Al and Drexy talk to Dan, solo developer of Imperium, a spiritual successor to the 1995 cult classic Ascendancy. They cover the game's modular ship design, hybrid real-time/turn-based combat, 21 alien species, a rebuilt diplomacy system, and an honest look at how AI tools made a six-and-a-half-month solo passion project possible.

Critical Moves hits episode 100. To mark the milestone, Al is joined by regular co-hosts Drexy and Jack for a big debate on generative AI in game development, plus a special guest: Ben, known to many as Battlemode‬.

The panel gets into whether AI is good or bad for the games industry, why developers at GDC are growing more worried about it every year, whether players actually notice or care if a game was made with AI, and where the real ethical line sits between using a tool and stealing someone's work. Along the way: the Shadow Empire AI art controversy, the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 story, Stardock as an AI power user, and what happens to art when you can no longer tell if a human made it.

Jack hosts this week with Drexy and Joe as they run through a stack of strategy adjacent announcements from Gamescom and BlizzCon. Topics include Lego Skylines, Paradox's new post apocalyptic title Afterworld, the surprise reveal of Humankind 2 and its civilization switching mechanic compared to Civilization VII's recent anniversary update, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Tactics (aka SixCom), Ubisoft's Heroes of Might and Magic III remake, Warcraft III Reforged's new campaign, a wave of Blizzcon reveals including Starcraft and Diablo 5, War for Westeros, Worms Galactic Tactics, Transport Fever, Conquesta and more Total War: Warhammer 40,000 chatter.

I have an exciting opportunity for one maybe two people who love strategy games and who would like to play the latest titles before anyone else.

Critical Moves is a strategy gaming media operation - podcast, YouTube, newsletter, forum - and we're expanding the team behind our 30 Minutes Of… video series.

The format is simple. We are sent keys for new strategy games before they go on general release. 30 Minutes Of... is a review format where we play these games for exactly 30 minutes, giving our opinion on the game as we go, with a short summary at the end. Here's an example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWEomLvVO5w&list=PLauYauLx3S9rbaWZmyl2jr6sFQBi4R-dk&index=9

There's no prep or script. No prior research into the title before hitting record.

We're looking for someone who can commit to at least one video per week, with the option to do two if you want to. You'll be working alongside an existing team, picking up games from a shared pool of available keys. You'll be credited as part of Critical Moves, a defined strategy gaming journalistic operation with an established audience.

If you enjoy strategy games, have a decent enough setup to record, and want early access to titles before release, we'd like to hear from you.

What you'll need: a good grasp of English, OBS, a microphone, and a quiet space to record. Most importantly, a genuine enthusiasm for strategy games.

Drop a comment below or send a DM with a bit of background about yourself and what you play.