AI War 2

About

AI War 2 is a large-scale indie real-time strategy game where you face off against an advanced and dynamic AI. You must manage resources, research, and a diverse fleet of ships to defend your colonies and defeat the AI. The game features a complex metagame and procedurally generated maps, providing a unique experience with each playthrough.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+11

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,786 reviews

gameplay66 positive mentions

grinding60 negative mentions

AI War 2 offers a unique blend of RTS and grand strategy, focusing on strategic decision-making rather than micromanagement.
The game features a highly intelligent AI that adapts to player actions, creating a challenging and engaging experience.
The developer is very active in updating the game and responding to community feedback, ensuring continuous improvement and new content.

The user interface can be overwhelming and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to grasp the mechanics.
Some players feel that the game has been simplified too much compared to the original, losing some of the depth and complexity.
The game can be punishingly difficult, with many players experiencing frustration from losing campaigns due to the AI's aggressive responses.

gameplay
354 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
76%
6%
The gameplay of "AI War 2" is characterized by its complex mechanics and strategic depth, requiring players to navigate a steep learning curve while managing fleets and responding to a dynamic AI threat. While the game offers a unique blend of asymmetrical strategy and minimal micromanagement, some players find the overwhelming amount of information and poorly explained mechanics to be a barrier to entry. Overall, the game is praised for its innovative approach and replayability, though it may not appeal to those seeking traditional RTS mechanics or fast-paced gameplay.
- “A masterclass in how to pull off asymmetry between the human player and the computer opponents, and one of the very few RTS games which is able to avoid the dichotomy between focusing on micro and macro gameplay.”
- “The unique tactical and strategic gameplay here is just an all-round step up from the first game.”
- “Ai War 2 requires the player to dig in and learn, sometimes through methodical reading of how specific elements interact, sometimes through the trial and error of slamming a dozen complex mechanics into each other, but if that experience is acceptable then Ai War 2 will prove a nigh-perpetual feast for the mind.”
- “However, the game as a whole is just too sloppy and the mechanics too obtuse.”
- “Having so much information on display makes the gameplay unnecessarily confusing if you are trying to learn it.”
- “The mechanics are poorly explained and even once you figure them out are very gamy and abstract.”
graphics
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
71%
4%
The graphics in "Ai War 2" represent a significant upgrade from its predecessor, transitioning to 3D visuals that enhance gameplay, though they are often described as functional rather than stunning. While some players appreciate the improved aesthetics and user interface, others criticize the graphics for feeling dated or lacking detail, with comparisons to older games. Overall, the visuals are seen as a mixed bag—adequate for gameplay but not a primary draw for those seeking high-end graphics.
- “Well, the graphics are 3D now, a distinct upgrade from the first game.”
- “The graphics are nice, the gameplay is nice, the performance is amazing, the price was nice, and I really enjoy its soundtrack.”
- “It's amazing what a graphics overhaul can do for a game like this.”
- “The graphics are decent for a 2005 RTS, and the idea of the game is fantastic, but god damn that UI.”
- “The 3D graphics are well-designed, but in a huge game like this, the polycount and texturing just can't be there, so the game ends up looking like manufactured crap.”
- “Has a cheap feeling at the moment (graphics, movement, game mechanics), and I prefer the 'worse' graphics to these jagged and lifeless 3D models.”
music
112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the extensive soundtrack that includes remastered tracks from the original game, while others find it inconsistent and not fitting for a space setting. Many players appreciate the variety and beauty of the music, although some feel it can be forgettable or even annoying, leading them to mute it in favor of their own playlists. Overall, while the soundtrack has its highlights, it also has notable shortcomings that affect the gaming experience for some players.
- “A massive amount of awesome music is in the game, including all of the tracks from the original game and its expansions, which is a whole lot.”
- “Not only that, the soundtrack is superb, and the sound design is competent.”
- “The music is very varied and enjoyable, without ever pulling you out of the game.”
- “The music is hit and miss.”
- “I turned off the music after 10 minutes; it is terrible, it doesn't fit the genre and feels like you're stuck in an elevator where the speaker magically got the ability to vomit.”
- “The soundtrack is awful; not that the music itself is bad, but it does not fit the game well in my opinion.”
replayability
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
58%
3%
The replayability of "AI War 2" is consistently praised, with reviewers highlighting its immense depth, customization options, and varied gameplay scenarios that keep each playthrough fresh and engaging. The game's unique mechanics, such as AI progression and diverse factions, contribute to a highly dynamic experience, making it suitable for both single and multiplayer modes. Overall, players find it to be a game with infinite replay value, enhanced further by downloadable content that adds even more complexity and options.
- “Unique core game concept (AI progress; opponent gets stronger when you get stronger, forcing you to take only what you really need and keeping the game interesting until the end), highly adjustable and replayable.”
- “The game only gets more and more replayable with the DLCs too, as each one adds more content in almost every aspect of the game.”
- “That said, the game has extreme replayability with numerous options to fiddle with that vastly change the balance, so you'll find yourself replaying the game again and again, win or lose, to see how you can create even more interesting scenarios.”
- “Ultimately not that much content and replay value if you don't use minor factions because you don't like to win/lose the game due to completely chaotic events where you took no part.”
- “There is a bit of a learning curve, but once mastered this 4x game offers endless replay possibilities.”
- “Takes a while to get into and a lot of time to play, but haven't seen this much replayability in a singleplayer game in a long time (and it's also multiplayer).”
grinding
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
3%
94%
