Oib.io

About Oib.io

Oib.io is a proper micro-management strategy game wearing io clothing. You spawn units, box-select them, and send them out to attack, defend or feed. Your queen is the thing that must not fall, and every decision is a trade between pushing units forward and keeping enough of them home.

What makes it unusual for this category is the alliance layer: you can feed your allies units as well as your own, or refuse and try to hold the whole map alone. It rewards patience in a genre that normally rewards reflexes, which makes it a good change of pace next to the arena games here.

How to play

Left click to select a unit, or click and drag a box to select several. Hold Ctrl and click to add or remove units from the selection, and press Space to select everything you own. Right click to send the selection somewhere. Press 1 to spawn oibs and 2 to combine the selected ones. Move the camera with WASD or the arrow keys.

Controls

• Left click — select a unit; drag to box-select
• Ctrl + click — add or remove from the selection
• Space — select all units
• Right click — move the selection
• 1 — spawn oibs, 2 — combine selected units
• WASD or arrow keys — move the camera

Tips to win

• Keep a standing garrison near the queen — protecting her matters more than grabbing extra ground.
• Combining units is how you break a defensive line; a swarm of small ones bounces off it.
• Feeding an ally early usually buys you a quiet flank, which is worth more than the units cost.

Oib.io strategy guide

Build numbers before you go looking for a fight. Press 1 to spawn oibs, and do it early and often. An army that is still small cannot defend and attack at the same time, and most early losses come from sending a thin group out while the base sits empty.

Learn selection until it is automatic. Left click picks one unit, dragging a box picks several, Ctrl plus click adds or removes a unit, and Space selects everything. Right click sends whatever is selected. Good players rarely move the whole army at once; they peel off a group for a job and leave the rest in place. Use WASD or the arrow keys to move the camera so you can see what the group you sent is running into.

Combine units when you need a heavier hitter. Pressing 2 combines the oibs you have selected. Regrouping small units into bigger ones is useful for breaking a defensive cluster, while splitting into smaller groups lets you cover more ground. Switching between the two depending on the situation is the core skill, rather than committing to one style for the whole game.

Never leave the queen exposed. Protecting your queen is central to the game, so keep a defensive group near her at all times, even when an attack is going well. A common mistake is pulling everyone forward for one big push and discovering a rival has walked in behind. A modest garrison costs little and buys you time to react.

Decide early whether you are an ally or a lone ruler. You can rally to the strongest player and feed units to allies as well as your own, or try to rule the whole map alone. Allying tends to give you a quieter flank while you build up, and going solo is higher risk with a bigger payoff. Whichever you choose, watch the map and adjust when the balance of power shifts.

Oib.io FAQ