Info about Annihilate The Spance:

Official game description:
Featuring:
OE-Like
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Constant endless unit production from your shipyards. Each ship is autonomous, they seek your opponents and prioritize what they are best suited to fight. Witness vast battles. Though you cannot directly control your units in the interference of the Spance, you can create waypoint chains to direct where shipyards send your fleets.
Inspired by the gameplay of Obliterate Everything by CWWallis.
Full Campaign
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A fast-paced singleplayer campaign with over 40 missions where you fight both with and against each of the main factions. Delve the secrets of the Spance, and annihilate your opposition. Overcome the horrors of the storm and wield the might of interstellar armadas.
The Gameplay
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Annihilate The Spance is a real-time strategy game focused on a singleplayer campaign that sees you handle base building, economy, and armadas of autonomous starships. In ATS your units cannot be commanded individually, but you have many solutions to direct them towards your goals. Each ship has its own intelligent AI, and will attempt to do its best alongside its brethren in the heat of battle.
Test your ability to respond to situations as they change and shift in the chaotic tide of a 3D battlefield. ATS features an unlocked height plane, allowing starships to fly up, down, and around their enemies. Battles are multiple stories high, and can bend and shift as new vessels with unique capabilities arrive upon the battlefield. ATS has a greatly varied unit scale, ranging from tiny drones to kilometers-long capital ships that can level entire bases multiple times over.
Each ship in ATS is autonomous, targeting and attacking on its own initiative while you focus on making higher-level strategic decisions. Plan your fleet composition carefully. Calculate build cycles. Make tactical positioning decisions. There is no single ship that can win this battle. Compose a mixture of ships from across your entire selection of blueprints. Exploit your enemies' weaknesses and capitalize on your strengths to annihilate the enemy.
**The Story**
ATS is set in a future embroiled in conflict following the discovery of a mysterious, ultra-dense nebula-like anomaly known as the Spance. An ancient, roiling storm of matter and energy, the Spance has roamed the galaxy for eons and dragged hundreds of solar systems into its depths. Extreme and inexplicable phenomena make navigation of the Spance treacherous, but the unfathomable riches contained within offer a lucrative new frontier full of promise. However, not all is as it seems.
Four interlinked campaigns will take you through the depths of the Spance. Encounter each of the major factions as they struggle toward their goals for the Spance and its treasures, all the while gaining access to new units and technologies. Learn the unique doctrines needed to command the military might of the Kontaalen Armada, the united fleets of the Vaalkorei Coalition mercantile guilds, and the experimental technologies of Emar's Tychon Division. Delve ever deeper into the impenetrable abyss of the Spance and unlock its secrets.
**Skirmish, Custom Maps, and the Level Editor**
Beyond the main campaign, you can jump directly into Skirmishes against AI opponents in custom maps and levels.
Additionally, our game features a full in-game level editor that can be used to create and share your own scenarios.

Release date: Jan 14, 2025

Categories: Real-Time Strategy, Base Building, Automated Progression, Skirmish Mode, Custom Map Support, Single-player Campaigns, Tactical Gameplay, Space Combat


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $20.00 - $30.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows a mix of opinions on the game's pricing. Some users feel the game is a bit overpriced given the current content, suggesting a lower price point. However, others believe the game is worth the price, especially if purchased on sale. The general consensus seems to be that the game is worth around $30, but some users feel it could be slightly lower due to the amount of content currently available.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 50.0h
  - Story completion: 15.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct and indirect mentions of playtime metrics. The quote 'It took me roughly 15 hours to complete the 23 available missions' suggests a typical story completion time. 'Petit edit: La campagne se termine actuellement entre 10 et 15h suivant votre niveau' supports the story completion time range. 'It took me roughly 50 hours to complete this part just to give you an idea' indicates a longer playtime for game completion, possibly including additional content or replays. The demo playtime of 105.7 hours is an outlier and may not reflect typical playtime metrics, but it shows high engagement. There is no strong evidence for typical session length or endgame hours.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is fun immediately for many players, particularly during the tutorial and initial campaign, but technical issues and complexity can hinder early enjoyment.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: Completing the tutorial
  - Time to anchor: 0h 30m
  - Friction: technical issues/crashes; steep learning curve
  - Unlock drivers: effective tutorial; engaging initial campaign
  - Conditions: playing through the tutorial; exploring different units and factions
- Player Archetypes:
  - Strategic Mastermind (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoys deep strategic and tactical gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Plays methodically, focusing on resource management and strategic decisions.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: RTS fans; Strategy gamers
    - Reference games: StarCraft; Supreme Commander
  - Base-Building Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoys base-building and resource management.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on constructing and upgrading bases, managing resources, and planning overall strategy.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Base planners; Strategy gamers
    - Reference games: StarCraft; Nexus Wars; Direct Strike
  - Single-Player Campaigner (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoys single-player campaigns and content richness.
    - Playstyle: Plays through single-player campaigns, focusing on story and mission variety.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Single-player enthusiasts; Campaign lovers
    - Reference games: N/A


