THE online game! (Planetarion (PC))

Member Name: Danbuckley5

Product:	Planetarion (PC)
Date:	18/03/01 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: layout, navigation, gameplay

Disadvantages: a little slow to load..

This must be THE online gaming experienc of the year! The game was set up a couple of years back, when it only had a few members, and was hosted on a single server.
The game has now grown to have over 100,000 members, and recently changed servers because the old server could not handle it any more!

The aim of the game is to become the most important planet in the universe. To do this you must have a large fleet, lot's of money, lots of allies and a great understanding of the game.

An important part of the site, apart from the game, is the forums, and communication tools. You can use these to build alliences, talk to the creators, and ask for help if you are under attack.
There is also their information site, which provides an ongoing story, tips on playing the game, and information about changes in the game.

The actual game itself is amazing.
I'll go through the sub-headings one by one!

Help: This gives you information on all the different sections of the game, telling you ehat means what, how to do things, and also a handy ship-list and tech-tree.

Overview: This gives you a run-down of any new messages, the newest letter from your 'galactic commander' and if you have any incoming enemies. It also tells you what and how many ships and PDS's you have.

Messages: Create or recieve messages from other players of the game, whether asking for help or just making plans, this is very useful in the game!

Journal: This is where you keep a personal diary or journal of your game playing. I personally never sed this option!

Affairs: Here you vote for a galactic commander , can donate resources to other people in your galaxy, and manage any other internal affairs.

Production: Here the fun begins. You can, from this screen, build your fleet which could win you the game. At first, there are no ships available, but as you research and build things, bigger and better ships will be
come available. Each ship costs a certain amount of crystal or metal, which are the main 'currencies' in the game. Each ship attacks different classes of enemy ship, so it useful to have a wide array of ships at your disposal!

Research: Here you set your scientists to work researching new ideas. This will make new ships, constructions, researches and waves available. Each research costs money though, and some make other things in the game unavailable, so chose what you want to specialise in!

Construction: Build things which enable new ships and things to become available. Eah construction costs money as well!

Waves: this is where you produce the special waves, which are scans sent out to other areas. These range from simple sector scans, which reveal very little about a planet, to the unstoppable military scans, which detect all craft on a planet. You can also produce wave absorbers, which help to deflect incoming waves, or wave amplifiers, hich increase the power of yours.
There is also the asteroid scan, which reveals nearby asteroids.

Resources: This is where you initiate asteroids you have discovered. You will automatically have some resources ie. metal etc. being mined from your planet, but the more asteroids you have, the more resources (money0 you have. You have to pay to initiate an asteroid!

PDS: here you build your planetary defences. There are a range or turrets available, all which orbit your planet to defend it from enemy attacks. You cannot attack with your PDS system.

Military: Send your ships into 3 different fleets, and issue orders for each one. Plan attacks, or send ships to help your allies.

They are the most important options in the game, but there are many more. You do not actually see your ships, or their battles, it is calculated who wind by a number of equations.
The site is set out well and looks very professional.
It is updated a lot, and is easy to find y
our way around, and there is always help at hand if you are lost, in the forums. This website is not particularly fast, but the wait is worth it!
great game!

Summary: