Ashes of the Singularity 2 makes giant-scale RTS warfare approachable with one of the cleverest army systems I've seen

Ashes of the Singularity 2 follows in the colossal footsteps of its predecessor, which set a high bar among the best RTS games for the sheer breadth of its interstellar battles. The sequel is stepping things up even further, which means you aren't just dealing with a single force of units. Instead, each one becomes part of a larger army, allowing you to coordinate grand-scale attacks while smartly reinforcing your troops on the fly as needed. In a new developer video, executive producer Brett Norton walks us through how Oxide Games is rethinking large-scale RTS warfare.

"Armies are the real backbone of how units are grouped and controlled in Ashes of the Singularity 2," Norton explains. Your armies can be thought of a little like control groups in the likes of Command and Conquer or StarCraft, but it's rather more involved than a simple shared-orders system. Norton highlights one such army that he's put together, which combines a mix of tanks, anti-air units, and a scout vehicle. "I can modify the composition of this army at any time, and, as units are destroyed, I can have those units be replaced either automatically or manually."

Rather than having to constantly return to base, pick which units you want to build next, and then assign them manually to groups as they roll out, you're able to pop up an army composition menu and simply add or subtract your desired forces, with a quick checkbox toggling auto-reinforcement on or off. As soon as the new additions are ready to go, they'll be deployed and will immediately rally to their chosen army's current location.

This ties into the way that production buildings work in Ashes of the Singularity 2, combining efforts between facilities of a similar type to ensure you're able to reinforce from optimal spawn points. Replacements will roll out from the closest possible facility, so constructing fresh outposts as you advance will let you more rapidly regroup - just be sure to keep them safe. Naturally, that also means cutting off your opponent's supply chains or destroying their frontline buildings can put you at a great advantage.

While building types will work together, not all facilities can train all units. Norton notes that his armies in this region are mostly vehicle-based, but any infantry will require a barracks to deploy. You're therefore encouraged to push on multiple fronts at a time, and must make quick judgment calls about when it's a good idea to invest in building frontline resupply structures in more risky spots in an attempt to win the tempo battle.

It's a system I'm very eager to try. I always have grand designs of directing multiple armies in coordinated assaults, and I can manage it to great success in the likes of Total War skirmishes where your sole focus is on the battle. In the more hectic worlds of StarCraft or C&C, I always find myself either slipping up and forgetting to build new units while I'm micromanaging my squadrons, or I turn to the old, reliable deathball approach and just click-move the whole force in one go so that I can sort out my crumbling economy.

Ashes of the Singularity 2 manages to present giant-scale battles with potentially hundreds or thousands of units without feeling too overwhelming, and that's an impressive feat. I love the idea of managing the individual composition of each force, and the forward outposts are exactly the kind of daring risk/reward mechanic that makes you feel like a tactical genius for pulling it off. I'll be watching closely with my fingers crossed that we hear a release date soon.