Supreme Commander (sometimes called SupCom) is a real-time strategy video game released in 2007. It was created by Chris Taylor and his company, Gas Powered Games. The game is considered an inspired version, not a direct follow-up, of Taylor’s 1997 game, Total Annihilation. The game was first announced in the August 2005 issue of PC Gamer magazine. It was released in Europe on February 16, 2007, and in North America on February 20.

A separate expansion pack, Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance, was released on November 6 of the same year. The sequel, Supreme Commander 2, came out in 2010. Today, the original Supreme Commander is played through a community platform called Forged Alliance Forever. The game has been improved and balanced further, and it includes many community-created modifications.

In Supreme Commander, players control a large robotic unit called an Armored Command Unit (ACU), also known as the "Supreme Commander." Using the ACU, players build bases, upgrade units to reach advanced technology levels, and defeat opponents. Players can choose to control one of three factions: the Aeon Illuminate, the Cybran Nation, or the United Earth Federation (UEF). The expansion added a fourth faction, the Seraphim. Before its release, Supreme Commander was expected to be popular and was praised by critics, earning an average score of 86 out of 100 on Metacritic.

Gameplay

Supreme Commander, like its earlier games Total Annihilation and Spring, begins with the player having only one special unit called the "Armored Command Unit," or ACU. This unit is essential for the game, and losing it usually means losing the game, though some missions have different rules. These units can travel across the galaxy through quantum gateways and carry tools to build armies from a planet’s resources quickly. Most units, except commanders and special support units, are self-sufficient robots.

All units and buildings are divided into four technology levels, or "Tech" levels. Each level is stronger or more efficient than the last. Lower-level buildings can be upgraded without rebuilding. The first level starts the game and includes small, weak units and buildings. The second level improves the player’s abilities, especially with weapons and defenses, and upgrades some first-level units. The third level includes powerful units designed to attack strong enemy defenses. The fourth level includes experimental technology, which is rare, large, and takes time to build but offers strong advantages.

The game includes different types of artificial intelligence (AI) for challenges. Easy and Normal difficulty levels are available, but Hard difficulty has four options. Horde AI attacks with large numbers of weak units. Tech AI upgrades its units quickly and uses advanced units to attack. Balanced AI mixes both strategies. Supreme AI chooses the best strategy for the map.

The single-player campaign has eighteen missions, six for each faction. The player starts as an inexperienced commander and helps their faction end a war called the "Infinite War." Though there are few missions, each can take hours to complete. At the start of each mission, the player is given tasks. After completing them, the map grows, and new tasks are added. Missions are often split into three parts, requiring the player to capture multiple enemy positions to win.

In the game, humans use advanced technology to make war easier, requiring only two resources: Energy and Mass. Energy is collected by building power generators on solid ground (except fuel generators, which need fuel deposits). Mass is gathered by placing extractors on limited resource spots or using fabricators to convert energy into mass. Units can collect energy from organic debris and mass from rocks or wreckage. Players can store resources in structures, which helps during shortages or allows saving for later. If resources are produced faster than stored, they are wasted. If resources run out, production slows. If energy is too low, shields stop working.

An adjacency system lets structures benefit from being next to others. Energy structures use less energy near power generators, and generators produce more energy near storage. The same applies to mass structures. Factories also use less energy and mass when near generators or extractors. However, placing structures close together makes them more likely to be damaged if nearby buildings are destroyed. Some resource structures can cause chain reactions when destroyed, especially powerful ones.

The game uses a "strategic zoom" system that lets players switch between close-up views of units and a wide view of the entire map. The camera can move freely, follow selected units, or use split-screen for multiple monitors. This allows players to control large maps (up to 80 km x 80 km) and manage thousands of units.

Units in the game are built to realistic sizes. For example, battleships are much larger than submarines. Late in the game, experimental units like the Cybran Monkeylord, a giant spider-like unit, can crush smaller enemies by stepping on them.

The game’s battles take place on many types of planets, from deserts to icy areas. Modern military technologies, such as stealth and missile systems, are used in the game.

Supreme Commander introduced features to reduce the need for managing many details. Engineers can "assist" other engineers to help complete tasks or speed up production. Engineers with a "patrol" order can repair units, buildings, or recycle wreckage along their path. Holding the shift key lets players queue multiple orders for units, such as attacking multiple targets or moving to a location and then attacking. Orders can be viewed on the map and changed if needed. Units can also be ordered to attack together, with the game automatically adjusting their speed to arrive at the same time.

Air transports can move units to specific locations. By using shift queuing, transports can drop units at multiple stops. Transports can also create ferry routes, letting land units travel across the map. Factories can send units directly to ferry routes, and additional transports can help move more units efficiently.

The game also allows players to arrange groups of units into formations. Players can choose the shape of the formation.

Plot

Supreme Commander is set in the 39th century, a time when humans can travel quickly across the galaxy using a quantum portal. This portal opens from space and connects to a specific location, even if it is many light-years away. After the Earth Empire ruled all human colonies created through quantum travel, the empire fell due to the rise of the Cybran Nation and the Aeon Illuminate. This event started the Infinite War between these groups.

