From Modder to Indie CEOChris started as a hobbyist, modding Supreme Commander for fun with his dad and uncle. That side project grew into AI War: Fleet Command and eventually into Arcen Games. His timing in 2009 was lucky—Steam had just opened the door to indie publishing, competition was thinner, and a single passionate project could break through.
The Novelist AnalogyHe compares indie developers to midlist authors of the 1990s—sustainable careers built on serving a dedicated audience, not chasing blockbusters. That middle tier collapsed in publishing, and he sees the same pattern in games: an “Indocalypse” of market saturation wiping out smaller studios. His partnership with Hooded Horse is one answer, giving indie projects a publisher with reach and focus.
Alien AI, Not Shadow MarioChris rejected the standard “make it act human” approach to game AI. He calls that the “Shadow Mario” problem—opponents that copy player behavior badly and become boring fast. AI War’s solution: create alien intelligences that play by their own rules. They aren’t competing on human strengths like creativity. They’re exploiting what computers do well, making them unsettling and effective in ways humans can’t be.
The Chess Grandmaster ModelHis AI doesn’t run a big simulation or long-term plan. It reacts in the moment, like a chess master running simultaneous boards. That stateless approach means the AI feels sharp and tactical without pretending it can “think” like a person. Predictable patterns emerge, giving players something to read and exploit, but the scale and relentlessness keep pressure high.
Magic Trick PhilosophyFor Chris, games aren’t simulations; they’re performances. AI exists to create tension and drama, not fairness. He points out that FPS enemies already play by “fake” rules—they miss shots on purpose to keep fights interesting. Strategy AI should do the same, leaning into artifice rather than chasing impossible realism.
Narrative as MechanicsAI War begins after humanity has already lost. That decision shapes everything. You’re not an empire-builder, you’re a survivor. Expansion isn’t automatically good—it risks provoking an overwhelming AI response. The setting makes restraint a mechanic, turning standard 4X logic on its head.
Immutable GoalsChris builds around what he calls “immutable design goals”: fixed emotional outcomes that every mechanic must serve. For AI War, it was the feeling of being Ender Wiggin—outmatched in force, but able to win with superior strategy. Anything that didn’t serve that feeling was cut, no matter how clever.
Industry Shifts and SteamHe’s lived through the Steam bottleneck, the Greenlight experiment, the Direct flood, and the recovery through algorithms and publishers. Early scarcity helped his career; later excess nearly crushed it. He sees the current moment as more stable, with publishers like Hooded Horse helping serious indies cut through the noise.
Design Lessons from Supreme CommanderTwo things carried over: infinite zoom and scale. Both came from Supreme Commander and remain underused elsewhere. Wormhole networks were his own addition, solving the “empty space” problem by creating defensible chokepoints. These systems gave AI War its distinct shape: positional strategy, overwhelming numbers, and performance that didn’t break under the weight.
Community as Extension of the StudioArcen’s community contributed bug fixes, features, and even code. That collaboration has been essential to making small-team projects survive and thrive over years. For Chris, community isn’t marketing—it’s part of the actual development pipeline.
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