"Preinforcements": Achron Is Coming

You will remember that time-travelling RTS Achron made me a bit giddy last year, largely because it was one of the cleverest pieces of game design I have ever seen. Hopefully you'll also have thought "whatever happened to that", because now we have the answer: there's a video and a detailed update from project lead Chris Hazard - including the phrase "I have briefed senior officials at the Pentagon" - below.

Hazard says:

* It's in beta and will be released in Q3. People can preorder the beta and start playing now.

* Our beta tournament starts next week. Players can apply to compete via a questionnaire on our website. 100 players will be chosen to compete. Applications must be submitted by 5:00pm EDT on Friday May 27.

* Single-player story-mode campaigns will not be included until the full release. It consists of 35 levels. The story has been in development since 2003 and it is a very engaging, sci-fi story that immerses the player into time travel. We haven't been revealing much of the back story because it contains spoilers in a game about time travel!

* The game is no harder to learn than any other RTS. People aren't used to thinking with time travel. However, after playing a few levels, it's very natural to use it. It falls in the category of easy to learn, tough to master.

* We have put significant effort into the RTS gameplay and balance of the game. Our 3 factions, Humans, Vecgir, and Grekim, are innovative in their gameplay.

* The time manipulation technology is making huge ripples in the serious gaming community, including military, business, and education. Being able to manipulate time enables strategic thinking and learning opportunities: http://www.achrongame.com/site/technology.php I have briefed senior officials at the Pentagon, and many Fortune 100 executives have indicated excitement about this technology for use in enterprise.