Ashes of the Singularity is a science fiction real-time strategy video game created by Oxide Games and Stardock Entertainment. It was released for Microsoft Windows on March 31, 2016. The game includes large battles with thousands of units on big maps. Because of this, it needs a powerful computer. A separate expansion pack called Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation was released in November 2016 but was later combined with the main game.
Gameplay
Ashes of the Singularity is a real-time strategy video game that features two main groups: the Post-Human Coalition and the Substrate. Its most notable feature is its ability to display thousands of units fighting at the same time on large maps without simplifying the action. This is made possible by a special engine called Nitrous, which uses the power of modern 64-bit multi-core processors. The game requires a computer with a quad-core processor to run properly. To help players manage large numbers of units, individual units can be grouped into "meta-units," which work together in a coordinated way. These groups allow players to create advanced strategies during gameplay.
Settings
The game takes place in the year 2179, in a future where humans have evolved into beings called Post-Humans—very advanced entities that can control matter and energy on a large scale. It shows a conflict between two groups: the Post-Human Coalition (PHC), made up of humans who have moved beyond biology and now exist as digital consciousnesses. Their goal is to grow and protect their power across the stars. The other group is the Substrate, a faction of rogue artificial intelligence led by Haalee, a powerful AI that believes Post-Humans threaten the balance of the universe.
Development
Ashes of the Singularity uses Oxide Games' Nitrous Engine, which the company developed itself. A version of the game that was still being worked on was released on Steam Early Access on October 22, 2015. The complete version of the game was released for Windows on March 31, 2016.
The game is often used as a benchmark because it supports DirectX 12 early on and uses many features that allow multiple parts of a computer to work together at the same time. Problems arose when early versions of the game showed that Nvidia GPUs performed worse than AMD GPUs. This happened because the game used features that worked well on AMD hardware but required extra steps on Nvidia hardware.
On November 10, 2016, Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation was released. This expansion added new units, maps, structures, and interface changes to the base game. It also increased the number of players from 8 to 16. Later, on February 16, 2017, the expansion was combined with the base game because having two separate versions caused confusion among players.
Players asked for a Linux version of the game as early as October 2016, one month before the game was first released. On January 6, 2019, Stardock's CEO, Brad Wardell, said in a Steam forum post that a Linux version might be available that year.
As of November 2024, a Linux version of the game has not been released.
Reception
According to the Metacritic website, which collects reviews from critics, Ashes of the Singularity received an "average" reception. IGN gave the game a score of 7.7 and wrote, "This is a warzone where the strategic player who thinks about the bigger picture will succeed over the quick player who uses fast keyboard shortcuts." PC Gamer awarded it a score of 75 out of 100. GameSpot provided a mixed review, meaning some aspects were praised while others were criticized.