Category Archives: How To Play

It’s Like Christmas – Part II

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In the first article of this two-part series, I introduced the concept of “Christmas planets” – those newly-scanned worlds which make you cry out, “Yus!” and unabashedly pump your fists. There’s lots of resources on a map, but these beautiful gifts bring joy to both new and experienced players. They supply every production facility within 2-3 turns and boost entire economies up to 2-3 clusters away. Most planets provide resources for 10-30 turns, but these anti-misers keep giving long into the end game. This article highlights several top-priority Christmas planets.

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It’s Like Christmas – Part I

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My childhood contained two Christmases I most remember. The first was spending winter in the snowy mountains of Newfoundland, Canada. — This has little relevance to the article, but it sets the mood rather well. — The second memory – and the more important glimmer of my past – was opening the best gift ever: a Nintendo Entertainment System. As I played Super Mario Bros. for the first time, I felt an odd sense of euphoria. The world filled with wonder and possibilities; and I knew I was special and super lucky to have this gift. Later in my life, this type of joy occurred three more times: finding a twenty dollar bill at an exhibition fair, winning the grand prize from a granola bar package, and receiving an orbital scan from a Planets starship above a world of indigenous Insectoids. These last moments appear as mundane but they felt like Christmas.

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Nu Replayer: A discovery of Artificial Negativity (Nov 2021)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: CSY has been kind enough to give us an update on his Nu Replayer project. There are also some discoveries about the computer player in here, so it’s worth a gander even if you don’t use this tool.

Background

It has been quite a long while since I touched Nu Replayer in any form. Even in its “Perpetual Alpha” state, the existing functionality has worked quite nicely.

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Standard Ship and Planet List – From Stronger to Weaker

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Editor’s Note: This was written to update ThinLizzy’s “Ship List – Strong to Weak” from 2014 to take into account advances like Horwasp, Emperor ships, and Quantum Torpedoes.

Dedicated to Xy”zzynnzy’Z of the Glorious Thorax. Long may it’s mandibles be sharp!

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A Guide to Knowing Mostly Everything

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Gathering military intelligence in the game of Planets

When it comes to the most important aspects of Planets strategy, most players talk about diplomacy, tactics, and economy. These skills are certainly of great importance, but in this article, I would like to suggest there is a more important talent which underlies them all: gathering information.

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Here’s Johnny! – Shining the Light on Enemy Homeworlds

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Be proactive

There is something terrifying about having a warship show up at your door on Turn 7. If you did not see it coming, your empire is in grave danger. At the very least, you will be crippled for a long time and have to beg for help from other players. This early-game maneuver is known as “The Headshot”, and – if it wasn’t obvious – the goal is to remove your head.

This tactic can be prevented by a variety of actions, but perhaps the strongest defense – or at least it is the boldest – is to axe down your neighbour’s door before they come calling. To do that, you need to know the location of your enemy’s homeworld. Here’s how:

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What Race Should I Play?

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There are a ton of articles on ways to build a proper economy, what to do about cloakers and Ion Storms, battle tactics, and a thousand other details. But if you’re new at the game and all that seems too complicated… well, that’s because it is, at least for right now. To start you off, this might be a better question to ask: Which race should I play? Continue reading →

Hearts of Space

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(written by ECV)

I’m a middle-aged man, a professional with a lot of credentials.  On a daily basis I have colleagues who rely on me to get work done.  I also have a family and a social life.

Sound familiar?  My story is pretty typical of a Planets player.  In getting to know my allies and opponents in the game, I’ve quickly learned that Planets players are the cream Continue reading →