AI War:Ancient Shadows
Contents
What exactly is added in the Ancient Shadows expansion?
A: The main anchor feature is Champions, which is basically our take on the "hero unit" concept from other RTS games. Champions are the only units that can travel into the newly-added backwater nebulae that are inhabited not by the AI but by various Human, Zenith, Neinzul, and Spire splinter factions. There are also new bonus ship types, AI types, map styles, core guard posts, modular fortresses, a new minor faction, and a lot more music from Pablo Vega. This expansion is slated for official release in October 2012 but is currently in public beta and available for preorder, so not all features are finalized.
Champions and The Expanded Galaxy
A player slot can now be occupied by a "Champion" that controls a single modular super-starship. Champions can gain experience, and with experience can upgrade modules. More importantly, the champions can travel to new parts of the galaxy that no normal ship can get to, and interact with the splinter factions of Humans, Zenith, Neinzul, and Spire that are found there. Successfully helping a splinter faction can (among other rewards) unlock whole new lines of modules and even new and bigger hulls that your champion can switch to. For the lore-inclined among you, these "offroad" scenarios also reveal more of the backstory through journal entries.
- Note: adding a champion to a singleplayer game is easy: just set your player role to "Normal+Champion" and you'll be given both the normal human home command station (and related units) and the champion unit.
New Bonus Ship Classes
(To Be Announced as they are implemented)
New Minor Faction
(To Be Announced when implemented)
New Core AI Guard Posts
(To Be Announced as they are implemented)
New Player Units
- Modular Fortresses.
- These are similar to the massive and expensive fortresses already available to players, but are modular.
- Can mount Needler, Laser, MLRS, Missile, Shield, and Heavy Beam modules.
- Further, the modules are not directly researched but become available through the corresponding turret/forcefield research.
- More modules are planned, and will be announced as they are implemented.
- Variants based on Zenith, Neinzul, and Spire tech are also planned, and will be listed in more detail as they are implemented.
- These are similar to the massive and expensive fortresses already available to players, but are modular.
New AI Types
(To Be Announced as they are implemented)
New Map Styles
(To Be Announced as they are implemented)
New Music Tracks
The expansion has 98 minutes and 5 seconds of music in all. Here's the full track list:
Chapter I: The Human Awakening
- 1. Arise Sleeping Warriors
- 2. An Unfamiliar World
- 3. A War Worth Fighting
- 4. Ambitious Design
- 5. AI Revolution
- 6. Ancient Shadows
Chapter II: The Zenith Revival
- 7. Immortal
- 8. Imminent Annihilation
- 9. Inquisition Of The Stars
- 10. Incarnate Race
- 11. Imitated And Integrated
- 12. Ironclad
Chapter III: Revenge Of The Spire
- 13. Waking To Darkness
- 14. Worshipped Wasteland
- 15. Watching The Night Sky
- 16. Whispers Of Hope
- 17. Wrath Of The Spire
- 18. Welcome To The End
Bonus Track: 19. Ancient Shadows - Title
Other Miscellaneous Additions
New AI Types means new achievements, and there will probably be achievements for champions-related stuff, etc.
