Super units are a controversial topic in RTS; some people love super units while others hate them. Some RTS games handle super units well, while in others they’re obnoxious. RTS vary a lot in their focus, and by extension, so does the implementation of super units. There’s no singular right way to handle super units, but there are some universal ways on how to bugger it up and have them end up annoying, cheesy or feeling unfair. First let's start with some definitions so we're on the same page. I define an RTS super unit to be a singular end-game unit with massive power or impact compared to regular units. There’s a distinction to make between super units and heroes, heroes are generally available and weak in the early game but scale up in strength over time. A super unit is something like the Redeemer in Command & Conquer 3, the Baneblade in Dawn of War and Tiger Tank in Company of Heroes. I’d also consider experimentals/juggernauts in Supreme Commander/Escalation to be super units despite the lack of a unit cap because of their huge cost and power relative to standard units, unlike a Battlecruiser in StarCraft.

First of all, why should an RTS even bother with super units if they may come off as frustrating? Simply, players love controlling cool big flashy toys. We enjoy the power fantasy of unleashing massive carnage and destruction and that’s why super weapons like Nukes are also a common part of the genre. According to Brandon Casteel: “I like super units in RTS more than superweapons because it forces you to work within constraints like unit caps, and because it’s often something you have to risk to use well.” Superweapons are fun for the player using them, but never for the player suffering from it. Fun in RTS games should never come at the direct expense of the other player, (unless that other player is the AI then go nuts!) it should be a mutual collaboration of interaction and counter-play. Super units, if done properly, are a way of enabling the destructive power fantasy but while also leaving room for other players to respond. “Damn I almost destroyed that Baneblade” feels much fairer and generates tension compared to “My entire base just got deleted by a Nuke.”

 

So how do we ensure super units are fun and not frustrating? Most importantly, they should play by the same rules as other units in the game. Super units can have unique qualities and quirks, but they feel unfair and “cheap” if they have odd exceptions to things that define the game or even the genre. Breaking game rules happens when super units are free, don’t take up population cap or have no counters in a game of hard counters. This frustrating design can be seen in Dawn of War 3 where Super units (and all other elite call-ins) do not cost the main resources of Requisition and Power. Whenever something is free in cost or population it removes the entire decision making process of whether or not you should deploy them at the expense of regular units. Free units, especially super units, also deliver sudden and massive power spikes.

Company of Heroes has also been guilty of some free or low-cost super units. In Company of Heroes 1 heavy tanks only cost Requisition and not Fuel. The lack of fuel cost is frustrating for the opponent because despite deliberating starving the enemy of fuel and keeping them pinned in their base, a King Tiger can still show up out of nowhere and push you back. Super units “not playing by the same rules” can also be done in gameplay mechanics, such as if Tiger Tanks were immune to mines or had free repairs without needing Engineers. It’s about meeting expectations and ensuring skillful play is rewarded; the Hexapod in C&C3 can be cheesy and frustrating because it may get caught out of position, only for it to instantly teleport out. It’s a delicate dichotomy to manage but you want super units to be unique while playing by the same rules as everything else, some judgement is needed to do it properly. Think of it this way, you can give super units new abilities and quirks but not take away vulnerabilities, or instead give them a new vulnerability. Heavy tanks in Company of Heroes can crush through forests and tank traps, Juggernauts in Ashes of the Singularity have infinite veterancy levels and some experimental units in Supreme Commander are mobile unit factories.

 

 

C&C3 is a great example of super units (aside from some of the Hexapod cheese) as they still fit into the rock/paper/scissors(RPS) interaction by being weak against masses of Rocket Infantry. However, the super units can be garrisoned to give them powerful turrets to shut down infantry, or grant other attack types and bonuses depending on the type of unit garrisoned. The customization is a cool mechanic for a few reasons, but its potential to break RPS of super units means they’re primarily countered by another means, EMP abilities. Every faction has access to some kind of EMP unit such as Raider Buggies and Grenadiers, and I love the mechanic because utilizing EMP makes engagements tactical and climactic. EMP unit upgrades was introduced into the Kane’s Wrath expansion pack alongside the super units, so instead of having super units with no counters or a regular counter, they made them more interesting by widening the counter system to include a new mechanic. I love EMP because it’s not just a pure RPS counter, EMP works against any vehicle but the massive size of super units makes EMP’s easy to land on them. Another great example is the Colossus in StarCraft 2, it’s more of a tier 3 unit rather than “super” but I love how it’s countered by anti-air weapons. One caveat is that no matter how well designed you think super units are, some players are probably just going to hate them regardless. Give players the option to disable super units in their skirmish & multiplayer games!

