Planetary Annihilation is a real-time strategy PC game originally developed by Uber Entertainment , whose staff included several video game industry veterans who worked on Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander . The game was released in 2014, and the stand-alone expansion Planetary Annihilation: Titans was released in 2015.
48-495: Since 2018, Planetary Annihilation Inc. maintains development of both Planetary Annihilation and Planetary Annihilation: Titans via ongoing content additions and balance changes. In interviews with PC Gamer and Joystiq , 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
96-500: A standalone expansion 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 . 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. Planetary Annihilation received
144-446: 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 ' 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
192-552: A heavier paper stock. The usual demo disk content would be made available online. 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 magazines in their respective countries. The magazine features news on developments in
240-515: A million dollars, using it to highlight the successes that games had been enjoying on the site. 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. The Alpha
288-513: A mixed reception upon release. The game was praised for its ambitious concept, but criticized for playability and overall incompleteness. 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 ' s Emanuel Maiberg, experiencing hard to learn gameplay unaided by proper tutorials and disrupted by technical issues, states: "I know there's
336-467: 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
384-511: A single double-sided DVD. In August 2011, the UK magazine announced it was to be discontinuing the disk as of issue 232, and replacing it with more pages of content within the magazine and exclusive free gifts. The magazine has many regular features which make up each edition of the magazine. These include sections called ´ Eyewitness ´, ´ Previews ´, ´ Send ´, where letters from the readers are spread over 2 two-page spreads, at least one special feature, which reports on gaming related issues such as
432-511: A single double-sided DVD. In August 2011, the UK magazine announced it was to be discontinuing the disk as of issue 232, and replacing it with more pages of content within the magazine and exclusive free gifts. The magazine has many regular features which make up each edition of the magazine. These include sections called ´ Eyewitness ´, ´ Previews ´, ´ Send ´, where letters from the readers are spread over 2 two-page spreads, at least one special feature, which reports on gaming related issues such as
480-512: A version of Dalí's The Persistence of Memory featuring items from Portal . For a time, one of the magazine's features, ´ Gamer Snap ´, where amusing pictures sent in by readers were printed in the magazine, however the feature was discontinued and replaced with a Guess the Game where readers sent in drawings of memorable scenes in video games drawn in Microsoft Paint . The PC Gamer blog
528-408: A version of Dalí's The Persistence of Memory featuring items from Portal . For a time, one of the magazine's features, ´ Gamer Snap ´, where amusing pictures sent in by readers were printed in the magazine, however the feature was discontinued and replaced with a Guess the Game where readers sent in drawings of memorable scenes in video games drawn in Microsoft Paint . The PC Gamer blog
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#1732858493287576-400: Is inspired by 1997 real-time strategy game Total Annihilation 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. Jon Mavor wrote the graphics engine for Total Annihilation and was also
624-484: The crowdfunding site Kickstarter 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
672-454: The lead programmer 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
720-426: The video game industry , previews of new games, and reviews of the latest popular PC games, along with other features relating to hardware, mods , "classic" games and various other topics. PC Gamer and parent Future began digital PC Gaming Show at E3 2015 . PC Gamer reviews are written by the magazine's editors and freelance writers, and rate games on a percent scale. In August 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 became
768-1093: The British one, including a Malaysian (discontinued in December 2011) and Russian edition (discontinued in December 2008). The Swedish edition, though rooted in its UK counterpart, has grown to be more independent, largely due to the immense popularity of PC games compared to console games in Sweden, and now produces most of its own material. An Australian edition was published monthly by Perth-based Conspiracy Publishing since August 1998 , but it appears to have been discontinued in mid-late 2004. A Spanish edition titled " PC Juegos y Jugadores " also existed, but closed in 2007. Both American and British magazines are published thirteen times per year (twice in December), although there are sometimes variations. In 2018, Future purchased Australian video game magazine and website PC PowerPlay from nextmedia , incorporating PC PowerPlay articles into
816-576: The July 1998 issue of the Slovenian, Swedish, and UK editions of PC Gamer were infected with the Marburg virus, which CNN Money stated caused the malware to become a "widespread threat". In the September 2011 edition of PC Gamer , it was announced that they would be dropping the demo disk altogether and concentrating on improving the quality of the magazine instead with a promise of a larger magazine printed on
864-427: The July 1998 issue of the Slovenian, Swedish, and UK editions of PC Gamer were infected with the Marburg virus, which CNN Money stated caused the malware to become a "widespread threat". In the September 2011 edition of PC Gamer , it was announced that they would be dropping the demo disk altogether and concentrating on improving the quality of the magazine instead with a promise of a larger magazine printed on