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:
- Fun and enjoyable gameplay (weight 0.68): Many players describe the game as fun and enjoyable, highlighting its engaging nature and the pleasure derived from its battles and overall gameplay.
- Epic and large-scale battles (weight 0.4): Players are impressed by the epic and large-scale battles, which are described as grand and satisfying to watch, especially with massive warships involved.
- Spiritual successor to a popular game (weight 0.18): The game is considered a spiritual successor to 'Obliterate Everything,' appealing to fans of that game.
- Recommended for specific genres (weight 0.18): The game is recommended for fans of space and strategy, sci-fi strategy, and space battles, making it appealing to specific genres of gamers.
- Balanced difficulty on normal (weight 0.17): The difficulty level on normal is considered well-balanced and suitable for first-time players.
- Unique autobattler experience (weight 0.17): The game offers an interesting mix of RTS and auto battler mechanics, providing a unique gaming experience in a sci-fi setting.
- Tactical pause feature (weight 0.16): The tactical pause feature is appreciated by players, allowing for thoughtful play and learning.
- Distinct and engaging art style (weight 0.16): The game's art style is visually distinct and engaging, contributing to its overall appeal.
- Good ship design and variety (weight 0.16): The game features good ship design with a variety of ships, adding to the richness of the gameplay.

Common complaints:
- Frequent game crashes (weight 0.47): The game experiences frequent crashes, which significantly disrupts gameplay. This issue is widespread and impacts player experience negatively.
- High price for limited content (weight 0.39): Many players feel that the game is overpriced given the amount of content currently available. The perceived value does not match the cost.
- Limited campaign availability (weight 0.2): Only a small portion of the game's campaigns are accessible, leaving players feeling shortchanged on the promised content.
- Unbalanced mission difficulty (weight 0.19): Players find the difficulty levels in missions to be inconsistent and sometimes overly challenging, requiring multiple attempts to succeed.
- No multiplayer or co-op (weight 0.19): The absence of multiplayer or cooperative modes limits the game's replayability and social interaction.
- Insufficient unit variety (weight 0.19): Players express a desire for more unit options and a more complete roster to enhance strategic depth.
- No in-mission save (weight 0.14): The inability to save progress during missions is a significant drawback, forcing players to complete missions in one sitting.
- Lack of strategic depth (weight 0.14): Players feel that the game lacks meaningful strategy and thought process, reducing the overall engagement.
- No key rebinding (weight 0.13): The lack of key rebinding options limits customization and accessibility for players.
- Disruptive pop-ups (weight 0.13): Frequent and disruptive pop-ups and dialogues interfere with the gameplay experience.
- Poor AI-generated art (weight 0.12): The AI-generated character portraits and art are criticized for their poor quality.
- Unskippable cutscenes (weight 0.12): Players are frustrated by the inability to skip cutscenes and dialogues, which can be time-consuming.
- AI resource management issues (weight 0.12): The AI has problems with resource management, particularly with energy income, leading to imbalanced gameplay.

Gameplay feedback:
- Auto-battling elements (weight 0.44): Features automatic unit combat and economic auto-battling, reducing the need for constant player intervention.
- Tug-of-war mechanics (weight 0.32): The gameplay includes a tug-of-war style, adding a dynamic and competitive element to the strategy.
- Mission progression and campaigns (weight 0.32): There is a progressing storyline with multiple campaigns, including demo and full missions, with more content planned for the future.
- Waypoint system for fleet guidance (weight 0.29): Players can influence ship movements using a waypoint system, allowing for strategic fleet guidance and autonomous ship navigation.
- Macro-focused RTS gameplay (weight 0.24): The game emphasizes macro management over micro, focusing on larger strategic decisions rather than minute control of units.
- Diverse ship types (weight 0.23): The game offers various ship types with different strengths and weaknesses, adding depth to the strategic gameplay.
- Distinct factions (weight 0.22): There are different factions with unique playstyles, providing varied gameplay experiences.
- Automated ship production and combat (weight 0.21): Ships are produced and engage in combat automatically, based on the facilities built by the player.
- Minimal micromanagement (weight 0.2): The game emphasizes minimal micromanagement, focusing more on strategic planning.
- Flexible difficulty settings (weight 0.18): The game offers multiple difficulty levels, catering to a wide range of player skills and preferences.
- Custom maps and editors (weight 0.18): Players can create and edit custom maps, enhancing replayability and creativity.
- Tutorial campaign (weight 0.17): A tutorial campaign is included to help new players learn the game mechanics through a series of missions.
- Base-building mechanics (weight 0.13): The game features base-building elements, allowing players to construct and upgrade their bases.
- Indirect unit control (weight 0.12): Players have indirect control over units, focusing more on strategic decisions rather than direct unit management.
- Low APM requirement (weight 0.11): The game requires low actions per minute (APM), making it accessible to a broader range of players.
- Strategy and tower defense mix (weight 0.11): The gameplay combines strategy and tower defense elements, offering a unique blend of genres.