If super units have counters then it’s crucial that they can be scouted like anything else. The most common method of scouting super units is a specific production structure required to produce them, this also creates a vulnerability that can be destroyed to prevent the unit from spawning. Giving players some warning also makes their arrival feel fairer and less frustrating. C&C3 has a map-wide announcement when one is built: “The Redeemer has risen!” Or gracefully from the Scrin’s Hexapod: “BLERRRRRGHH!” I personally find the global announcement over the top as it means players generally don’t have to scout since build/upgrade times are fast in C&C3. (Unlike StarCraft 2 where scouting is critical because of long tech transition times). A better approach is in Company of Heroes where every vehicle has an engine noise that can be heard approaching through the fog of war. Heavy tanks like the Tigers are especially loud and distinct, which gives attentive players several seconds to retreat or reposition, rather than a global notification give a minutes notice to build a counter. The engine noises are fun because it’s immersive and intimidating, this could also be done with loud THUDS or shaking as a giant walker is approaching.

 

 

A personal frustration of mine is all-or-nothing situations that can occur. If a super unit barely survives with 2% health it shouldn’t just then immediately kill you and end the game. As cool as the experimentals are in Supreme Commander are, they have very annoying qualities. Not only do they have very fast regeneration, but they get massive flat health spikes with veterancy where suddenly ~10,000 health is gained. Escalation does juggernaut veterancy better where the 5% health gain is affected by missing health, so there’s very small combat heals. Even more radical approaches can be taken, I love the design of the Bloodthirster in Dawn of War 1. Once the Bloodthirster is built it takes damage when it’s not in combat, your only choice is to throw it into the meat grinder until it's destroyed! The Hexapod in C&C3 gains resources from nearby destroyed units which encourages the player to use it aggressively. Adding elements of risk/reward can be a lot more interesting than playing ultra-safe with super units. Why not only have temporary super units? There’s a lot that can be done with super units to make them more interesting than just a very big tough unit. Though it’s fine to have simple anti-everything super units so long as that’s normal for the game. Aside from air/anti-air/artillery, Supreme Commander and its experimentals have no counter system because it’s a game about economic and production management

Super units don’t have to just be about raw power. C&C Generals have Commandos which are very fragile but have devastating utility with stealth. The Black Lotus has no attacks but can capture structures and disable vehicles, while Jarmen can snipe infantry and decrew enemy vehicles, allowing for capture with friendly infantry. The non-lethal vulnerability states of these Commando abilities is a lot more tactical, and the micro emphasis is consistent with the focus of the game. Super units have so much more potential than simply tough attack-move units, but they shouldn’t make regular units obsolete which Jarmen is guilty of. Avoiding overlap is crucial, the more viable choices you have at all times the more exciting a game is to play. Immediately rebuilding a super unit every time it dies is not interesting, which Generals is also guilty of since Commandos are not very expensive.

 

 

In summary, super units provide a fun power fantasy through which players unleash massive destruction. Unlike super weapons such as nukes, super units, if designed properly, are interactive, risky, generate tension and are still fun for the opponent to deal with. Super units should not be a no-brainer, they should be a strategic decision and investment as much as anything else. If one exists, super units should fit into a counter system allowing players to properly deal with them. Super units can have additional quirks and features to make them unique, but they should play by the same game rules as regular units and not have less vulnerabilities. They should be priced to reflect their power so the opportunity cost is fair, unless they’re overly cost-efficient to compensate for some other weaknesses. Avoid all-or-nothing situations when super units have fast regeneration/heals and make sure super units aren’t just being used in boring ultra safe ways. Super units can be about utility rather than just raw power, especially if the game focuses on micro and utility. Ultimately, fun in multiplayer RTS games should never come at the expense of the other player. Always think about how will this super unit be fun and fair for all players, not just the player wielding it.

I love the juggernaut design in Escalation and have a lot of thoughts on them, I may do another Dev Journal all about them. What do you think of the juggernauts, and what are your favorite super units in RTS?

Cheers
-Callum

Plutus offers a very defensive position for your colony. Multiple long plateaus provide the perfect place for turrets. But there are multiple locations outside of this defensive ring that you will need to make hard choices about. That Fission Reactor provides valuable energy. There was a Metal Refinery on the map, it was destroyed by the transport dropping scarabs beside it. And an Outpost in a vulnerable position.

