AI War 2:Economy

There are currently four resources used in AI War 2 currently, and here they are all explained a bit more in depth. This also explains Destruction and Ark Points a bit.

NOTE: This is outdated for 0.900: The Arrival Of Fleets, and will have to be updated. Apologies!

Metal

Metal is the primary resource in AI War 2. It is the only one required to actually construct any units. It is generated every second, and the sources can never run out.

Metal Income

Metal is usually produced by a number of structures, such as Metal Harvesters and Command Stations.

• Harvesters produce 80 metal per second, increasing by 80 for each mark upgrade, up to mark 4. Each non-Homeworld planet has 3-8 available Harvesters, and they are claimed when you capture the planet.
• The Home Command Station produce 900 metal per second, and can never be upgraded.
• Economic Command Stations produce the most out of the normal types, starting at 250 metal per second, increasing by 400 per upgrade, up to mark 4. However, they are very fragile.
• Logistics Command Stations produce a much smaller amount, starting at 60 metal per second, increasing by 20 per upgrade, up to mark 4. However, they have excellent salvage recovery (explained below).
• Military Command Stations produce the same as Logistics, but also have the worst salvage recovery of every type.
• Human Home Settlements produce 280 metal per second.
• Matter Converters actually *reduce* your metal income, consuming 500 metal per second to produce 50,000 energy, which is not very efficient!

Salvage

Whenever an enemy unit dies on a planet you control, it generates salvage. Your Command Stations can convert this salvage into metal over time at varying efficiencies. The amount a unit generates depends on how strong it was in general, i.e a Pike Guardian dying will give more salvage than a Vanguard will. You can see the salvage left on each of your planets by hovering over the Metal resource tab on the top bar.

• Home Command Stations convert 40% of the salvage into usable metal.
• Economic Command Stations convert 5% of the salvage into usable metal, increasing by 5% for each mark upgrade, up to mark 4.
• Logistics Command Stations convert 20% of the salvage into usable metal, increasing by 10% for each mark upgrade, up to mark 4.
• Military Command Stations convert 4% of the salvage into usable metal, increasing by 4% for each mark upgrade, up to mark 4.

There is an interesting amount of risk/reward regarding salvage - if a planet gets hit by large attacks often, you can collect vast amounts of salvage (and thus metal) - really boosting your economy - by using Logistics Command Stations, or if you're feeling very brave, by having attacks hit your Homeworld. This can be dangerous, as in both cases, you lack the firepower boost of the Military Command Station to help repel the attack, and in the latter, failure to defend means you lose! Though it can be worthwhile, if done correctly.

Storage

You can only hold so much metal! Each Command Station adds varying amounts of storage to your overall capacity:

• Home Command Stations add 2,000,000 metal by themselves.
• Economic Command Stations add 100,000.
• Logistics Command Stations add 300,000.
• Military Command Stations add 100,000.

Metabolization

This is an effect that some units have, mainly the Metabolizing Gangsaw, but also the Hive Golem's Yellow Jacket drones, and the War Harvester mercenary units. If one of these units damages an enemy, upon that enemies death it will give you 20% of the targets metal cost, up to 5,000 metal maximum.

This effect can mean a good chunk of your metal income can be through combat. Factions other than the player do not use the same economy, and thus gain nothing from this effect currently.

Energy

Energy is somewhat like a global cap on the amount of stuff you can have built overall. A few things add to the Energy balance, while most units, such as ships and turrets, take away. You cannot build something if it would push energy below 0.

Energy Production/Consumption

A few structures produce energy:

• Energy Collectors are limited to one per planet you control, and each produces 150,000 energy at all times, added to the available balance.
• Matter Converters produce 50,000 energy, but also consume 500 metal per second. If you have no metal left, the Converter ceases to produce anything (and thus can put you into energy debt).
• Zenith Power Generators are a rare structure you can capture, which produces 600,000 energy at all times, with no downside (but if it dies, AI Progress increases a small amount).
• Home Command Station produces 50,000 energy.
• Economic Command Station produces 10,000 energy, increasing by 10,000 for each mark upgrade.
• Logistics Command Station produces 25,000 energy, increasing by 25,000 for each mark upgrade.
• Military Command Station produces 2,000 energy, increasing by 2,000 for each mark upgrade.

Almost everything that does not produce energy will consume it.

If energy goes into the negatives, a Brownout will occur. This causes all forcefield generators to stop functioning for 60 seconds, even if the brownout ends before that.

Science

Science is a resource that is gathered by Science Labs for a finite amount of 3000 per planet. It is used to unlock new ships and structures, or higher marks of known units. There is no maximum limit for stored Science, however the total amount of Science available in a galaxy is finite.

Gathering

Science can only be gathered normally from planets that are not AI controlled, i.e do not have an AI Command Station on them. A Hacker can be used to perform a Covert Science Extraction to collect the Science from an AI held planet, at the cost of Hacking Points (more details on the Hacking page). Each planet can only give 2,000 science total, no matter how it is done.

You can gather the Science from a planet with the Science Lab unit - simply move it to the planet in question, and it'll complete with a bit of time. If you own the planet, i.e have a Command Station on it, then the Station will also gather Science for you - this is purely as a convenience factor, to alleviate the annoyance of shuffling Labs to every planet you take. Labs are the only way to get Science from a neutral planet, if you do not want to capture it for whatever reason.

Hacking Points

Hacking Points have similar restrictions to being gathered as Science does, with each planet only giving 30 Points, and being collected by a Hacker instead of a Science Lab. Command Stations will also gather this in an identical manner.

This is used to perform Hacks with the Hacker unit, specifically things like the before mentioned Covert Science Extraction, downloading an AIs Fleetship Design for your own use, Corrupting it so the AI can't build it anymore, and more. It is also used, in very small amounts to hire Mercenaries - the cost varies with each group.

More specific details on the possible Hacks, and general mechanics are on the Hacking page.

Destruction Points

Destruction Points are gained simply through combat - destroy enemy structures, and you will gain Points. Higher marks of units have a Destruction Point cost, as well as a Science cost. This means that even if you have a lot of Science, you have to choose your high-mark unlocks carefully.

Ark Points

Ark Points are similar to Destruction Points, but apply only to upgrading your Ark, if you have one. Simply destroy enemy units on the same planet as the Ark, and you will gain Points. This is somewhat like "experience points", but the Arks do not have a proper customisation system quite yet (but they will!).