Hear ye! Hear ye! Tournament season begins again!
We, the Editors of the Planets Magazine, are proud and excited to announce the second in our series of Classic Invitational tournaments — with prizes!
Continue readingThe first Planets Magazine Classic Invitational has now been launched, and the champions are assembling. Top players from Planets Nu, both past and present, have been sent invitations to join, and as soon as the game is full it will begin. is well underway as of this writing, and we’re getting ready to start the second one.
DISCLAIMER: This document will not guarantee wins and it is not a technical manual for the queues; however, it will give you a baseline for managing your empire under the umbrella of each system. Launch your galley here; adjust your heading for the stars.
The spirit of a thing is that which survives changes in circumstance. The spirit of the Crystal is that of The Snare. The Crystals have a unique technology around which their entire fleet and all strategies must be constructed. Web mines drain fuel, paralyze enemy operations, force them to waste valuable time sweeping, and allow the Crystal to harvest the survivors for their own fleet. However, the opponents of the Crystal are not likely to just march their ships into Crystal space. They must rather be goaded into it, smothered, or caught unawares. Crystal success hinges on the effective implementation of ensnarement tactics.
Continue readingWe now have three different queue systems where this topic is applicable, and the thought of jamming the Queue is becoming more and more confusing. What’s getting stranger even than that is the curious circumstances of the newest Queue (if you keep track of them as they go by), in that it can sometimes be a greater advantage to keep it flowing smoothly at one time, then paused, then flowing again; or, if you have several bases all ready to build at once, you might well prefer a one-time massive construction surge.
When the revised queue system was first released as an alternative to the Classic ship build process, it met with some opposition. Today, it is being systematically replaced by the new Planetary Production Queue with its random build options.
And yet, at least in my opinion, the original objections have yet to receive even a satisfactory hearing, and they certainly haven’t been addressed. Sure, anyone who objects to the new system can go back to play Classic if they want — but that’s no answer; some of the advances since 1991 haven’t been all bad. And it’s no use saying you can pick and choose in Custom games unless you and ten of your closest friends all agree on exactly which new options you like.
So let’s take a moment and review one example: the Hull Penalty.
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(The following is a rebuttal to “Seeing Purple and Red“, by Talespin. The opinion is that of the author, and does not necessarily reflect that of the Planets Magazine as a whole.)
Hands Off My Minefields, Dammit!
My esteemed colleague has raised several points in his article, and it’s true that there are factors that need addressing. The prevalence of short-form Planets games alongside the rise of the new PPQ system (which I’ve referred to as the New Nu Queue, to spare confusion) certainly creates new questions of balance and game flow. Steady advances under solid logistics and impeccable defenses are no longer tenable in non-Classic, non-Standard scenarios.
Continue readingNOTE: PPQ is an experimental system, still in development. Joshua has mentioned that he’s not satisfied with some aspects of it and intends to make a few changes. So this should not be considered an authoritative guide, but rather a collection of logistics tactics and stratagems that anyone can read and use. That way, we’re all facing what could otherwise be an intimidating innovation on a relatively equal footing. That’s the intent, anyway. -G
Well, it’s official: We’re using the New Nu Queue in League games as well as in some private ones, and a lot of you will have run into it by now. That doesn’t mean, however, that everyone will be equally familiar with how it works and how best to take advantage.
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