Supreme Commander 2 is set 25 years after the first game’s events. The three opposing factions – the Cybran Nation, the Illuminates, and the United Earth Federation – are still fighting in the Infinite War across the galaxy, causing havoc and discontent, with the player as the Supreme Commander right in the middle.
In contrast to the first game, there is only one single-player campaign in which the player takes command of the armies of each faction, beginning with the UEF campaign as Commander Dominic “Migraine” Maddox, then the Illuminates campaign as Commander Thalia Kael and finally the Cybran-campaign as Commander Ivan Brackman. However, the game remains a real-time strategy game like Total Annihilation, with many units on massive battlefields simultaneously. The player can effortlessly zoom out to a strategic map or zoom in until he’s up close and personal with his avatar, the mighty ACU, to keep track of everything. The ACU can build facilities faster than a regular engineer and has access to deadly weapons to combat his foes. However, the mission or multiplayer match is lost once the ACU is destroyed.
The resource management system has also been significantly revamped from the original game. This time, the player must have the resources needed to build a unit or structure accessible while giving the command rather than losing them over time while the construction is underway. On the other hand, the resources have remained constant, with the mass and energy required to support the war effort.
Each structure the player constructs can now be enhanced using add-ons, such as placing a shield around it to increase its defensive capabilities. Furthermore, five tech trees are accessible to unlock upgrades for the three types of units, as well as structures and the ACU, which are also visible on the battlefield with a shimmering aura around teams that have gotten the shield upgrade, for example. The points required for such a study are automatically collected, but the rate at which they are obtained can be boosted by constructing a research center. The research will eventually provide players access to atomic bombs and solid prototype structures and units such as the UEF Flying Fortress or the Cybranasaurus Rex. This genetically modified reptile has evolved into the ultimate destroyer.
Aside from the main narrative, the game has a skirmish mode versus AI with three possible victory criteria: merely destroying the enemy ACU is required, everything must be destroyed, or the Infinite War, which has no success requirements. These circumstances are also accessible in the multiplayer version, which can accommodate up to eight players.
