Gameplay

Basics

Ashes of the Singularity is a real-time multiplayer strategy game set in the distant future in which humanity has expanded into the stars and is now in conflict for control of key planets in our galaxy.

You begin with a single headquarters called a Nexus and a construction unit called an Engineer. The world is broken up into regions, each containing resources. Your objective is to annihilate any enemies on the world or take control of special regions containing Turinium until you can reach a critical mass of it.

The Resources

There are two primary resources:

• Metal
  This is the raw construction material for buildings and units.
• Radioactives
  This is the raw fuel you use for advanced units and advanced buildings.

In addition there are two other resources in the game:

• Turinium
  Some regions don’t contain a power generator but instead, a Turinium generator. The player who controls the most of these will begin accumulating Turninium. If enough is collected, they win.
• Quantas
  This is an artificial resource produced by Quantum Relays that the player constructs. They are spent on improving overall technology and making use of orbital global base abilities.

Starting Conditions

When the game begins, the player starts with a home base called a Nexus and a single Engineer. The world is broken up into regions, each with its own power generator. These power generators are protected by neutral guardian units, more of which appear as time goes on. Taking control of a region grants the resources of that region to you, provided that you control all the regions between it and your Nexus. Using these resources, you construct various types of factories that can construct different types of units.

Economics

Your economy is driven by acquiring metal and radioactives. A region you control will typically have either metal or radioactive deposits. Each one will provide (+1) per second of its corresponding resource. If you place an extractor on that deposit, it will double the output to (+2) per second. If you build an amplifier on the power generator, it will double the output of the entire region.

As you construct units and buildings, resources are subtracted from your inventory. Much of the player’s skill boils down to managing these two resources to ensure that they are not overspending or allowing resources to be wasted. Through technology, you can increase the maximum inventory of resources to use during times of peak production.

Resources: Income, balance and maximum inventory displayed (see image on right).

Combat

Players construct a wide variety of units depending on their circumstances. Air units can provide radar and visual coverage, bomb strategic targets, or maintain air superiority. Ground units can be from small (50m long) frigates to gigantic, nearly kilometer long dreadnoughts. The planets being fought over have relatively low gravity, allowing both sides to employ units that hover, which allows them to navigate around each other in 3 dimensions.

Units tend to be differentiated based on weapon range, rate of fire, and damage capability.

Building Armies

Ashes introduces the concept of a Meta unit. When a player forms an army, all of the units in that army behave as if they are a single unit. Selecting one will select all of them. Each unit is aware of every other unit in its army and automatically engages enemies and protects allies based on the needs of the army. When someone forms an army, each child unit is effectively just part of a single big unit that can and should be controlled as such.

Veterancy

Dreadnoughts are units you care about. As they survive battles they gain experience, which allows them to level up and gain new abilities. A high level Dreadnought may be substantially more powerful than one that has been newly produced. Hence, if one is in trouble, you will want to retrieve it.

Orbitals

As players accumulate resources, they will be able to construct orbitals, which gives the player access to global abilities. These abilities include, but are not limited to:

• Engineering call-down
  Only the Nexus can construct Engineers, which is fine early on.However, as the player expands across the world the Nexus gets further and further away from the front lines. Players can spend Quanta to call down an Engineer to anywhere on the map that is convenient.
• Teleport
  Players can construct buildings that will automatically send units to a designated destination by spending enough Quanta. This allows players to flank the enemy (though their units are extremely vulnerable when teleporting) by transporting to a distant location location on the planet.
• Orbital Strike
  Players can bring down wrath from above by spending enough Quanta, eliminating vulnerable units in a large swath of destruction.
• Orbital Shield
  Players can proactively protect their units by projecting a shield onto their units to block an Orbital Strike.

Victory

If you can destroy an opponent’s Nexus, they are eliminated. If you (or your team) have eliminated all opponents, you win. If you (or your team) controls enough Turinium, you also win.