You don't have to defend them all to win, you only need your colony to survive. But you will need to make some hard decisions. Should you upgrade that Metal Refinery to increase its output? Can you keep it alive long enough to make that investment worthwhile? Are you willing to spread out your anti-air to protect your resources, or do you consolidate them around your colony? Do you deploy Milton to guard your Fission Reactor, or keep him to block a choke point and maximize the damage the surrounding towers do?

That's all part of what makes it interesting and I am always surprised when I see players approaching it with different strategy, towers and upgrades than I have (often they are much more successful than me).

It's also worth noting that we have updated the icons and particle effects for the next beta and you can see some of that here. Lot's of great stuff is on its way.

We have a long list of new units, towers, upgrades and missions coming for you. But I wanted to talk about one of my favorite enemies that we have been playing with, the Hive.

The Hive is a heavy unit with formidable defenses and shields. But what sets it apart is that it produces flying "Wasp" units that take off and head toward your colony. Since they are flying, they ignore the terrain and had directly for you while the Hive follows the path.

The most strategically interesting part of the design is that the Wasps flight paths change based on how far you let the Hive get. You either need to take out the Hive quickly, or build air defenses along their changing path.

Flak cannons are great at destroying the individually weak air units they produce, but in the next update we have differentiated the Icarus Missiles and Flak Cannons from each other by dropping the cost and range of the Flak cannons and giving Icarus Missiles greater range and cost. I tend to go with Icarus Missiles because the greater range helps against the changing paths, but that only works as long as there aren't enough Hive's to overwhelm them.

I'm going to be posting more about other new units, towers, upgrades and missions. But for now I could use some feedback from you. We added a new unit, the Hooded Turbine. It is a fast shielded unit that rushes toward your colony. I love the art and the mechanic, but I kinda hate the name. Any suggestions?

Time: 14^th July, 1 PM (1300) EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)

Lobby Name: Metal Mayhem

Slots: 6-10

Type: Team PVP

Settings: Normal settings, VPs off.

This Sunday we will be playing Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation. All skill levels are welcome. To have the best chance of joining please show up a little before the event official start time. We will be on the live build of Ashes for maximum stability + players.

Voice and text chat will be provided by the Ashes discord server.

Star Control Settlement, Game Updates and Strategy Guides

 

Have a suggestion for articles or content submissions included in a future edition? Leave it in the comments below or as a direct message on Discord.

 

The Horizon

 

Star Control: Origins v1.4 Update Improves Visuals and Increases Performance

 

 

v1.4 is here with significant visual improvements, including updated planet visuals, adjustments to creature colors, and improvements to planet terrains.

 

Planets are now far more detailed than it was in the game’s previous versions thanks to enhanced terrain textures and lighting. Improvements to the terrain rendering system have also allowed for better frame rates and performance. Textures on props found on various planets like tentacle plants, mushrooms, bones, and more, have also been improved for more visual appeal.

 

Community requests have been addressed regarding bugs with the particle sorting and crashing. The game’s lore has also been updated. The aliens previously known as the Observers will now be canonically called the Arilou, and the ships they pilot will be renamed accordingly.

 

Read the full post for the changelog.

 

This latest update is available to all owners of Star Control: Origins for free!

Continue Reading...

Star Control: Origins v1.4 Update Improves Visuals and
Increases Performance
View the complete changelog below!

v1.4 is here with significant visual improvements, including updated planet visuals, adjustments to creature colors, and improvements to planet terrains.

Planets are now far more detailed than it was in the game’s previous versions thanks to enhancing terrain textures and lighting. Improvements to the terrain rendering system have also allowed for better frame rates and performance. Textures on props found on various planets like tentacle plants, mushrooms, bones, and more, have also been improved for more visual appeal.

Community requests have been addressed regarding bugs with the particle sorting and crashing. The game’s lore has also been updated. The aliens previously known as the Observers will now be canonically called the Arilou, and the ships they pilot will be renamed accordingly.

Star Control: Origins is available on Steam, GOG, or Stardock for $29.99. For more details, visit the forums or www.starcontrol.com.

