Thanks to everyone who wrote in about this. Arcen Games has released an update for A.I. War of such magnitude that I’m not sure our long-running A.I. War diary will ever be the same again.

Arcen Games describe the free 4.0 update as “unreservedly huge”, which sounds fair: 147 new ships, a new interface, total overhauling of most of the game’s rules and mechanics, updated tutorials, more advanced “teach-yourself-to-play-better” features AND a graphical overhaul. A.I. War now runs in Unity, meaning it’s not just prettier but Mac and Linux compatible. Oh, and the $4 Children of the Neinzul expansion’s been released, too. 3 new Neinzul factions, 6 new AI types, 36 new ship and 6 new AI special weapons. Christ. Trailers after the jump.



The 4.0 trailer:

…and the Children of the Neinzul trailer:

The Children of the Neinzul is, it’s worth stating, a charity expansion. Any profits go direct to Child’s Play.

If you got through all of the above without a clue as to what A.I. War is, you’ve definitely earned yourself an explanation.

Basically, it’s an indie sci-fi RTS game with a jaw-dropping maximalist bent. You don’t command tens or hundreds of units, you control thousands or tens of thousands. An obvious comparison might be the first Supreme Commander, but in terms of scale AI War blows SC out of the water in every respect. The battleground is bigger, the range of units is greater, and the whole game has a really interesting long-term tactical twist. Games of AI War can take many hours to get through, and as you upset the maniacal AI you’re playing against, the AI grows in strength and becomes more aggressive.

It’s a fascinating piece of work and absolutely worth taking a look at. Here you’ll find a demo on the game’s Steam page. If you do decide to play the demo, I offer you the best of luck. You’ll need it.