The genre is a staple with a pedigree perhaps only rivaled by the venerable category, and while it has had it's heroes, no designer can argue that veteran Chris Taylor has been one of the most influential of practitioners. Having crafted the ground breaking Total Annihilation back in his Cavedog days, Taylor returned two years ago with the excellent - the unofficial sequel to his 90s smash.

Supreme Commander may have been good, but it was by no means perfect, something Taylor freely admits as we sit down to look at Supreme Commander 2 - a huge new sequel that has been in the works some nine months at Gas Powered Games. Set twenty-five years after Forged Alliance, the game will hone in on three characters while at the same time encompassing some of the biggest battles the genre has ever seen.

As Taylor begins our demonstration, the strengths of the rendering engine are obvious, our guide zooming in from high above a futuristic city and landscape, through the clouds, to rest upon one small segment of this other-worldly metropolis, on which a battle appears to be raging. Visually, the new-look units are incredibly crisp, and the animation is some of the most complex and refined I've seen for some time. Gone are dull, immersion-destroying map edges; rather, the battlefields of Supreme Commander 2 have multiple levels and lush scenery - further drawing the player into this futuristic conflict.

Some twenty-five experimental units are now available to toy with, and these new creations are not only imaginative, but should also add a lot more unpredictability to the proceedings. Shadows set off everything nicely, while the particle effects present in the game's explosions and destructions is enough to give any budding fire-starter a broad grin. The Commander's role is extra important now, Taylor noting that in the last Supreme Commander players were too concerned about imminent death to risk their talisman. Now, however, we'll be encouraged to wade our commanders into the midst of battle through the ability to 'hunker down' on hillsides, as well as detach the Commander's head in order to make a dramatic exit.

A new faction, with some very distinctive units has been added; while the predictable yarn based on massive interstellar conflict looks likely. According to Taylor, and hope to open up the series to new players - and bold new stylisation informed by the latest will combine with surprisingly reasonable systems specifications (on the PC). Taylor says that the game should run on a reasonable three to five year-old rig, thanks to some some devious optimisation that sees units in this game using fewer polygons than the last release, despite this title being much prettier.

On the AI front, the veteran game designer is also shaking things up, Gas Powered Games having mustered a neural net, meaning that your in-game foes will learn from your strategies as the game plays out. Taylor says that this shouldn't result in more difficult games, but rather in more interesting, unpredictable bouts.

Adding further complexity to the experience, Supreme Commander 2 will allow lots of unit customisation, with multiple upgrade possibilities for units that will also gain experience as they survive ever more intense tussles.

The game's retro-future visuals are certainly distinctive, while there will be a new range of smaller units in the game - the developers hoping to foster vast tussles involving dozens upon dozens of enemies. The story, meanwhile, will be furthered through HUD video transmissions and traditional cut-scenes, and the game's mission briefings will also take place on the field of play - further ensuring player immersion.

Taylor tells us that a full mode will be included, while the game is being developed simultaneously on the - and is likely to make use of a revolving circular menu system. Beyond this console title, the PC release may also embrace a digital debut.

More on this new RTS epic as the 2010 launch rolls around.

By Luke Guttridge