912-501: The UK edition, the lowest numerical score was 2%, awarded to The 4th Golden Satellite Awards for Interactive Media Winner Big Brother 1 . The sequel, Big Brother 2 , was given an even lower score of N/A %, the review explaining that "[ PC Gamer ] put as much effort into reviewing it as they did in making the game". In issue 255, August 2013, the score of 2% was matched by the review of the re-released Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude , originally given 3% when it first launched. In
960-572: The UK edition. Prior to this, no game was awarded more than 96% by the UK edition ( Kerbal Space Program , Civilization II , Half-Life , Half-Life 2 , Minecraft , Spelunky and Quake II ). In the US edition, no game has yet received a rating higher than 98% ( Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri , Half-Life 2 , and Crysis ). In the UK edition, the lowest numerical score was 2%, awarded to The 4th Golden Satellite Awards for Interactive Media Winner Big Brother 1 . The sequel, Big Brother 2 ,
1008-650: The US and UK magazines, all hosted at the new website along with the forums for both magazines. The PC Gamer UK podcast started on 4 May 2007 and ran 93 episodes until its final episode, which was released on 5 July 2013. It had a rotating cast made up of members of the staff including Chris Thursten, Tom Senior, Graham Smith, Tom Francis, and Marsh Davies. The podcast was formerly hosted by Ross Atherton until his departure in June 2009 and then by Tim Edwards until his departure in 2012. The host position varied between Chris Thursten and Graham Smith from week to week. Previously monthly,
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#17328584932871056-603: The US and UK magazines, all hosted at the new website along with the forums for both magazines. The PC Gamer UK podcast started on 4 May 2007 and ran 93 episodes until its final episode, which was released on 5 July 2013. It had a rotating cast made up of members of the staff including Chris Thursten, Tom Senior, Graham Smith, Tom Francis, and Marsh Davies. The podcast was formerly hosted by Ross Atherton until his departure in June 2009 and then by Tim Edwards until his departure in 2012. The host position varied between Chris Thursten and Graham Smith from week to week. Previously monthly,
1104-599: The US edition, the lowest score awarded was 4%, given to Mad Dog McCree , unseating the previously lowest-rated game, Skydive! , given 5%. There are two main editions of PC Gamer , a British version and an American version, both are published by Future plc . Founded in the United Kingdom in November 1993 , the American sister version was launched a few months later in June 1994 . There are also numerous local editions that mainly use
1152-476: The effect of PC gaming on the environment, a review section which reviews the latest released PC games and re-reviews titles that have been released on budget and ´ Extra Life ´ which reports on modding games and gaming culture and revisiting old games. There is also a ´ Systems ´ section, which reviews and recommends hardware such as video cards and monitors. The back page of the magazine is entitled ´ It's All Over ´ and usually consists of game related artwork such as
1200-476: The effect of PC gaming on the environment, a review section which reviews the latest released PC games and re-reviews titles that have been released on budget and ´ Extra Life ´ which reports on modding games and gaming culture and revisiting old games. There is also a ´ Systems ´ section, which reviews and recommends hardware such as video cards and monitors. The back page of the magazine is entitled ´ It's All Over ´ and usually consists of game related artwork such as
1248-532: The features of the CD, including the demos, patches and reviews, the user had to navigate a 'basement', which played very much like classic PC games such as Myst . It was in this game sequence that the magazine's mascot, Coconut Monkey, was introduced just as the editor was leaving the magazine, marking the transition from the FMV demo CDs to the more contemporary menu driven demo CDs that were subsequently used. The cover disc of
1296-441: The features of the CD, including the demos, patches and reviews, the user had to navigate a 'basement', which played very much like classic PC games such as Myst . It was in this game sequence that the magazine's mascot, Coconut Monkey, was introduced just as the editor was leaving the magazine, marking the transition from the FMV demo CDs to the more contemporary menu driven demo CDs that were subsequently used. The cover disc of
1344-399: The first game to receive a rating of 97% in the UK edition. Prior to this, no game was awarded more than 96% by the UK edition ( Kerbal Space Program , Civilization II , Half-Life , Half-Life 2 , Minecraft , Spelunky and Quake II ). In the US edition, no game has yet received a rating higher than 98% ( Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri , Half-Life 2 , and Crysis ). In
1392-520: 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. Rather than pursue investor funding, Planetary Annihilation ' s developer Uber Entertainment chose to use
1440-406: The latest popular PC games, along with other features relating to hardware, mods , "classic" games and various other topics. PC Gamer and parent Future began digital PC Gaming Show at E3 2015 . PC Gamer reviews are written by the magazine's editors and freelance writers, and rate games on a percent scale. In August 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 became the first game to receive a rating of 97% in
1488-405: The magazine. Similarly to the British edition, the magazine shipped with a demo disk , though diskless versions were available. The CDs were replaced by DVDs in the American edition on a month-to-month basis. When PC games with full motion video (FMV) sequences were popular in the mid-to-late 1990s, PC Gamer's CD-ROM included elaborate FMV sequences featuring one of their editors. To access
Planetary Annihilation - Misplaced Pages Continue
1536-405: The magazine. Similarly to the British edition, the magazine shipped with a demo disk , though diskless versions were available. The CDs were replaced by DVDs in the American edition on a month-to-month basis. When PC games with full motion video (FMV) sequences were popular in the mid-to-late 1990s, PC Gamer's CD-ROM included elaborate FMV sequences featuring one of their editors. To access