Performance notes:
- Frequent game crashes (weight 0.56): The game crashes randomly, with some players experiencing crashes multiple times per hour. This issue seems to be more prevalent during longer gameplay sessions.
- Good performance with many units (weight 0.53): The game runs well even with a large number of units and structures on screen, showing good optimization. It performs well even on older or low-end PCs.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for RTS and 4X fans (weight 0.34): The game is highly recommended for fans of real-time strategy (RTS) and 4X games. Many players suggest it as a must-buy for enthusiasts of these genres.
- Appeals to fans of 'Obliterate Everything' (weight 0.14): Players who enjoyed the flash game 'Obliterate Everything' are likely to appreciate this game as well. It shares similarities that fans of the former will find appealing.
- Worth the time and money (weight 0.08): Many players feel that the game is worth both the time and money invested. It offers a satisfying experience that justifies its cost.
- Good for strategy and relaxation (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for those who enjoy strategy games and are looking for a relaxing experience. It combines strategic depth with a calming gameplay environment.
- Excited for upcoming content (weight 0.08): Players are eagerly anticipating future content updates. This excitement suggests a strong interest in the game's ongoing development and new features.
- Wish-list if unsure (weight 0.07): If you are uncertain about buying the game, it is suggested to add it to your wishlist. This way, you can keep track of it and make a decision later.
- Support the game financially (weight 0.07): Some players are willing to pay to support the game, indicating a strong appreciation for its quality and potential. This shows a commitment to its continued development.
- Desire for a replay feature (weight 0.07): There is a notable desire among players for a replay feature. This would allow them to review and learn from their previous gameplay sessions.
- Requests for bigger maps (weight 0.07): Players have expressed a wish for bigger maps and different tiers to unlock. This indicates a desire for more expansive and varied gameplay experiences.
- Addition of strategic depth (weight 0.07): The addition of not attacking and amassing units adds depth to the game. This feature enhances the strategic elements and provides more options for players.
- Option to change AI difficulty (weight 0.07): Players appreciate the option to change the AI difficulty. This feature allows them to tailor the game's challenge to their skill level and preferences.

Other player notes:
- Localization requests (weight 0.14): Players are requesting translations for Japanese and Chinese languages. This indicates a desire for broader accessibility and localization options.
- Placeholder images issue (weight 0.08): Some characters have placeholder pictures, which detracts from the overall quality and immersion of the game. Players expect fully rendered character images.

Emotions:
- Excitement (weight 0.2): Players are thrilled by the game's unique and fun mechanics, which include massive fleet battles and a satisfying gameplay loop. The engaging campaign, varied mission types, and the anticipation of upcoming content updates also contribute to this excitement.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.15): The visuals and gameplay mechanics, along with the fun gameplay loop, provide a highly enjoyable experience. Players also appreciate the tug-of-war gameplay, unique missions, and the engaging art style.
- Frustration (weight 0.1): Players are frustrated by the lack of content updates and linear gameplay, which limits strategy. Technical issues such as game crashes, lack of hotkey customization, and difficulty spikes also contribute to this frustration.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.07): Players find satisfaction in the game's good AI teammates, custom maps, and editors. The visual satisfaction, massive battles, and overcoming difficult missions also contribute to a positive gameplay experience.
- Excited (weight 0.06): Players are excited about the game's progressing storyline and its potential to be a great game. The massive fleets and battles, along with the anticipation of seeing more content, add to this excitement.
- Positive (weight 0.06): Players have a positive outlook due to the enjoyment of the game's challenges, mechanics, and potential. The game's theme, fun factor, and the dedication of the dev team also contribute to this positivity.
- Anticipation (weight 0.05): Players are eagerly anticipating the full release of the game and future developments by the developer. The excitement about the campaign and seeing where the game ends up adds to this anticipation.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.04): The game evokes nostalgia as it reminds players of childhood games like Warcraft 3 custom maps. Being a spiritual successor to beloved childhood games enhances this nostalgic feeling.
- Frustrated (weight 0.03): Players are frustrated due to balancing issues and constant crashing. The lack of activity by allies and balance-related issues make the game more frustrating than fun.
- Disappointment (weight 0.03): Players are disappointed with the game's unfinished state and crashing issues. The simple economy, lack of strategic depth, and incomplete units also contribute to this disappointment.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Players hope for future improvements and refinements, including a replay feature. The potential for the game and the request for a Japanese translation add to this hopeful outlook.
- Hopeful (weight 0.02): Players are hopeful about the game's potential for more game modes and customization. The game is seen as promising with great potential for future developments.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Players admire the game's optimization and unique speed control. The great visuals and the team that created the game and its story also contribute to this admiration.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the developer's dedication and accessibility. The improvements over classic flash games and the author's acknowledgment of cliche events are also appreciated.
- Approval (weight 0.02): Players approve of the game's balance for early access and its tactical approach to combat. The game is seen as enjoyable for RTS fans.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the base-building gameplay and the variety and diversity in the game. These elements contribute to an engaging and enjoyable experience.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.01): Players feel nostalgic as the game is a spiritual successor to 'Obliterate Everything'. This connection to a beloved past game evokes a sense of nostalgia.}