AI War II

Mechanics

The PC release of AI War II builds on the foundation set by the first installment of the series, and at the same time it introduces a large number of novelties and improvements. Yet again, players receive an RTS game, in which they command space fleets in war against powerful Artificial Intelligence units. The gameplay mechanics remain asymmetrical, which means that the foe is still much more powerful than the army at player’s disposal is, and features entirely different units than what one might remember from the previous installment. Enemy units seem to have unlimited reinforcements, so player’s task is not to annihilate the enemy but to advance systematically to consecutive strategic targets. Nonetheless, the better a player handles the enemy attacks, the more the enemy AI focuses on their faction.

The game puts an emphasis on strategy elements rather than tactics – instead of skillfully piloting a ship, players have to command entire space fleets during a military campaign that takes place all over the galaxy. During the game, one can command units representing over a hundred different types, featuring star fighters, cruisers, and gigantic mobile superweapons somewhat resembling the Death Star known from the Star Wars franchise.

The first installment in the AI War series became popular with players because of its perfect enemy artificial intelligence algorithms – AI War: Fleet Command features several enemy types, each with different nature, tactics, and combat mechanics. Upon starting the game, a player had to choose one of the AI types against which he wanted to fight. This mechanic returns in the second installment making for many diversified challenges. Additionally, the AI algorithms have been improved and now feature several new objectives and abilities. For example, the hostile AI can now assess the impact of player’s losses and use this knowledge to choose the right moment for an all-out assault. The in-game AI algorithms can adequately interpret the strategic importance of territories controlled by opposing factions and become fiercer in its attempts to retake the lost regions.

Unlike its predecessor, AI War II delivers a full 3D experience and allows players to lead to battle not only humans but also the powerful Spire faction, as well as the, missing until recently, Zenith civilization. Another significant change implemented by developers is the introduction of the 3D graphics as a replacement of, known from previous games 2D graphics. The game also puts a strong emphasis on the story layer, both in terms of the events taking place during the campaign and lore from AI War universe.

Game modes

AI War II allows players to wage a war against the artificial intelligence forces alone, as well as in a cooperative mode, in which up to 8 players can join their forces in fighting the invaders. The game, however, does not feature a PvP multiplayer mode.