 

v1.4 Changelog

Visuals

• Updated planet surface textures to be more detailed.
• A small improvement of the terrain rendering system to improve the frame rate.
• Improved lighting of the planet surface
• Improved the textures on many props (glowing tentacles, glowing mushrooms, bones )
• Make the Bull critter appearance a bit brighter
• Improved the lander texture to make the windows stand out better
• Updated the magma hazard visual effect to improve performance

Bugs

• Listener orientation is no longer backward in a true 5.1 setup
• Fix for some particles not being properly aligned to the surface
• Fix for particle sorting and disappearing issue
• Fixed several crashes related to the particle effects trying to escape the bounds of known reality.  

Lore

• The "Observers"  are now known as the "Arilou"

Stardock, Paul Reiche to Team Up on Next
Star Control Game and Beekeeping

Dispute settlement paves way for new games, new DLC, and lots of honey

 

Plymouth, MI. - June 11, 2019 - Game Developers Stardock Entertainment, Paul Reiche and Fred Ford have amicably settled the dispute concerning the tangled intellectual property rights that surrounded the 30-year old game franchise.

In a statement released by Paul Reiche on their website, Mr. Reiche wrote, "Paul and Fred have offered to volunteer their own creativity to Origins by teaming up with Brad to create some new aliens and plot lines for Stardock's future Star Control games."

The settlement agreement, while itself confidential, expressly makes the terms available to the public.

"Paul and I both insisted to the lawyers that the terms should not be confidential," said Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock.  "We really wanted to make sure the fans didn't have to speculate on how we came together on this and that it was genuinely something that resulted in both sides getting what they wanted out of the situation."

The dispute revolved around the murky dividing line between what trademarks cover and what copyrights cover. Stardock claimed the trademarks to the classic series and Paul Reiche claimed the copyrights. The issue came to a head when both parties announced new games that appeared related to Star Control.

After a year of litigation, the dispute was ultimately solved by Reiche calling Wardell directly, bypassing the lawyers, and the two finding a lot of common ground on a wide range of topics ranging from game design to beekeeping.

"The magic trick to resolving this was just picking up the phone and calling each other directly," said Reiche. "Brad suggested this back in 2017 and it worked! By talking directly to each other, we were actually able to put something together that we both liked before all the legal mumbo-jumbo got in the way."

Once the two talked about what each really cared about, coming to a resolution was swift.

"We figured out what we wanted in just a couple hours of talking," said Wardell. "The rest of the time was the lawyers smithing out exact, agonizingly precise, verbiage. That took much longer. Usually these things claim to be amicable but it's just both sides trying to spin things. In this case, it really was amicable."

The agreement itself, in true Star Control fashion, includes a substantial amount of levity.

"We added a section in which I'll be working with Paul on beekeeping. He's going to send me some meade, I'm going to send him some honey," said Wardell.  "I don't think the lawyers were particularly enthusiastic about us incorporating some of this into the agreement. I did a tutorial video on beekeeping I was going to send over but got stung in the video, so thought better than to actually send it."

With respect to the specific terms, the classic Star Control games will return for sale on Steam and GOG as they were before, along with the alien music DLC that had been removed while the teams resolved the IP questions.

In addition, the trademark and copyright questions were put to rest with the agreement spelling out the copyrighted IP that Reiche and Ford care about along with the trademarks that Stardock cares about, with each party agreeing to respect these boundaries in their use in the future.

Star Control: Origins is available on Steam and GOG for $29.99. The expansion pack, Earth Rising, is due to be completed this Fall. Stardock and Paul Reiche plan to begin work on the new Star Control game together this Fall.

More information and details will become available in the near future as Brad, Paul and Fred will be hanging out at E3 together and meeting with the press to discuss the future of games, the fascinating yet unintuitive way the legal system works, and anything else that comes up.

To read the full release, visit here.

The homepage for Star Control is www.starcontrol.com

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation v2.8 Update Improves Visual Clarity
and Brings Extensive Balance Updates

We're launching an update today that improves the game's visual quality and balance. By making colors more vibrant and scaling up the size of many units and buildings, we hope to help distinguish and communicate each unit's functionality for new players. We’ve also made additional minor visual tweaks and slightly adjusted the camera angle so it’s less top-down and more tilted.

v2.8 has many balance changes to make dreadnoughts more viable and better equalize the power of each faction's orbital abilities. 

See the full change log below!

