Planetary Annihilation
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''Planetary Annihilation'' is a
real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that does not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time." By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, tur ...
PC game A personal computer game, or abbreviated PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer (PC). The term ''PC game'' has been popularly used since the 1990s referring specifically to games on "Wintel" (Micr ...
originally developed by Uber Entertainment, whose staff included several video game industry veterans who worked on ''
Total Annihilation ''Total Annihilation'' is a science fiction real-time strategy video game released in September 1997 for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS by Cavedog Entertainment and distributed internationally by GT Interactive. Two expansion packs were released ...
'' and '' Supreme Commander''. The game was released in 2014, and the stand-alone expansion ''Planetary Annihilation: Titans'' was released in 2015. Since 2018, Planetary Annihilation Inc. maintains development of both ''Planetary Annihilation'' and ''Planetary Annihilation: Titans'' via ongoing content additions and balance changes.


Gameplay

In interviews with ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' and ''
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'', lead game developer Jon Mavor commented that the game's complexity and playtime can vary, from half-hour, 2-player battles to lengthy matches with potentially 40-players, but at release 40-player matches were not yet available. ''Planetary Annihilation'' features a planet-based map system with different types of planets and asteroid like moons. Players will be able to conquer other planets and even entire systems on maps said to include "hundreds of worlds", through the Galactic War. These planets are dynamic in that they can be 'annihilated' using other planets or catalysts, a major focus for Uber Entertainment. The game's creators stated that ''Planetary Annihilation'' is inspired by 1997 real-time strategy game ''
Total Annihilation ''Total Annihilation'' is a science fiction real-time strategy video game released in September 1997 for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS by Cavedog Entertainment and distributed internationally by GT Interactive. Two expansion packs were released ...
'' as its focus is more towards 'macro' gameplay as opposed to 'micro' gameplay. In development updates, Mavor has commented that "a million" in-game units is a design goal of the development team. The player(s) lose when their last commander is destroyed.


Development

Jon Mavor wrote the
graphics engine Rendering is the process of generating a photorealistic or non-photorealistic image from input data such as 3D models. The word "rendering" (in one of its senses) originally meant the task performed by an artist when depicting a real or imag ...
for ''
Total Annihilation ''Total Annihilation'' is a science fiction real-time strategy video game released in September 1997 for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS by Cavedog Entertainment and distributed internationally by GT Interactive. Two expansion packs were released ...
'' and was also the
lead programmer In software development, a lead programmer is responsible for providing technical guidance and mentorship to a team of software developers. Alternative titles include ''development lead'', ''technical lead'', ''lead programmer'', or ''lead applica ...
on '' Supreme Commander''. The game's art style was created by Steve Thompson, who also previously worked on ''Total Annihilation'' and ''Supreme Commander''. Voice actor John Patrick Lowrie, who did all the narrations for ''Total Annihilation'', did the narrations for ''Planetary Annihilation'' as well. According to Mavor, while game visualization began in May 2012, three months prior to the game's public announcement, the game concept itself had been in development for approximately three years by that time. Additionally, the server and game engine technologies that would underpin the game had been in development for several years prior to the game's public reveal, with some of the server technology having already made its way into PlayFab, Uber Entertainment's back-end server network.


Kickstarter funding

Rather than pursue investor funding, ''Planetary Annihilation''s developer Uber Entertainment chose to use the
crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...
site
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
for their financial backing. They revealed the game to the public in August 2012, with their Kickstarter funding goal set at $900,000. At the campaign's conclusion on September 14, ''Planetary Annihilation'' had raised approximately $2,228,000 via Kickstarter and an additional $101,000 via PayPal. Kickstarter featured ''Planetary Annihilation'' as the 11th Kickstarter project to have raised over a million dollars, using it to highlight the successes that games had been enjoying on the site.


Acquisition

In August 2018, a new company Planetary Annihilation Inc., formed from original PA developers and Kickstarter backers, acquired the rights to ''Planetary Annihilation'' and ''Planetary Annihilation: Titans''. As of February 2021, the game still receives support in the form of balance changes, and several new units have been added. In addition, PA Inc. continues to support tournaments and seasonal events.


Release

The Alpha was launched on June 8, 2013 for alpha-level backers, with Steam Early Access released on June 13. The Beta version of the game was released on September 26, 2013, and was later opened up to all initial Kickstarter backers on November 19. The release date was postponed to early 2014. ''Planetary Annihilation'' launched on September 5, 2014 on
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
,
Mac Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadi ...
and
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
. ''Planetary Annihilation: Titans'', a
standalone expansion An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion, is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game, collectible card game or miniature wargame. An expansion may introduce new rules or game mechanics tha ...
of the game was released on August 18, 2015. It adds 21 units to the game, including five titan class units. It also adds multi-level terrain, a bounty mode, and an improved
tutorial In education, a tutorial is a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture, a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete ...
. ''Planetary Annihilation: Titans'' was gifted free to original Kickstarter backers from 2012 with a discount for other owners. ''Classic Planetary Annihilation'' was removed from sale in September 2018.


Critical reception

''Planetary Annihilation'' received a mixed reception upon release. The game was praised for its ambitious concept, but criticized for playability and overall incompleteness. ''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' is a British video game journalism website. It was launched in July 2007 to focus on PC games and was acquired by Gamer Network, a network of sites led by ''Eurogamer'', in May 2017. History ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' ...
''s Brendan Caldwell writes: "''Planetary Annihilation'' is a slick, modernised RTS, engineered from the ground up to appeal to the fast-paced, competitive, hotkey-loving esports crowd". ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
''s Emanuel Maiberg, experiencing hard to learn gameplay unaided by proper tutorials and disrupted by technical issues, states: "I know there's a great, massive RTS beneath all these issues. I've seen glimpses of it when everything works correctly, but at the moment I can't recommend ''Planetary Annihilation'' without a warning that it's bound to disappoint and frustrate, even if you do teach yourself to play it". ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
''s Rob Zacny summarizes: "A cool idea about robot armies battling across an entire solar system breaks apart when the realities of controlling multiple worlds at the same time set in".


References


External links

*
Interview with director John Mavor
{{Total Annihilation series 2014 video games Crowdfunded video games Early access video games Kickstarter-funded video games Linux games MacOS games Real-time strategy video games Uber Entertainment games Video games developed in the United States Windows games Video games set on fictional planets Video games using procedural generation