ARES is the current operating system for robots from Nanite Systems.

Unlike Companion, almost all of its code is in the HUD, so you can swap out main controllers (battery sockets) more easily.

A main controller and a battery are still required.

ARES is in beta. Some features are still missing, and not all devices work.

Note that handles (including horns), diagnostics beds (VectorLogix and Arachne), and the CSU (OC EXB-8505 Chassis Specification Unit) do not work yet. See device compatibility for a complete list.

We will achieve 100% compatibility eventually, although some products, like the CSU, are being replaced with better and more sophisticated alternatives.

The remote control tool has changed. If you have an old remote control for Companion, you can trade it in, to rhet0rica, for a new version that also includes the ARES Remote.

Not all furniture works yet. See device compatibility for a complete list.

Use the pocket redelivery terminal (or single-function redelivery monad) that came with your controller.

Remember to read the Getting Started Guide. ARES is very similar to Companion in most respects, but you won't be able to do anything if you don't follow the instructions perfectly.

Companion is the old operating system for robots from Nanite Systems.

It was last updated in January 2023, after 9 years of work, and discontinued completely in March 2024.

Companion has higher device compatibility than ARES and will work with nearly everything that currently exists.

Unfortunately, Companion is very old, and has some severe problems that most users consider intolerable. See this page for more details.

If you have a controller that used to support Companion, send a notecard to rhet0rica to ask for it.

Please note that we do not support Companion anymore. It is very unlikely we will issue any patches for it.

The extremely rough (and probably overly-optimistic) estimated release schedule for ARES is as follows:

• Alpha 1 was released on July 8, 2023. To support development, the Alpha builds are only available to customers who buy a special limited edition controller, the CX/Supervisor.
• An updated Alpha 1 (version 0.1.1) was released on July 14, 2023. This version is only available via redelivery. It is required for all future updates.
• Alpha 1.2 (version 0.1.2) was released on August 5, 2023. This update addressed some of the outstanding minor bugs, and provided a test of the system package update process. More updates to Alpha 1 are in the works. It is available via redelivery or by following the update instructions.
• Alpha 1.3 (version 0.1.3) was released August 19, 2023. This update was mostly a collection of bug fixes that took longer than expected.
• Alpha 1.4 (version 0.1.4) was released August 25, 2023. This update focused on improving the update process.
• Alpha 1.5 (version 0.1.5) was released September 15, 2023. This update added support for the Bismuth Color HUD, the ARemote remote console, and debuted an alpha version of the "Restraint" RLV Relay.
• Alpha 1.6 (version 0.1.6) was released September 30, 2023. This version continued the work of meeting the original A1 target and added the ability to password-lock system access.
• Alpha 2.1 (version 0.2.1) was released November 19, 2023. This version addressed a number of bugs and added a new navigation system that can be used to path-find through regions with difficult terrain. The planned AMenu HUD has been dropped for accessibility reasons.
• Alpha 2.2 (version 0.2.2) was released December 9, 2023. This version was also bug-focused and was mainly dedicated to issues with the package manager.
• Beta 1 (version 0.3.0) was released January 16, 2024. We hope to also release a new combat-focused add-on called WARRIOR around this date, as well as the TESI replacement, Sexuality. Most controllers that were sold running Companion have been converted to ARES.
• Beta 1 was updated to version 0.3.1 on February 20, 2024. This version addressed a range of bugs, addressed compatibility with some controller screen features, and added new functionality for manipulating JSON inside shell scripts. It also introduced an experimental optimized version of the kernel. The CX/Supervisor controller was retired around this time.
• Beta 2 will lay groundwork for finishing Sexuality and Warrior, and improve the UI for users without 1920x1080 screens. All later plans have been bumped back to accommodate this work.
• Later betas will add improvements as necessary to accommodate further work on device compatibility and new applications.

The exact release dates of the beta versions are guaranteed to slip as a result of feedback from the alpha development phase. For more detail on the ARES development schedule, see the ARES roadmap, which lists the outstanding tasks and how long each is estimated to take, and the ARES devlog, which tracks work on ARES and related software.

The ARES command reference page is also now available, here. This is guaranteed to always be indexed to the latest release.