The loop that actually matters
- 01
Automate the boring failure states
Food, gathering and production should survive your absence. The developer says expedition length is player-controlled, which turns weak automation into hidden combat pressure.
- 02
Build squads around the mission, not rarity colors
Large battlefields mix infantry, tanks, mechs, missiles and bullet-hell pressure. Control, survival and weak-point coverage matter before pure damage spreadsheets do.
- 03
Protect capture attempts
Mark the target so allied soldiers stop attacking it. Elite and boss capture is harder, so clear the surrounding pressure before gambling on the capture roll.
- 04
Choose cores as systems
A Toxic Fog effect can feed Toxic-Drone Core, while Drone EMP adds control. The useful question is not “which card is red?” but “what existing trigger makes this card fire often?”
Decision table
| If this is failing… | Check first | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Production stalls during expeditions | Worker stat match, inputs, automation | Longer runs are supported, but the colony continues operating |
| Captures die before resolving | Target mark and squad fire | Allied soldiers now stop attacking marked targets |
| Boss abilities overwhelm the squad | Drone EMP or another control layer | EMP card explicitly disables elite and boss abilities; Sector Overlords are immune |
| Ammo dries up | Melee finish opportunities | Melee kills are confirmed to drop ammunition |
| Workers collapse | Low Energy traits, schedule and overwork state | Fatigue is visible and trait-modified |
Two halves of the same machine
Colony-away audit
| Before you leave | Why it matters away from base | Return trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Food, gathering and production inputs have an owner | The colony continues operating during an expedition. | An input chain depends on your backpack or a worker is visibly exhausted. |
| The squad has a job and commands are understood | Move, Attack and Follow Me support positioning choices without pretending AI solves every fight. | A capture or priority target needs fire discipline. |
| Deposits match the intended run | AG-12 manual deposit quantity lets you avoid committing an entire stack by accident. | A critical building lacks inputs or an unintended stockpile was consumed. |
| A recovery point exists | AG-12 automatic backups help with interrupted saves but do not replace a deliberate checkpoint. | A major objective, policy or risk decision is about to begin. |
Capture playbook: protect the decision
- 01
Clear enough pressure to look at the target
A capture attempt is a trade-off against immediate survival. Do not chase it through unmanageable surrounding damage.
- 02
Mark the target and control squad fire
Allied soldiers stop attacking a marked capture target. Use that confirmed behavior to prevent your own squad from ending the attempt.
- 03
Spend the result with the colony in mind
Captured people can feed the colony-and-squad loop, but this page does not invent conversion efficiency or a universal capture priority.
What AG-12 changes in the field
Infested Nest difficulty was reduced in AG-12, so old reports of that encounter are no longer a clean benchmark. Re-test your squad and control plan rather than declaring the encounter solved or trivial.
Required upgrade points were reduced for normal, elite and Boss soldiers. That changes the cost side of a soldier investment, not the evidence needed to compare builds. Patch-aware choices still beat a permanent “best squad” claim.
Where these claims came from
Sources support the specific claims above; community posts are never silently upgraded into official facts.
- StorePax Autocratica on Steam ↗
- OfficialDirective AG-12 official Steam news ↗
- VideoOfficial 12:23 gameplay video ↗
- Developer AMADeveloper launch-day AMA ↗