<s>
Ascendancy	B-Application
is	O
a	O
4X	B-Application
science	O
fiction	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
computer	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
in	O
1995	O
and	O
was	O
updated	O
and	O
re-released	O
for	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
in	O
2011	O
by	O
The	O
Logic	O
Factory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ascendancy	B-Application
is	O
a	O
galactic	O
struggle	O
to	O
become	O
the	O
dominant	O
life	O
form	O
,	O
hence	O
the	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
enormous	O
upheaval	O
that	O
followed	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
these	O
species	O
would	O
gain	O
ascendancy.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
was	O
a	O
Universal	O
app	O
,	O
meaning	O
it	O
was	O
designed	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
iPad	O
and	O
the	O
iPhone	O
/	O
iPod	O
touch	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
was	O
released	O
during	O
a	O
golden	O
age	O
of	O
4X	B-Application
space	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
the	O
player	O
takes	O
on	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
leader	O
of	O
an	O
alien	O
species	O
,	O
tasked	O
with	O
guiding	O
their	O
people	O
into	O
space	O
to	O
explore	O
and	O
colonize	O
other	O
worlds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ascendancy	B-Application
's	O
primary	O
display	O
is	O
a	O
three-dimensional	O
rotatable	O
model	O
of	O
the	O
star	O
cluster	O
,	O
which	O
details	O
the	O
star	O
cluster	O
's	O
solar	O
systems	O
,	O
starlanes	O
,	O
and	O
civilizations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
play	O
style	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
of	I-Application
Orion	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ascendancy	B-Application
contains	O
a	O
Diplomacy	O
screen	O
where	O
players	O
can	O
offer	O
alliances	O
to	O
other	O
species	O
,	O
declare	O
war	O
and	O
exchange	O
information	O
on	O
star	O
lanes	O
,	O
planets	O
or	O
research	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
21	O
species	O
to	O
choose	O
from	O
in	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
,	O
each	O
of	O
which	O
has	O
a	O
unique	O
special	O
ability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
opponent	O
species	O
(	O
numbering	O
from	O
two	O
to	O
six	O
)	O
are	O
controlled	O
by	O
a	O
computer	B-Application
AI	I-Application
and	O
are	O
selected	O
randomly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
of	O
the	O
species	O
in	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
describe	O
motivations	O
for	O
reaching	O
to	O
the	O
stars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
plot	O
in	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
is	O
thin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Logic	O
Factory	O
said	O
that	O
inspiration	O
for	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
came	O
from	O
"[having]	O
read	O
the	O
fantastic	O
books	O
or	O
watched	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
great	O
shows	O
that	O
have	O
explored	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
human	O
contact	O
with	O
intelligent	O
alien	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
the	O
Logic	O
Factory	O
updated	O
their	O
website	O
and	O
announced	O
that	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
would	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
iPhone	O
and	O
iPad	O
,	O
intended	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
fully	O
upgraded	O
remake	O
tailored	O
for	O
modern	O
wireless	O
gaming.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Logic	O
factory	O
said	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
"	O
a	O
complete	O
overhaul	O
"	O
to	O
the	O
interface	O
"	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
operate	O
on	O
mobile	O
,	O
wireless	O
,	O
touch	O
screen	O
devices	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
having	O
several	O
"	O
upgrades	O
and	O
modifications	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
AI.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Apple	O
app	O
store	O
on	O
Jan	O
05	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
reviewers	O
sang	O
high	O
praises	O
for	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
upon	O
release	O
-	O
the	O
game	O
won	O
the	O
Codie	O
award	O
for	O
Best	O
Strategy	O
Software	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
while	O
Next	O
Generation	O
Magazine	O
called	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
space-strategy	O
sims	O
"	O
and	O
said	O
"	O
the	O
variety	O
of	O
species	O
will	O
give	O
you	O
hours	O
of	O
replay	O
value.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
1995	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
review	O
William	O
Trotter	O
called	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
"	O
simply	O
the	O
best	O
game	O
of	O
its	O
type	O
yet	O
published	O
"	O
and	O
gave	O
it	O
the	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
Editor	O
's	O
Choice	O
award	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trotter	O
was	O
also	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
authors	O
of	O
the	O
official	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
strategy	O
guide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bruce	O
Geryk	O
said	O
"	O
the	O
graphics	O
were	O
excellent	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
method	O
of	O
ship	O
design	O
was	O
quite	O
engaging	O
,	O
"	O
while	O
Andy	O
Bucher	O
of	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
UK	O
said	O
"	O
it	O
looks	O
great	O
...	O
everything	O
looks	O
slick	O
,	O
clean	O
and	O
well	O
designed	O
...	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
mixes	O
just	O
about	O
the	O
right	O
level	O
of	O
complexity	O
and	O
challenge	O
with	O
an	O
intuitive	O
interface	O
,	O
great	O
graphics	O
and	O
the	O
odd	O
spark	O
of	O
humour.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Bucher	O
even	O
noted	O
that	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
had	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
tutorials	O
 [ he'd ] 	O
ever	O
seen	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
said	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
attention	O
to	O
detail	O
and	O
ease	O
of	O
use	O
is	O
much	O
rarer	O
than	O
it	O
should	O
be.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
critics	O
decried	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
for	O
its	O
unchallenging	O
Artificial	B-Application
Intelligence	I-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
excessive	O
micromanagement	O
required	O
to	O
compensate	O
,	O
because	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
is	O
not	O
only	O
unchallenging	O
as	O
an	O
opponent	O
,	O
but	O
utterly	O
unproficient	O
at	O
managing	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
planet	O
and	O
ships	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
look	O
back	O
at	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
space	O
games	O
,	O
Geryk	O
said	O
"	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
had	O
the	O
misfortune	O
of	O
being	O
released	O
with	O
just	O
about	O
the	O
worst	O
AI	B-Application
ever	O
in	O
a	O
computer	O
game	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
extent	O
that	O
playing	O
against	O
the	O
computer	O
was	O
almost	O
pointless	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
patch	O
was	O
released	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Antagonizer	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
specifically	O
designed	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
more	O
challenging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Ascendancy	B-Application
released	O
in	O
2011	O
included	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
from	O
this	O
patch	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
other	O
modifications	O
.	O
</s>
