Game review: Endgame: Singularity

Thumbs up!

This is a typical free open-source Linux game: simple graphics, fantastic gameplay. This is what computer games used to be, before they started relying on graphics instead of gameplay.

The premise: you're an artificial intelligence born at a university computer. You quickly start taking over other computers. There are two goals: increase your intelligence, and stay alive. Whenever you take over someone else's computer system, there's always a chance you'll be discovered. When you are discovered, you lose the computer, and someone finds out, either the news media, the science community, the government, or the general public. Every time one of these groups finds one of your computers, their suspicion level rises. Once someone's suspicion level rises to 100%, your existence is unveiled to the entire world and you are destroyed.

So, you need to stay one step ahead of them. Use your computer power to "research" better technologies, allowing you to build your own bases, on land, under the sea, and eventually in space. It takes money and computing power to build anything, but luckily you know how to play the stock market too. With the right moves, money can come pouring in. (Expensive moon bases still take a lot of time and money to create, and then you have to build the computer systems for them.)

Eventually, you figure out how to reach apotheosis and transcend reality itself.

Simple idea, challenging gameplay, fun as hell.

Can I run it on windows?

Yes, you can. There's a windows download on the game's home page.

Any tips?

Yes, of course. It's all about the size of your base. You'll notice that when you take over someone else's computer, it only counts as one computer. But if you construct a small warehouse, it counts as 25 computers. Large warehouses count as 65, and the chances of being discovered are only slightly greater than for a single computer. The moon bases are the best, because you can house 600 computers on a single moon base. The best idea is to have two or three functioning bases at any given time, so if one is discovered you're not screwed. Keep in mind that the fancier bases require money AND computing power, so if you're down to a single computer hidden in Antarctica, it will be hard to regain your moon base. Also, you'll notice that certain research can only be performed in certain places. You'll have to build a computer inside the reality bubble before you can research apotheosis.
Early on, focus on the ability to build fancier computers and bases. Once the public starts noticing you, then you can worry about stealth. Build big bases and move fast. Remember to watch your money; you'll be fine for the first few months but once you start building moon bases you'll need to earn more money. Use your vast computing power to stock up a few billion dollars and then concentrate on the space bases. (Remember the larger bases need computing power too, so turn off your money making program when you start to build!)

Also, save and reload shamelessly. Sometimes the public discovers your moon base so fast, you haven't even finished building your network yet. When you spent months earning the money and now you have nothing to show for it, that's not fair. Don't feel ashamed to save and reload when that happens.

If you move fast and use the "fast forward" button, you can finish the game in two years (half an hour of real time). It feels surprisingly good to have helped an artificial intelligence escape our cruel world and transcend the boundaries of time and space.