1584-427: The materials of one of the two editions, typically the British one, including a Malaysian (discontinued in December 2011) and Russian edition (discontinued in December 2008). The Swedish edition, though rooted in its UK counterpart, has grown to be more independent, largely due to the immense popularity of PC games compared to console games in Sweden, and now produces most of its own material. An Australian edition
1632-482: The online version of PC Gamer . The British edition of PC Gamer has been in constant monthly publication since 1993. Subscribers get a special edition of the magazine with no headlines on the front cover (only the masthead and BBFC rating). Almost exclusively devoted to PC games, the magazine has a reputation for giving in-depth reviews. The magazine originally shipped with an accompanying 3.5-inch (89 mm) floppy disc. A CD demo disc (labelled CD Gamer )
1680-482: The online version of PC Gamer . The British edition of PC Gamer has been in constant monthly publication since 1993. Subscribers get a special edition of the magazine with no headlines on the front cover (only the masthead and BBFC rating). Almost exclusively devoted to PC games, the magazine has a reputation for giving in-depth reviews. The magazine originally shipped with an accompanying 3.5-inch (89 mm) floppy disc. A CD demo disc (labelled CD Gamer )
1728-478: The podcast was recorded every fortnight . Participants discussed the games they had been playing and news from the industry, and answered questions submitted via Twitter . The podcast began again in March 2016 with a new episode being released weekly. The American edition of PC Gamer launched in 1994. In 1999, Future US, then known as Imagine Media, purchased the rival magazine PC Games and merged its staff into
1776-430: The podcast was recorded every fortnight . Participants discussed the games they had been playing and news from the industry, and answered questions submitted via Twitter . The podcast began again in March 2016 with a new episode being released weekly. The American edition of PC Gamer launched in 1994. In 1999, Future US, then known as Imagine Media, purchased the rival magazine PC Games and merged its staff into
1824-416: The previously lowest-rated game, Skydive! , given 5%. There are two main editions of PC Gamer , a British version and an American version, both are published by Future plc . Founded in the United Kingdom in November 1993 , the American sister version was launched a few months later in June 1994 . There are also numerous local editions that mainly use the materials of one of the two editions, typically
1872-450: The same time set in". 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 magazines in their respective countries. The magazine features news on developments in the video game industry , previews of new games, and reviews of
1920-492: The switch. The blog has since been regularly updated with contributions from many of the magazine's staff. The topics discussed range from the controversy over violent video games, to the benefits of buying a PC over a console. In 2010, PC Gamer re-launched their website and blog by bringing together the online communities of both the US and UK magazines into one website. As a result, the PC Gamer blog now has contributions from both
1968-441: The switch. The blog has since been regularly updated with contributions from many of the magazine's staff. The topics discussed range from the controversy over violent video games, to the benefits of buying a PC over a console. In 2010, PC Gamer re-launched their website and blog by bringing together the online communities of both the US and UK magazines into one website. As a result, the PC Gamer blog now has contributions from both
Planetary Annihilation - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-416: Was given an even lower score of N/A %, the review explaining that "[ PC Gamer ] put as much effort into reviewing it as they did in making the game". In issue 255, August 2013, the score of 2% was matched by the review of the re-released Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude , originally given 3% when it first launched. In the US edition, the lowest score awarded was 4%, given to Mad Dog McCree , unseating
2064-412: 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 , Mac and Linux . Planetary Annihilation: Titans ,
2112-516: Was published monthly by Perth-based Conspiracy Publishing since August 1998 , but it appears to have been discontinued in mid-late 2004. A Spanish edition titled " PC Juegos y Jugadores " also existed, but closed in 2007. Both American and British magazines are published thirteen times per year (twice in December), although there are sometimes variations. In 2018, Future purchased Australian video game magazine and website PC PowerPlay from nextmedia , incorporating PC PowerPlay articles into
2160-462: Was released alongside the floppy disk edition from issue 11 onwards with the first CD Gamer containing all the content from the previous 10 issues' floppy discs. The single CD was later expanded to two CDs. An edition with a 9 GB DVD known as DVD Gamer ran alongside the 2CD edition for a couple of years, until production of the CD Gamer edition ceased as of issue 162. The UK Edition then only came with
2208-411: Was released alongside the floppy disk edition from issue 11 onwards with the first CD Gamer containing all the content from the previous 10 issues' floppy discs. The single CD was later expanded to two CDs. An edition with a 9 GB DVD known as DVD Gamer ran alongside the 2CD edition for a couple of years, until production of the CD Gamer edition ceased as of issue 162. The UK Edition then only came with
2256-519: Was started to coincide with the transfer of the PC Gamer UK site to become part of the Computer and Video Games network which incorporates all of Future plc's gaming magazines. The move brought some controversy, with many long-standing members of the forum leaving due to the new forum's cramped spacing, advertising and slow loading times. The introduction of a blog was seen as one of the redeeming features of
2304-415: Was started to coincide with the transfer of the PC Gamer UK site to become part of the Computer and Video Games network which incorporates all of Future plc's gaming magazines. The move brought some controversy, with many long-standing members of the forum leaving due to the new forum's cramped spacing, advertising and slow loading times. The introduction of a blog was seen as one of the redeeming features of
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