Don't have Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation?
Buy from Steam |  Buy from Stardock | Buy from GOG

Owners, the v2.8 update is ready and waiting for you in your Steam client.

v2.8 Change Log

 

Gameplay

We’re scaling up the size of many units and buildings to help distinguish and communicate the unit's functionality to those who are new to the title. We’ve also slightly adjusted the camera angle so it’s less top-down and more titled. It’s minor, but helps distinguish unit silhouettes by making things look more 3D.

• Unit and building sizes increased

To compensate for size increases:

• Units are created with more distance between them.
• Unit spacing increased
• Updated Collision boxes and collision avoidance behavior. 

 

Visuals

We’ve slightly adjusted the camera angle so it’s less top-down and more titled. It’s minor, but helps distinguish unit silhouettes by making things look more 3D.

• Modified camera angle at medium to close zoom levels.
• Increased size of explosions.
• Unit hover pods are no longer affected by player color.
• Improved Terran morning lighting.
• Improved deformable terrain around buildings.
• Improved the colors on buildings.
• Reduced emissives intensity

 

Balance

This update has many balance changes, in particular aimed at making dreadnaughts more viable and better equalizing the power of each faction's orbital abilities. Balance is overall in a good spot so these are mostly small changes.

Atlas

• Damage increased from 15 to 16

Archer

• Health reduced from 90 to 80

Tormentor

The Tormentor was too lacking in a role and will now be an excellent way of dealing with Archer spam. Previously Substrate could have issues dealing with mass frigates.

• Damage increased from 75 to 80

Reaper

This should see Reaper blobs clump up less to dive after a cruiser and make it less vulnerable to splash damage.

• Targeting priorities changed to engage all targets equally

Drone Hive

Drones will no longer get one-shot by the Atlas frigate as it was too easy to shut down.

• Radioactives cost reduced from 90 to 80
• Drone health increased from 15 to 20

Apollo

• Metal cost from 310 to 350
• Radioactives cost from 46 to 66

Destructor

• Plasma Rain Launcher damage increased from 13 to 14

Caregiver

The Caregiver and Regenerator are receiving a small performance boost to give Substrate more of a chance to withstand Artillery Post bombardment as well as mitigate Plasma Storm and EMP Pulse.

• Regeneration increased from 40 to 45

Avatar

PHC have two engineer spawn abilities, so they naturally will ramp up less by mixing it between both of them. Also a QoL change for the Avatar as it would often engage enemies and move out of build range as a result.

• Leash removed - It will no longer move to engage
• Quanta cost ramp up reduced from 0.25 to 0.20

Dreadnoughts

Typically players cruiser spam into air and juggernauts while skipping dreads. We want to make dreads tougher to have them see more use.

• Retributor, Cronus, Hyperion and Overmind health increased from 14,000 to 15,000
• Savager and Prometheus health increased from 16,000 to 17,500

Eye of Darkness

This change was supposed to be in 2.76 but was accidentally not included. This will make turtling up and rushing the Eye while skipping dreadnought production much riskier.

• Metal cost increased from 22,000 to 24,000
• Radioactives cost increased from 22,000 to 23,000
• Quanta cost increased from 12,000 to 13,000
• Logistics cost increased from 300 to 325
• Build time cost increased from 900 to 1000

Instigator

The Instigator was underperforming and will now be able to clear creeps with its weapon.

• Now has a weak laser
• Acceleration increased from 600 to 800
• Cost reduced from 350/80 to 250/60
• Logistics reduced from 10 to 6
• Build time reduced from 40 to 35

Hades

The Hades Bomber was the only non-fighter that came in a squadron of 3. This created balance problems where Hades flocks would shrug off Air Eliminators but then get deleted by splash such as the Falcon. We are reducing the squadron size to 1 and tweaking it to compensate so that it is more consistent against other anti-air types. Reducing the squadron size will also fix the targeting issue of the Hades sometimes not dropping its bombs.

• Squad size reduced from 3 to 1
• Hades will no longer pass without dropping bombs
• Damage increased from 60 to 75
• Health increased from 625 to 1200
• Metal cost reduced from  270 to 220
• Radioactives cost reduced from 190 to 150
• Logistics cost reduced from 9 to 7
• Build time reduced from 45 to 40

Artillery Post

The Artillery Post was too spammable in certain maps, especially team games.

• Minimum range increased from 200 to 500
• Maximum range reduced from 3000 to 2800

Regenerator

• Regeneration increased from 30 to 35

Carving Turret

PHC had too many Orbital Abilities that could influence cruiser engagements while Substrate only had Drone Swarm. Carving Turret is now only able to engage Dreadnaughts and Juggernauts to even out PHC’s orbital advantage.

