position(s) will be, and what exclusive technologies they will inherit, diversifying player from player which can effectively change the player's role. Unit caps are exclusive to each tier level, and this is done to encourage players to keep using their lower tiers later in the game when they reach their higher tier caps.

The game is strategic, instead of "TAKE OVER AND OBLITERATE EVERYTHING!" you must be selective upon which planets to take, where to go next, and how to do so. Your decisions will affect the advancing AI Progress: "Should I destroy the Command Station and Warp Gate to take the planet but raise the AI Progress, or leave it be?" Taking a planet provides build and resource control, but may offer strategical advantages as well if it doesn't contain any other significant worth, such as guarding a chokepoint. AI Progress increases when you destroy certain structures or when a set time interval elapses--the AI will punish you depending on your actions, effectively allowing players to set their own pace of game. Necessity is key. Wait--what is AI Progress?

The AI begins with control of most of the galaxy--however, it does not attack you with everything it has. It is the theory explained by the author that Mario is not immediately crushed with everything at once from Bowser's bowels; the AI adjusts its interests and focus onto you when you begin to become more significant to it. Turtling is discouraged, as the player's objective is to attack the two AI homeworlds to emerge victorious (two customizable AI personalities and difficulties), but on the way raiding, capturing, and destroying planets. Tons of defensive structures (which some players contrast it to tower defense genres) are available to the player to protect their inner systems while they fight an offensive front, but they will have to venture out at one point of the game. What if you are playing a friend who loves to turtle, and run out of time?

Featuring a robust save system, online games can be resumed with ease, and you can easily disable that silly turtle of yours and make progress using his or her units and structures, while still preserving all of their units. Easily as reactivating their status in the game allows them to return, and with the ability to give units to players easily, new players can be invited and join in the upcoming battle.

The game is highly customizable, having tons of AI types and difficulties for the player to experience! There are even expansions coming out, and the game has a very active administrator/developer that is always active on the forums, and cares for his customers. Even though this game doesn't have such a large player base at the moment, he is prospective that this game will flourish. A lot of the ideas are obtained from the community, and suggestions are looked at to ensure the players are happy with the game.

The ONLY temporary problem at this moment for v2.000 of the game is the lack of a system where players can easily find and join games. This is at the moment, addressed by a close community on the forums, on IRC (irc.rtsnet.org/#aiwar), or on Steam. Future updates are prospective on implementing GameSpy to organize games. Players at the moment use direct IP connect, or through Hamachi (LogMeIn) VPN.

Spikey00's Rating:

9.4 / 10

Based on GAMEPLAY, EFFICIENCY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, COOPERATIVE EXPERIENCE, REPLAYABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, and COMMUNITY. One of the most entertaining and cooperative experiences I have had in a long while--with upcoming expansion packs, this will surely be one of the best RTS games.


Please see the bottom summaries and links for more information, and how to buy the game!


At A Glance
- Space-based RTS, single player or up to 8 player co-op.
- Powerful emergent AI that retreats, probes defenses, and surprises even veterans with intelligent tactics.
- 30,000+ ships at a time on 10-120 simultaneous planetary battlefields.
- Different Every Time: 16 billion procedural maps, each with specific units. - A focus on deep strategy with nearly no micromanagement.
- PC Gamer UK (November 2009): AI War breaks most of the genre’s rules. Which is precisely why it’s incredible... This out-of-the-blue one-man passion project is one of this year’s finest strategy games.

Metacritic Reviews: http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/...warfleetcommand
80 / 100 Metascore
9.2 / 10 User Score (November 05, 2009)

Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr_oSOSTfbA...player_embedded

You can play the game in trial mode until unlocked via a purchased license key. Limitations of trial mode: Campaigns are restricted to 1 hour, and only simple ship types and easier AI types are available.

System Requirements

Windows XP, Vista, or 7, 32 or 64 bit

512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
1.6Ghz CPU (2.4 Ghz recommended, Dual Core strongly recommended for Host)
300MB Hard Disk Space
Wheel Mouse for zoom (the keyboard can be used instead, but it is more awkward)
1024x768 or greater desktop screen resolution (32 bit color recommended)
Broadband Internet Connection or LAN required for multiplayer
Graphics card must support 1024x1024 textures (most 32MB and up graphics cards do).

AI War is a cooperative, space-based RTS game for 1-8 players. All players team up against two formidable AI opponents -- some of the best AI in the genre!
DRM

We've been asked if the game contains any signficiant DRM, and the answer is, emphatically, no. We've got a simple license key (which turns the trial version into the full version), but that's it. No need to contact our servers during install, no hidden drivers, no encryption, or install limits.

We want to make it easy on our customers, and, like the folks over at 2D Boy, we've never really felt like DRM works, anyway. If you like our games, please buy them so that we can make more, but we're not about to start treating our real customers like thieves just to thwart the inevitable pirates.

Purchase

http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_buy.php

[Gov]

Does not look like my cup of tea.

[Spikey00]

Generally RTS isn't your cup of tea.

[Gov]

I like good ones with broader concept. Im pretty sure we went over this.

[Spikey00]

But everyone knows that there are generally more tacticals in comparison to the more strategic!

Well, and generally a lot of those are fun, too; AI Wars is tactical and strategic.