Reviews indicate that while the game has streamlined many tedious elements from its predecessor, it has introduced a new layer of grinding that can detract from enjoyment, especially at higher difficulty levels. Players appreciate the automation of repetitive tasks but feel that the focus on grinding for fleet upgrades and the slow pace of combat can lead to a tedious experience. Overall, the balance between strategic decision-making and grinding remains a contentious point among players, with some missing the more engaging micromanagement aspects of the original game.
- “These are not tedious tasks; these are what allow you to customize the game to your own playstyle and are the difference between a successful run and a failed run.”
- “However, when you up the difficulty even slightly (in my case mostly to try and make the game more dynamic and have something start happening) the game becomes very grindy and not particularly enjoyable to play.”
- “As a result, optimal play is grinding your fleets up, which is very tedious.”
- “All that remains is the tedium of grinding down, taking over and then fortifying yet another system.”
story
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
87%
6%
The game's story is largely considered minimal and underdeveloped, with many reviewers noting a lack of a traditional campaign or narrative depth. While the central premise of humanity facing a space monster threat is familiar, the execution is criticized as lacking substance, leaving players to create their own emergent stories through gameplay. Overall, the absence of a rich narrative and lore, especially compared to its predecessor, has left some players feeling unfulfilled.
- “The emergent 'story of the run' of games like this, upheld by their systems-first design, is a cornerstone of the roguelike category, which sets it apart from scripted games in similar genres.”
- “Removed, letting you concentrate on the unfolding story you create as you play.”
- “The plot and idea is charming, but the execution sucks.”
- “The plot has been done before - big space monster threat (the 'AI') has humanity down - but the plucky human fleet has a little corner of the galaxy to explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate.”
- “You also don't get the lore and story log entries that you did in AI War 1; the story here is much more bare-bones.”
optimization
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
78%
8%
Overall, the game's optimization is highly praised, with many users noting its ability to run smoothly even on lower-end hardware while handling complex AI and large battles. Some players experienced minor performance issues, such as stuttering or freezing on older systems, but these were generally overshadowed by the game's impressive optimization techniques that maintain playable framerates. The developers have made significant improvements in network code and AI calculations, resulting in a well-optimized experience that minimizes hardware concerns for most players.
- “Oh, and did I mention the complete absence of performance issues despite tracking and rendering thousands of individual units in battle?”
- “Especially considering all the constraints placed on them -- you need a decent CPU to run this at 60 fps, but the fact that AI this deep can run on regular consumer CPUs at 60 fps is insane, and from a quick look at the modding guides & debug info, it appears the devs have optimized this game more thoroughly than any software I've ever seen.”
- “Like I said, this game is absurdly optimized, and from what resources I can find it will deliberately cut as many corners as it can to speed up calculations, just subtly enough that a normal player would never notice.”
- “Game starts stuttering, whole fleets vanish randomly or stations cannot be built.”
- “Really fun so far, but I'm playing on my older laptop (960m) and eventually the performance degraded and my computer froze.”
- “It's still very early, but my only complaint thus far is that I can no longer tell how overwhelmed I am by an AI assault wave by how badly my computer chugs because AI War 2 is orders of magnitude more optimized than AI War Classic.”
stability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with users noting that it is "a little buggy" but improving over time due to ongoing patches and updates from the developers. While some players have experienced minimal issues, others have highlighted specific bugs and an unintuitive stats system that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable despite its stability challenges, with many expressing optimism for future improvements.
- “The game is a bit buggy right now, but the devs are releasing patch after patch, with balance changes, bug fixes, and introducing new features.”
- “It was just too buggy and unintuitive.”
- “The community 'r-view' feature which tried to help with this is buggy and was abandoned and hidden from the UI.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its variety in music, which significantly enhances the overall experience, with some players preferring tracks from other space games for an improved feel. Visually, the game excels in style and aesthetics, with each ship contributing to a sense of grandeur that enriches the atmosphere.
- “There's great variety to the songs, and it really helps create a unique atmosphere for the game.”
- “The atmosphere of this game changes a lot when I turn off the default music and use ones from other space games like Starpoint Gemini 2; it feels much better.”
- “The atmosphere of this game changes a lot when I turn off the default music and use tracks from other space games like Starpoint Gemini 2; it feels much better.”
- “The game looks amazing in terms of style and aesthetics; each ship adds so much to the atmosphere of grandeur the game tries to set.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a playful juxtaposition of its visually appealing elements and the increasingly spreadsheet-like gameplay, which some players find amusing. Additionally, the zoom-out feature reveals comical shapes and icons for ships, adding to the lightheartedness of the experience. Overall, the humor is subtle but enhances the game's charm amidst its more serious mechanics.
- “The zoom-out feature is nice and shows funny shapes/icons for some of the ships.”
- “The game makes nice zaps and beeps too, and it looks pretty, which is funny because you play it progressively more like a spreadsheet simulator the longer the game goes on.”
- “It's amusing how looking at the shiny things becomes less and less relevant as you steamroll through defenses with a deadly super weapon like a botnet golem.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is generally viewed positively, as players appreciate that it feels like a genuine sequel rather than a cash grab, indicating a thoughtful approach to gameplay and content.
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a strong emotional response to the AI's behavior, noting a perception of intense hatred directed towards them before any threat is assessed. This evokes feelings of confusion and concern regarding the AI's emotional intelligence and motivations.