Info about AI War 2: Zenith Onslaught:

Official game description:
Brave Zenith invasions, civil wars, or ally with the Svikari. Arm yourself with elite Cruisers. Find new Outguard for hire, defensive structures to build, and maps to explore. You may face new AI types, capture yet more golems, and choose if you wish to encounter the planet-eating Zenith Miners.
The Story
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In our normal universe, the Zenith aliens are long dead; only the mindless automatons called Golems are left behind, millennia after the fall of their civilization.  
One day, in the middle of our war with the AI, the first of an oncoming horde of Zenith came through from a neighboring part of what scientists can clearly now tell is a multiverse. These are Zenith in their prime, confused as to the (from their point of view) post-apocalyptic state of our universe, and not exactly pleased.  
_Zenith Onslaught_ is the second expansion for AI War 2, and was more than a year in the making. We focused on making the galaxy feel rich and complex and changeable in new ways, as well as adding a metric ton of general new content.
Major New Factions
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*   The Dark Zenith can be set to invade at some point. They then set up their own economy, allying with the Dark Spire if they are also enabled. These can really make even the AI sweat.  
*   The Zenith Architrave, fresh into our universe and desperate to get back to their own galaxy-spanning war. Minor diplomacy may be possible. (Think of these like a vastly more advanced version of the Dyson Spheres in the base game, in that they don't turn the entire galaxy on its head but can be exciting neighbors).  
*   The Zenith Miner, which first sends out probes, and later tries to mine entire planets into pieces. Has a special taste for Dyson Spheres. Hack them for fun and profit.
New Ships En Masse
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*   15 new and elite ships, Cruisers, now seed the galaxy that can greatly enhance your fleet. These powerful ships are both extremely powerful in their own right but each possesses a special feature based on their weapon tech. Two of these can only found by stealing Zenith technology.  
*   11 new Outguard to recruit to humanity's side, each with their own unique contribution, from the Trojan Horse that hides in plain sight before releasing its hidden drone army to the Cornucopia that supercharges your metal generation when you need it the most.  
*   7 new defensive structures, such as the reactive dummy that attracts enemy fire and returns a portion back to the sender, and a reworking of the original to grant every weapon tech their own.  
*   And many new strikecraft, frigates, and stationkeepers to further expand humanity's arsenal! As well as new variants of the base-game golems!
Other Major Features
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*   Nomad Planets make a triumphant return from the original AI War, with options for entire Nomad Galaxies. And yes, you can still become death, destroyer of worlds.  
*   Wormhole borers, dangerous tools in the hands of the AI that allow them to tunnel behind your defenses.  
*   10 devious new AI types.  
*   2 new map styles.

Release date: May 18, 2021

Categories: Real-time Strategy, Space Combat, Faction Management, Ship Customization, Multiplayer, Single-player, Procedural Generation, Tactical Combat


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $7.99 - $9.99
  - Reasoning: The reviews suggest that the base game is considered worth purchasing, especially at a discounted price. One user mentions waiting for a sale to get the DLC, implying that the base game is a good value at its current price of $9.99. Another review states that the DLC is reasonably priced, indicating that the base game is likely seen as fairly priced as well.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 100.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct references to playtime metrics. The first quote mentions 300 hours in the base game and 100 hours in AI War Classic, indicating significant investment in gameplay. The second quote suggests that the base game alone can offer around 100 hours of play, which aligns with the game completion metric. The third quote reinforces the idea of extensive playtime, mentioning 300 hours without exhausting all content. The fourth quote indicates that a campaign can be finished, but the exact time is not specified, suggesting variability in story completion times.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Developer Supporter (buy)
    - Motivation: Support for the developers and community
    - Playstyle: Engages with the community and supports the developers
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: supporter; community member
    - Reference games: AI War 2
  - Strategic Value Seeker (sale)
    - Motivation: Maximizing value for money
    - Playstyle: Strategic and value-conscious
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: strategic player; value seeker
    - Reference games: AI War 2
  - Content Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Depth and breadth of gameplay content
    - Playstyle: Explores all gameplay modes and appreciates expansive content
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: content lover; expansion enthusiast
    - Reference games: AI War 2; Zenith Onslaught


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- New factions and ships introduced (weight 0.7): The DLC introduces various new factions, ships, and other content such as turrets, mechanics, and AI types. Players appreciate the addition of new elite ships, cruisers, and defensive structures.
- DLC adds substantial content (weight 0.64): The upcoming DLC is praised for adding a significant amount of new content, making it feel like a proper expansion with a ton of extra and varied content.
- Zenith factions are unique (weight 0.57): The Zenith factions are highlighted as different from previous factions and are considered the main feature. They provide new challenges and interesting gameplay dynamics.
- Nomad planets add chaos (weight 0.56): Nomad planets are a notable feature that provide chaos and potential opportunities. Players find them to be a fun and interesting scenario.
- Frequent developer updates (weight 0.42): The developers are praised for their continuous updates, bug fixes, balance patches, and gameplay improvements, showing dedication and responsiveness.
- Unique and great experience (weight 0.34): Players describe the experience as unique and great all around, unlike any other game, providing a fantastic and worthy expansion.
- Tutorials and accessibility (weight 0.31): The tutorials are extremely well done, making the game easy to get into yet hard to master. The game also supports a range of display resolutions and hardware.
- Dark Zenith invasion impact (weight 0.29): The Dark Zenith invasion is noted for providing great moments and shaking up the late game, adding a challenging and interesting new dimension to the gameplay.
- Cruisers are a highlight (weight 0.28): Cruisers are a new ship type that players love. They punch above their weight and encourage the use of Experimental Ship Lines.
- Good value for content (weight 0.26): The DLC is seen as providing a good chunk of content for a reasonable price, offering incredible value and substantial improvements to the base game.
- Community and support (weight 0.24): The community, especially on Discord, is noted for being helpful. The developers are responsive and dedicated, making the game a work of love.
- Emphasis on meaningful choices (weight 0.21): The DLC emphasizes meaningful choices and offers a larger variety to existing choices, enhancing the strategic depth of the game.
- Architraves and AI interactions (weight 0.19): Architraves are excellent and interact differently with the AI, providing unique challenges and interactions.

