Omega

Omega is a 1989 strategy game from MicroMagic that casts the player as a cyber-tank designer and programmer rather than a driver. You spend your budget on chassis, weapons, and sensors, then write the artificial intelligence that drives the tank in battle, with the actual combat playing out automatically once your design hits the arena.

Design, Then Watch

The bulk of the game happens before any shots are fired. Players balance equipment and attribute choices against a fixed budget, knowing that overspending on armor leaves nothing for sensors and that overspending on weapons leaves a tank that cannot see what it is shooting at.

Programming the AI

Tanks are scripted through a built-in text editor using a small command language for movement, targeting, and inter-tank communication. Coordinated tactics between multiple tanks of your own design are part of the appeal.

Hands-Off Combat

Battles themselves are minimal in terms of player input; the focus is on whether the design and the script you wrote can outthink the opposing tanks. Wins and losses become feedback for the next round of tweaking.