• Can no longer target frigates, cruisers and buildings

Drone Swarm

Drone Swarm was shut down too easily by armies that had modest amounts of anti-air.

• Drone health increased from 15 to 30
• Health per second increased from -0.5 to -1 (To retains its 30 second life)

Nanite Assassination

While expensive and limited to only a single target, players may wish to use this ability to snipe a Hera, Engineer or other crucial units like a sieging Artemis.

• Can now target cruisers
• Damage type changed to direct for instant killing.

Plasma Storm

Plasma Storm was too impactful so we have reduced its damage per second and slightly increased its duration so players have more opportunity to escape from it or sustain through with Caregivers and Regenerators.

• Damage reduced from 15 to 10
• Duration increased from 30 to 35

 

Tooltips

• Updated Carving Turret & Nanite Assassination tooltips to reflect changes
• Removed obsolete “Armor piercing” and “Area Damage” tooltips from Artemis and Destructor main weapon.
• Removed obsolete “Targets radar contacts” from 8 weapons. (Everything can now target radar contacts)

 

Bugs

• Fixed Shader corruption bug
• Fixed a hang when starting the Benchmark
  
• Fixed Saboteur targeting issue causing it to stop firing
• Fixed a bug where Nanite Assassination would sometimes miss moving dreadnoughts.

Defenders Take Up Arms and Space is Getting Crowded

 

As a reminder, if you have any comments or would like to see something included in a future edition, you can leave it in the comments below or as a direct message on Discord.

 

The Horizon

 

Siege of Centauri Beta 2

 

 

Culminating from a series of feature updates, changes, and bug fixes, we are excited to announce the release of Beta 2 of Siege of Centauri for all early access owners!

 

Set in the Ashes of the Singularity™ universe, Siege of Centauri places the player in the role of commander of the defense of Earth's first colony on Proxima Centauri. Beta 2’s new equip screen allows players to customize the towers they bring into every mission, allowing for more meaningful strategic choices.

 

“The enemy has a wide range of units seeking to destroy your colony,” said Derek Paxton, lead designer. “Players have access to a wide array of towers, each with unique capabilities, to choose from. Beta 2 allows players to pick the towers they want to use, rather than the game deciding for them.”

 

Beta 2 also adds new missions for players to explore, including one that introduces large and powerful war machines called Dreadnoughts for the first time. They will need to overcome this powerful new challenge as they deal with the swarms of enemies already attacking their base.

 

The Early Access program is designed to allow fans to have input into game mechanics, pacing, and balance. Stardock has been releasing frequent updates based on player feedback.

 

“Weekly digital updates based on player feedback well before release lets us get to a level of balance and polish that traditionally had to wait for post-release updates,” said Paxton. “We’ve been really happy with how the fans have helped shape this game so far.”

 

Siege of Centauri is currently in Early Access on Steam and through Stardock for $9.99. The final version is expected to sell for $14.99.

 

Continue Reading...

Beta 2 is now available for the massive-scale tower defense game
Newest update adds weapon customization, new missions, and new towers

Set in the Ashes of the Singularity™ universe, Siege of Centauri places the player in the role of commander of the defense of Earth's first colony on Proxima Centauri. Beta 2’s new equip screen allows players to customize the towers they bring into every mission, allowing for more meaningful strategic choices.

“The enemy has a wide range of units seeking to destroy your colony,” said Derek Paxton, lead designer. “Players have access to a wide array of towers, each with unique capabilities, to choose from. Beta 2 allows players to pick the towers they want to use, rather than the game deciding for them.”

Beta 2 also adds new missions for players to explore, including one that introduces large and powerful war machines called Dreadnoughts for the first time. They will need to overcome this powerful new challenge as they deal with the swarms of enemies already attacking their base.

The Early Access program is designed to allow fans to have input into game mechanics, pacing, and balance. Stardock has been releasing frequent updates based on player feedback.

“Weekly digital updates based on player feedback well before release lets us get to a level of balance and polish that traditionally had to wait for post-release updates,” said Paxton. “We’ve been really happy with how the fans have helped shape this game so far.”

Siege of Centauri is currently in Early Access on Steam and through Stardock for $9.99. The final version is expected to sell for $14.99.

Visit www.siegeofcentauri.com for more information.