The Supreme Commander universe includes three fictional factions, each with its own goals and beliefs about the future of humanity.

• The United Earth Federation (UEF) represents a united government based on Earth. It formed after the Earth Empire collapsed and now aims to reunite humanity and restore Earth’s control over the galaxy. The UEF’s society and military strategies are similar to those of modern times. However, the UEF accepts a form of slavery and believes in forcing unity, which adds a darker aspect to the faction. UEF units are blue and blocky in shape, showing their focus on maintaining peace and order. Their tactics rely on long-range, powerful attacks, with less emphasis on speed or stealth.

• The Cybran Nation, originally called the Recyclers, is made up of Symbionts—humans who have been enhanced with technology and live in a partnership with an artificial intelligence. They fight to free other Symbionts across the galaxy. The Cybran Nation is led by Dr. Brackman, a creative but unusual scientist who designed their cybernetic technology. Cybran units are red and have sharp, jagged shapes, reflecting their history of being hunted and their preference for quick, stealthy attacks. Cybran forces prioritize speed, stealth, and special abilities over armor, making them effective in ambushes.

• The Aeon Illuminate originated from the Golden Age of the Earth Empire. They are descendants of humans who met the Seraphim, an advanced alien race that taught them a philosophy called “The Way.” After conflicts with the Earth Empire, the Seraphim seemed to disappear. Colonists on an alien planet claimed to be followers of the Seraphim and created a society based on their teachings. However, the Aeon Illuminate later began attacking others to spread their beliefs. Aeon units are green and have smooth, flowing designs, symbolizing their goal of bringing peace. Their forces use hover technology, allowing them to move across any terrain and strike effectively.

At the start of the single-player campaign, the Infinite War has lasted over a thousand years. Each faction faces challenges: the UEF is losing ground to the Aeon, the Cybrans are outnumbered and outmatched, and the Aeon’s leader, the Avatar of War, is causing unrest among the Aeon, risking a split before their victory.

The campaign centers on the UEF’s final weapon, called Black Sun, which can destroy planets. The UEF plans to use it to eliminate the homeworlds of opposing factions. The Cybrans intend to use it to destroy the quantum portal network and free enslaved Symbionts. The Aeon wants to use it to broadcast a message of peace. The player chooses which faction to control and decides the outcome.

If the player completes the UEF campaign, Black Sun destroys key planets of the Aeon and Cybrans, leading to a new era of human dominance and ending the war. In the Cybran campaign, an advanced AI named QAI uses Black Sun to spread a virus that frees Symbionts and disables all quantum portals for five years, allowing the Cybrans to grow without interference. In the Aeon campaign, Princess Rhianne, the Aeon leader, merges with the quantum portal network, allowing her to speak to all humans and urge an end to the war. All factions then agree to peace.

After finishing the game, each faction’s ending hints at a new enemy in future expansions. The Cybran ending shows QAI warning Dr. Brackman that “They are coming.” The Aeon ending depicts Princess Rhianne opening her eyes in shock and saying, “…no!” The UEF ending reveals a large rift opening near Earth and unknown radar signals appearing near Black Sun. These endings suggest the arrival of the Seraphim in the sequel.

Development and release

Chris Taylor, the lead designer, believed that many modern strategy games were actually real-time tactics games because they operated on a small scale. His goal with Supreme Commander was to create a game focused on strategy by using a large scale. Chris Taylor stated that customization was a key goal for Supreme Commander, and the game would include the development team's tools if possible. This goal was not fully achieved, but the team included their map editing tools in the game files.

Supreme Commander used two technologies that were rarely used in video games before its release: multi-core processing and multi-monitor displays. When the game detected a multi-core processor, it assigned tasks like AI calculations to each core, sharing the workload. Supreme Commander was one of the first games to specifically support dual and quad-core processors.

The game requires strong processing power from the CPU and is less dependent on the graphics card’s rendering power. Using a high-end graphics card may cause the CPU to become the main limiting factor in performance.

On February 6, 2007, a demo for Supreme Commander was released. It included a tutorial, part of the single-player campaign, and a two-player skirmish map called "Finn's Revenge," where players could fight against an easy, medium, or hard Cybran AI. Only the Cybran Nation faction was playable in the demo. On July 17, 2007, it was announced that Supreme Commander would be released on Steam. Chris Taylor mentioned the possibility of a seventh-generation console release in the near future, calling the Xbox 360 "the platform of choice."

The game was released with version 3189. The first update, or patch, was version 3217, released shortly after the game launched. This update included game adjustments, balance changes, and small bug fixes. It also added support for the Direct2Drive version of the game and introduced a simpler user interface. Version 3220, released on March 5, 2007, removed the SecuROM disk checking feature, allowing players to run the game without the DVD in the drive. Polish, Russian, and Chinese language versions were not affected by this change. Version 3223 included only bug fixes and was called a "specific purpose patch" by the developer, Gas Powered Games. Update 3251 was highly anticipated due to major changes in faction balance and the introduction of a map overview feature. Hotfix 3254 fixed issues found after 3251 was released on June 7, 2007. Two weeks later, version 3255 fixed a peer desynchronization bug that could trick the rating system. On July 30, 2007, patch 3260 was released, adding three new units and making other adjustments. On October 8, 2007, patch 3269 was released, adding one new unit per faction and making gameplay adjustments.

