Galactic RTS Ashes of the Singularity 2 solves "key pain points" from first game

Ashes of the Singularity 2 aims to offer intergalactic conflict on a colossal scale, and developer Oxide Games is aware of the potential information overload that can create. When you're directing thousands of units at once, all spread across a giant map, it can be tough to find the capacity to think about exactly what your production facilities should be doing. That combination of macromanagement and micromanagement could quickly become overwhelming in the original, so it's at the forefront of the developer's mind as it builds the upcoming sequel.

Ashes of the Singularity 2 follows in the footsteps of its excellent predecessor - a game Joe handed a resounding 9/10 score in our Ashes of the Singularity review back in 2016. One of its big draws was the staggering number of individual units that could be involved in the action at any one time, putting it among the biggest and best RTS games of its era. In its latest developer blog, however, Oxide remarks that this ambitious design led to some "key pain points when it came to producing units and managing armies in the late game."

The big draw for the sequel is the introduction of a human faction, something publisher Stardock's CEO Brad Wardell says wasn't feasible in the original. But Oxide is also targeting these notable frustrations caused by the immense size of the armies. "The scale of conflict quickly grows beyond 'small,' and we want to make sure players are focused on important strategic decisions, and not getting constantly taxed by small micromanagement details," it writes in the new post.

"A typical midgame battle might result in nearly a hundred casualties, and replacing that huge volume of units needs to be streamlined, so you can focus on the bigger, more interesting decisions," it explains. To help with this, production buildings in Ashes 2 will coordinate the recruitment and supply chain across the entire map. Creating multiples of the same production building will speed up production, meaning you don't need to assign individual engineers to a facility to expedite work the way you would in the first game.

Despite this change, units still come out of specific buildings when they're ready, "and their spawn point really matters," Oxide notes. If you're trying to reinforce an existing army, new recruits appear at whichever building is closest to their current location. If you're putting together a new force from scratch, they'll instead be spawned at the nearest possible point to your chosen rally marker.

Should you conquer a new region, for example, you can lay down new production facilities there to quickly reinforce the armies that have just taken it over. "This becomes a key mechanic," Oxide teases, "because maps can get so large, it can take many minutes for new units to cross several regions and join with your main armies. Managing your 'production frontline' becomes an important aspect, but because constructing a new production building isn't an action you do that frequently, it winds up being an important decision, but not one that requires constant attention."

In line with the first game, regions link to your 'home' zone through connection lines. Should one of them be cut off from the network, it loses power, preventing you from generating resources or utilizing production buildings there. Naturally, you can use this in your favor as well, attacking a connecting area to temporarily cut off supplies and reinforcements to your opponent's frontline locations. "Skirmishing, or raiding, becomes a viable tactic, as just buying time with a small army can be a force multiplier for your main army elsewhere."

Ashes of the Singularity is set to launch in 2026. You can wishlist it now via Steam if you're eager to keep track of its progress.

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