AI War:Minor Factions

This page is a work in progress. Some information may not be up to date, difficult to read, unfinished, etc.

Minor Factions Overview

Minor factions are smaller AI forces that can be enabled in games of AI War starting with AI War 3.0. The most interesting thing about minor factions is that they can be enabled in any combination with each other, and in combination with the usual larger actual AI types. These minor factions exist on existing or player AI planets, or arrive from hiding deep space. Minor factions tend to add a bit more complexity to the game, however, so they are not recommended for new players on their first campaign or two; by default, all of the minor factions are turned off and must be turned on when players are ready for them. If new players really want a minor faction to play with, the Human Resistance Fighters, Zenith Traders, and Zenith Dyson Spheres are generally the easiest to deal with. Note that some combinations (Dark Spire and Devourer, for example) can drastically affect gameplay.

Base Game

The following pages were added in AI War 3.0

• Human Resistance Fighters
• Human Marauders
• Human Rebelling Colonies

Zenith Remnant

Added by Zenith Remnant

Zenith Traders

Zenith Traders roam about the galaxy, willing to trade with humans or AIs alike. They cannot be destroyed, and selecting them allows a player to build structures anywhere they have supply. As with regularly built structures, the energy cost is immediate, but the metal cost is linear over time, so expensive structures like superfortresses can be built even if the player cannot afford their massive price. The AI does not build the way that the player does, but will sometimes purchase upgrades or additional structures for existing AI planets.
For more information, see How Do I Work With A Zenith Trader?

Zenith Devourer

Zenith Devourers have a one-track-mind: destruction. They vacuum up smaller military ships to power their own craft. The Devourer is a massive, indestructible golem hostile to all other factions, including both the AI and the player. It roams around the galaxy, occasionally stopping at planets to attack any military units there, other times simply passing through. It targets any non-core military vessel it can see or that enters its range. It does not target the following:

• Cloaked Units
• Structures
• Nonmilitary Units
• Golems

This means that transports carrying military units will not be targeted. In the event that a player's fleet is targeted, transports can save any non-massive vessels. Spirecraft vessels will need to be protected by Cloaker Starships. As a rule, the Devourer is usually more harmful to the AI than the player, but it can be devastating if it gets into the player's logistics chain at an inopportune time.
For more information, see How Do I Survive A Zenith Devourer?

Zenith Miners

Zenith Miners are also rather destructive, but their goals are more grand: they destroy entire planets for their own selfish purposes. Periodically, sets of three mining golems will appear at three planets, generally either within player space or within two or three jumps. After half an hour, they 'nuke' the planet, destroying all resources, blocking supply, and preventing knowledge extraction. The AI will not target them, so if they go after a planet valuable to the player, the player will usually have to intervene. (An exception: Neinzul loyal to the AI will often react to kill them). Player allies and zombie ships will react to kill them. Mining golems are immobile, heavily armored, and have good firepower. However, their range is limited and their rate of fire low (limited to massive damage to a single ship). Strong counters include anything with long range, radar dampening, or sufficient numbers. The "Ultra-Heavy" hull type, found on all golems, makes them particularly weak to Bombers. Space Planes, with both radar dampening and a bonus against Ultra-Heavy hulls, are an ideal counter. Due to their high cap-DPS and low cost, Laser Gatlings also make an excellent counter.

Turning up the level in the lobby will increase the spawning frequency of these golems, and higher levels will reduce the warning time.
For more information on this sort of localized apocalypse, see How Do I Kill A Mining Golem?

Zenith Dyson Sphere

Zenith Dyson Spheres have harnessed the power of an entire star inside their golem. A giant, immobile golem will spawn on game generation on the edge of an AI controlled system. Periodically (normally about every twenty seconds) it will produce a Dyson Gatling, an extremely powerful ship. Normally, this will not do much more than irritate the AI, potentially leading to a ship buildup. Spawned Gatlings do not target structures that could increase AIP, but will freely attack anything else. Attacking the AI Command Station will result in the Sphere becoming an ally, and any newly produced gatlings will be allied to the player. Capturing the planet, however, will cause the Golem to temporarily turn hostile and produce AI-allied gatlings that will attack the player and go after strategic targets. However, abandoning the planet will cause the Sphere to become allied again- this allows the player to capture the planet to capture a golem, for example, without permanently punishing them. Dyson Gatling cap is based off AIP.

Turning up the level in the lobby will increase the spawning rate and maximum number of Dyson Gatlings. For more information, see How Do I Interact With A Dyson Sphere?

AI War:AI War