"
Looking at these stars suddenly dwarfed my own troubles and all the gravities of terrestrial life.
"
– H. G. Wells - The Time Machine
In the Beginning, all was empty and formless, and Tim whispered words of wisdom: Let the Echo Cluster be. And it was so. And there was evening, and there was morning - VGA Planets Version 3.
Those round orbs which form the Echo Cluster are the lifeblood and currency of this game. From the noblest to the lowliest of matches, the competitor controlling the most planets wins. Even in team events, the player with the highest planet count receives the greatest reward.
In Standard setups, each race begins with one homeworld. Commanders send forth starships to explore and colonise more worlds. These new colonies provide a place for colonist population to grow, minerals to be developed, and planetary structures and starbases to be built.
Beneath the surface of every uncharted sphere, vast riches await. Miners unearth pockets of neutronium, tritanium, duranium, and molybdenum, and when natives are befriended, they reward their masters with gobs of money.
As an invaluable commodity, planets are protected by building defense posts, starbase defenses, and warships.
For additional information on specific subjects, please see the following:
The complete list of possible planet names can be found here.