Planetarion Developers

By Adam Rodman

Planetarion is an ambitious online strategy game that can be played with only a web browser. With IRC (internet relay chat) blended into the game, and a mix of allies and enemies, conquering the galaxy has never been so fun--especially conquering the galaxy for free.

Adam spoke with Christian "Spinner" Lassem and David "Zeus" O'Hare, two members of the development team, and here is what they had to say.

How exactly was Planetarion started, and how has the project evolved?

Spinner: The idea dates back to summer 1999. Three wise heads got together, some with experience from making games, some with database backbone experience, and we decided we wanted to make a game by ourselves. We took a look around at what existed and decided we could do better. Nothing wrong with a decent self-esteem when setting out on something like this. So we gathered ideas for a while, and since Star Wars was a movie people were talking about around that time we, well, decided to go to space and sci-fi setting. We were also huge fans of Starcraft and Elite, so it wasn't a hard choice. So we sat down and started to make the actual game then, on our own spare time. Heh, I remember when we had something called spare time. First we outlined ideas on paper, then went to visual design on the screen, and then we started implementing, or programming if you want to call it that. And in February 2000, we launched it for the first time ... my, oh my ... That was a rush!

What are the basic principles of your game? How do you manage to pull off major campaigns and diplomatic maneuvers all in real time?

Spinner: Basic principles of the game? Hm, okay. Decide upon a strategy (offensive, defensive, politic, diplomatic) and then have a good read through the manual. Decide which technical choices you will make. Then make sure your galaxy is strongly connected. Communication skills are one of the most important ones in the game, and without friends who can aid you, you don't have much of a chance. Apart from that, it's basically attack someone, be attacked by someone, defend yourself and try to do this while growing in size and power.

Is Planetarion essentially a MUD?

Spinner: I guess you could argue it is a MUD, but then again, not really. It is a strategy game, where the most important strategy is communication; pick your friends wisely, as they say, and make sure you have someone diplomatic enough closely connected to deal with a major war should it happen ... sooner or later, because it will ...

How is IRC blended in with the game?

Zeus: Our IRC Network at irc.planetarion.com has developed into the preferred method of communication in the Planetarion universe. It has without doubt brought many people together in attacking/defending and joining Alliances. I believe we're up to 17 servers around the world and have a great team of dedicated experienced operators.

Is it possible to "die" or be player-killed in Planetarion?

Zeus: You cannot actually die in Planetarion. We believe it's important for your galaxy to develop (a galaxy is the twenty-five other people you work with). The aim is not to totally wipe your enemy out, but to steal their roids and generally stomp on them. The danger is, some people love revenge.

Where do the majority of your 40,000 players come from?

Zeus: Well, actually, we're now 100,000+ accounts. Mostly from UK; about 35% actually. Rest from Norway, Finland, USA, etc. ...

When does the next round begin?

Zeus: We haven't set the final date as yet. We had just begun yesterday to reopen beta for testing the new features for next round, but its unlikely to be within the next two months. We always need to test new features thoroughly before implementing them into the game.