A galaxy you have already lost
AI War 2 is a grand strategy and real-time strategy hybrid where you start with a single small planet in a galaxy that mostly belongs to the AI. Expanding draws attention, so the core loop is quiet growth: pick targets carefully, take just enough territory to fuel your fleets and defenses, then build up for a strike at the heart of the AI. The AI has been made more devious every year since 2018, and the surrounding factions have grown more numerous and lifelike. Along the way you manage fleets, science upgrades, and a hacking system that can grant ships, weaken or steal from enemies, and give fleet leaders unusual upgrades or transform them into new versions of their class. Optional factions with their own goals keep the galaxy feeling alive, and a wide range of map types with sub-options keeps campaigns varied.
Playing together with friends
Online co-op lets your group take on the AI as a shared campaign. The simulation runs in a massively parallel fashion on modern multi-core processors, and multiplayer is designed to stay in sync regardless of each player's framerate, so someone running at 120fps and a friend at 30fps both see the same battle unfold at the same speed. The simulation speed can be sped up or slowed down without extra CPU load, and you can pause at will, which makes coordinating decisions across the group much easier. Multiplayer is currently in beta, and it is built to be self-repairing, which helps when friends are on different operating systems and hardware, and when mods are in play. Mod support is heavily embraced, including mods that are multiplayer-safe and have deep access to the core simulation.
Before you start
The game is meant to be both accessible and deep, and you choose your own level of challenge. Recent changes made the midgame easier to get into for new players, softened the Science system, and strengthened Hacking. An Expert mode adds permanent loss and reasons to hold disadvantageous positions, while a more forgiving casual style keeps the macro choices interesting without the pressure. The interface automates the routine decisions so you can spend your attention on fleet design, multiple fronts, and revising your empire as the campaign unfolds, with advanced controls available when you want them. There is too much to memorize, so tooltips are always on hand, and clicking fast will not carry you. Expect to improvise and adapt as the situation changes.