For anyone who has not heard of this game it is (I think) one of the best text based games on the internet very addictive.

Alittle more information:-

What is Planetarion

Planetarion is a science fiction war game where thousands of players and scores of galaxies fight for the domination of the universe or merely survival.

Planetarion is played through your web browser via an HTML interface and does not require any download or installation of any kind of software. Every participant in Planetarion controls their own planet, develops technology and constructs vast fleets to attack other planets with. Resources to fund this are mined from asteroids orbiting around your planet, so each asteroid you steal from your enemy will allow you to increase your fleet even more, likewise losing asteroids will make it harder to replenish your combat ravaged ranks. Beware of having too many asteroids and too few ships, space is cold, and even your own brother can turn against you in the epic battle that is Planetarion.

Luckily, you are not alone in your galaxy, you have a galactic politics board and inter-galaxy cooperation is vital to survival. Galaxies fight one another, some galaxies team up against other common enemies. Alliances of up to 70 players can team up together to defend and attack as a coordinated unit. You should expect that a few alliances will rise above the rest, ruling with terror and ruthlessness. Alliance wars and pacts are not uncommon; in fact, they are the norm and are critical if you wish to stay ahead of the rest in the political struggles for galactic supremacy that are part of Planetarion.

As with all other games, the more you put into it, the more rewarding it is to play it. Planetarion has a very active community of players, and since they all play alongside you, having friends or being in a powerful alliance can be the difference between prosperity and perishing.

Many players spend more time with friends on IRC or the forums, planning their next moves in their strategy for victory (or just survival) than they do issuing orders to their fleets in game. Be wary of spies and treacherous individuals, not everyone shares your moral code.

Once per hour, on the hour, the clock of Planetarion strikes the universe 'ticks'. New resources are gained, work on constructions or fleets progress, battles are waged and new ships are built. This might sound like pretty standard stuff but remember the twist is that Planetarion plays even though you re not logged on. Battles are fought asteroids are stolen. Many a ruler has woken up to realize that their 9 hour nap or day at work also included 200,000 ships attacking their planet and stealing a swathe of asteroids. If you have forged strong alliances your allies may send ships to help save you�if it serves their interest and the number of attackers aren't too high.

Planetarion is played in rounds, which last for around 7 weeks, and has hundreds of ticks. After each round the universe is reborn, and everyone starts afresh, eager to make up for past mistakes, forge new allies and make new friends in what is without doubt the best online strategy game in all of the known universe.

Science fiction, action, sleepless nights and endless, ever growing wars; all in your browser.

Planetarion : For the True Gamer.

Why not check it out and also suggest other sci-fi text games?

Wow, I haven't heard that name in ages. I know I used to play planetarion a lot in high school for a year or two but they, at least temporarily, required a paid subscription to get most of the features so I stopped playing. I'm guessing a lot has changed in the last 5-7 years since I didn't even think it would still be going on lol. Glad to see it has been successful enough to stay around all this time.

I might just have to check it out again sometime...

I'll try it out. It isn't the sort of game I *usually* play, but there's no harm in trying. After all, what can go wrong (except me getting addicted and quitting my job to play 14 hours a day ;P).