Common complaints:
- Limited upgrade options (weight 0.13): Players have expressed dissatisfaction with the restrictive nature of upgrade choices available in the game.
- New ally ineffectiveness (weight 0.12): The newly introduced ally is perceived as ineffective and not useful by the players.
- Inconsistent new factions (weight 0.12): The newly added factions are seen as inconsistent, with some being well-received while others are not.
- Light expansion content (weight 0.12): This expansion is considered the lightest among the three, suggesting it may lack substantial content.
- Variability in cruisers (weight 0.12): There is a wide variability in the performance and characteristics of cruisers, leading to mixed player experiences.
- Dislike for Zenith Architrave faction (weight 0.11): The Zenith Architrave faction and their persistent area denial tactics are not favored by players.
- Spire Campaign limitations (weight 0.1): Developers do not expect players to use the Spire Campaign to combat a Dark Zenith invasion, which may limit strategic options.

Gameplay feedback:
- Zenith faction mechanics (weight 0.51): The Zenith faction gathers resources, builds bases, and their power increases with more territory. They also feature unique behaviors like inter-dimensional invasions.
- New ship types and variants (weight 0.42): New ship types such as cruisers, strikecraft, and golem variants are added, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- New structures and content (weight 0.41): The game includes new defensive structures, unique content like the Dyson sphere, and various other added features.
- Nomad planets dynamic behavior (weight 0.29): Nomad planets exhibit dynamic behavior by jumping to new locations every few minutes and attaching starlanes to the closest planets.
- Game modes and tutorials (weight 0.28): The game offers multiple modes including ZERO PLAYER, solo, single-player, and multiplayer, along with tutorials to guide players.
- New threats and enemies (weight 0.22): The game introduces new threats and enemies, including the Dark Zenith and other challenging additions.
- Strategy and RTS elements (weight 0.2): The game is praised for its strategy elements, making it suitable for strategists and RTS enthusiasts.
- New campaign and ship lines (weight 0.2): The Spire Campaign and experimental ship lines offer new ways to engage with the game.
- AI and gameplay mechanics (weight 0.2): The AI can play itself for observation, and the game introduces new mechanics and AI types.
- Base game content (weight 0.2): The base game offers a lot of content, providing a unique and varied experience.
- Increased complexity and difficulty (weight 0.12): The game features an exponential increase in complexity and difficulty with additional factions and game options.

Performance notes:
- Buggy at release (weight 0.13): The game had several bugs during its initial release, which affected the gameplay experience.
- Bugfixes implemented (weight 0.13): Developers have released bugfixes to address issues and improve the game's stability.
- Runs on low-end hardware (weight 0.12): The game can run smoothly even on low-end hardware, making it accessible to a wider range of players.
- Wide range of resolutions (weight 0.12): The game supports a broad spectrum of display resolutions, from ancient 640x480 to modern 4K displays.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended DLC (weight 0.3): Players who own the base game are strongly encouraged to purchase this DLC as it is considered a worthwhile addition.
- Base game required (weight 0.29): The DLC is recommended for those who already own the base game. If you do not own the base game, it is suggested to purchase the base game first.
- Worthwhile purchase (weight 0.12): Overall, the DLC is considered a good addition and a worthwhile purchase for those who enjoy the base game.

Other player notes:
- Beta testers received free copies (weight 0.26): Many reviewers mentioned receiving the game or its DLC for free due to their participation in beta testing. Some even purchased it again after getting it for free.

Emotions:
- Excitement (weight 0.64): Players are thrilled about the continuous updates, new gameplay mechanics, and the introduction of the Dark Zenith. The expansion's variety of modes, frequent updates, and unique gameplay elements contribute significantly to this excitement.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.14): Players are satisfied with the new content and improvements brought by the DLC. The introduction of the Zenith faction and other new content has met their expectations.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.09): Players enjoy the new factions and their unique abilities. The new mechanics introduced in the game have enhanced their overall gaming experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.05): Some players feel let down due to the perceived lack of content and upgrades compared to previous versions of the game.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0.05): While players have an overall positive impression of the game, they find certain aspects less exciting than others.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.05): Players are highly enthusiastic about the new content and mechanics introduced in the DLC. The fresh additions have sparked a renewed interest and excitement in the game.}