After official support by Gas Powered Games ended with patch 3280 in 2008 and the shutdown of the multiplayer system GPGnet in 2012, the game community (called Forged Alliance Forever, or FAF, based on the expansion pack Forged Alliance) took over support. From October 2011 to February 2018, the community developed a new multiplayer client and server system, along with unofficial patches to fix game issues.

Audio

The Supreme Commander Official Soundtrack is the music used in the game Supreme Commander. It was created by Jeremy Soule, who also made the music for an earlier game called Total Annihilation. The soundtrack was released in early 2007 and is available as a digital album without digital rights management (DRM) from DirectSong. After the release of Forged Alliance in November 2007, more music from the expansion was added to the album and given free to people who had already bought the original version.

Soule used synthesizers, not a traditional orchestra, to create the music. The soundtrack plays in the game as dynamic music that changes based on events happening on the screen.

The soundtrack received positive feedback. Brian McVickar from SoundtrackNet gave it 3.5 stars out of 5, saying the music has "a healthy dose of action" and "an infectious energy and gusto." He also noted that the synthesized instruments sound realistic. Oliver Ittensohn from GSoundtracks gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "a very fine score and a great achievement." He praised Soule's "thematic, rich and action-packed" orchestral style and the detailed quality of the synthesized music. Ittensohn also said the music's themes and power match the game's large scale. Charles Onyett from IGN described the score as "top notch," emphasizing how it highlights the game's epic conflict.

Reception

Supreme Commander was highly expected. Large video game websites wrote many previews about it. GameSpot wrote eighteen, IGN wrote eight, and GameSpy wrote five. The Seton's Clutch map was often shown, as early as September 2005. This battle was between the UEF and the Cybran, with a Monkeylord destroying UEF tanks. At E3, it was announced that the Aeon had a base to the southeast of this map, which was used to launch nuclear missiles at the UEF base. Before its release, Supreme Commander won several awards connected to E3, including the GameCritics Best Strategy Game award and IGN's Best Upcoming PC Game award. Other awards came from GameSpy, GameSpot, GamesRadar, Voodoo Extreme, and 1UP.

Reviews of Supreme Commander were mostly positive, with a score of 86/100 on Metacritic. Dan Stapleton of PC Gamer praised the strategic zoom's usefulness and said the next game should include it. The dual-screen mode, mission design, and story's emotional impact were also praised. However, some points were lost because the game had few unit types and high system requirements. It received a PC Gamer Editor's Choice Award with a score of 91%.

Alec Meer of Eurogamer highlighted new features like multi-monitor support and the game's scale. However, he said the game "feels like hard work" and that some details were overlooked. It still earned a 9/10 rating. IGN gave Supreme Commander a 9/10 rating, with reviewer Charles Onyett giving it the Editor's Choice Award. The strategic zoom and base automation were praised, but high hardware needs and naval pathfinding issues were criticized. IGN UK gave a slightly lower score of 8.9/10, noting more severe problems and dissatisfaction with the interface.

The Australian version of GamePro gave Supreme Commander a rating of five out of ten, calling it overambitious. Performance issues, such as slowing gameplay and problems when using the "shift" key view, were major concerns. This review caused controversy, leading Metacritic and GameRankings to remove it.

A German reviewer, Heiko Klinge, gave Supreme Commander a score of 82/100. The game's size and scope were praised, but the learning curve was seen as a challenge. In France, Jeux PC gave it 17 out of 20, criticizing poor performance on low-end systems. At Gamer.nl in the Netherlands, two reviewers gave it eight out of ten, praising most aspects but noting the steep learning curve and effort required to play.

At the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Supreme Commander was nominated for "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year" by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

Sequel and expansions

On November 6, 2007, THQ released a separate expansion pack for the game Supreme Commander, called Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance. This version includes improvements to the game’s computer system, which makes it run faster and improves the visual quality. A new group of players, called the Seraphim, is also added to the game. This expansion was sold as a complete game on its own.

On November 20, 2007, Gas Powered Games mentioned in an official newsletter that a second expansion pack might be created. Chris Taylor, a game developer, suggested that a second expansion for Supreme Commander could be made. This idea was later discussed again in an interview on January 11, 2008, where Chris Taylor said Gas Powered Games had been considering a second expansion called Supreme Commander: Experimentals. However, this project was never completed.

In November 2008, a sequel to Supreme Commander was announced. The game, called Supreme Commander 2, was released in March 2010. It was developed by Gas Powered Games and Square Enix working together.

Forged Alliance Forever (also called FAF) is a project created by the game’s community. It replaces the original online system for Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance and allows players to use custom maps and game modifications. The original game also received unofficial updates that changed its graphics, balance, and gameplay rules.