Planetbase

There’s no denying the fact that it’s difficult to break into certain genres when it comes to video games, it’s been that way ever since computers and consoles got powerful enough to handle meaningful representations of RPGs, real-time strategy and racing games. However, some are tougher nuts to crack, because there are higher expectations in regards to content and the gameplay mechanics.

To put it simply, it’s easier to come up with a new racing game, as long as you decide to stick with simulation or pure arcade. City builders, on the other hand, are always going to be compared to this and that, and for a good reason. Once you play something like SimCity, it’s hard to get excited about similar games that lack many of the same options, especially if you take pleasure in arranging the plumbing, deciding how to split the zoning, and various other gimmicks that made that particular example so exquisite.

Planetbase does not exactly aim for SimCity’s throne, because the scales are much more restrained in every regard. You have to build a rather small colony instead of a huge metropolis, but the challenges are still pretty damn high, because there’s very little room for mistakes. Alien planets are hostile, they lack basic living conditions such as Oxygen, and you really have to build everything from scratch, including power sources and biodomes to grow food. In short, everything is slower and tougher here, and frustration kicks in quickly.

First off, there are three different kinds of planets, each with unique terrains, weather conditions and risks. You only have access to one planet in the beginning, and the goal is to reach certain milestones before the other two are unlocked. It doesn’t really matter which milestones you decide to pursue, but some of them come naturally, while others are a matter of choice and decision. Don’t be fooled by the initial couple of minutes, though, because most goals are very difficult to reach when you are distracted by power outages, food shortages and crazy sandstorms.

This is where the first annoyance comes up as well, because you’ll quickly notice that everything moves at a snail’s pace. Sure, it’s possible to speed up the time by 4x, but it hardly seems to make a difference sometimes. The problem is especially felt when you have to deal with resources, because they have to be mined and processed in order to be used for constructions. It takes forever to mine and process a unit of metal, for instance, and it’s required for basically every kind of new construction or facility.

Construction may be a pain in the backside, but people are vital to the operation as well. In fact, the ultimate goal is to attract more colonists and visitors, in order to gain additional workers, engineers, and researchers. To do that, you must gain prestige, which is calculated based on the living conditions in your colony. Each colonist has a name and a set of needs you must keep an eye on, such as hunger, thirst, and happiness.

They need to have places to eat, relax and sleep, which means additional constructions, which means extra power, Oxygen and water consumption. If these needs aren’t met, people die, and even if you’re not big on empathy, you’ll at least suffer from the lack of workers. Besides humans, bots are vital as well, because they carry resources and build your constructions. You can make more of them with the proper materials, but they obviously cost a lot and take a long time to produce.

Speaking of buildings, almost every kind of dome, factory or power supply comes in three different sizes. It may be more efficient to choose a larger solar panel array instead of a small one, but it’s obviously a lot more demanding resource-wise. Larger buildings also require more power, and since solar panels don’t work at night and windmills are useless without wind, every decision must be taken wisely. Sure, you can store energy for later use, but again, that means additional resources.

If you manage to create a self-sustainable colony, you can begin with the real work. Interplanetary currency can be exchanged for goods, such as excess materials or useful technology. Visitors can also come by and drop some credits in your colony, at least if they are happy with what they’re seeing. Once you have money, the happiness of your people increases, and you can start affording some interesting toys.

Guns enter the picture at this point, because not every visitor is just on vacation. Some are bad guys, and you need to handle them before they go berserk. In the later stages of the game, you can start producing guns and training guards, in order to protect your colony. Obviously, you can make a decent living out of selling the guns, although they are pretty difficult to produce. Still, it’s a nice addition to the grand scheme of things, because it gives you something to work toward.

More advanced buildings become available later on as well, some of which make your life very easy in some regards. On the other hand, there are not a lot of them to begin with, so you might feel slightly disappointed when you finally unlock everything. The fact that buildings come in different sizes may be perceived as a form of variety, but it’s not as satisfying as you would believe.

When it comes to actually playing the game, the designers did a good job of making everything simple and intuitive. There is one small and collapsable menu for everything, which includes all the different kinds of buildings, statistics, and general controls. You move around the map using the mouse, and you can easily zoom in and rotate the camera as you see fit. There are some hiccups in this regard, but it’s a matter of getting used to the way everything works, so it’s not actually very bad.

As far as the visual quality is concerned, the graphics are certainly nice, but not flashy in any way. Each structure is somewhat unique, although most domes are pretty similar in aspect, except for some minor details. The planets are randomly generated every time you start a new game, so at least they don’t get very repetitive. On the other hand, they are a bit unimpressive, since you would expect a lot more variety when it comes to the terrain.

Certain special conditions make it easier to overlook the lack of diversity, such as sandstorms and frequent meteor strikes. The latter can even disable your structures and kill people, so you’re always at risk in the beginning. It’s possible to build structures that help you prevent this later on, but all in all, it’s a nice addition to the atmosphere.

In the end, Planetbase is not a very forgiving game. That’s a good thing in general, but there’s something about this particular case that makes it seem like it’s not worth the trouble. In essence, the game can be tons of fun, but it may turn off potential players in the beginning. It’s a bit slow, and the included tutorial does not really tell you everything you need to know about the mechanics.

Hence, your first colony is most likely going to be a disaster. There’s a lot of stress in regards to the positioning of each structure, because you can easily back yourself into a corner with no way to expand. Power sources seem unable to keep up most of the time, and they cost a fortune to build and maintain. On top of it all, you have no way of directly controlling the workers, so everything you decide to do is queued. That means you’ll be looking at the screen a lot with no real power over what’s happening, and that’s not great.

Still, this is a good game. Planetbase has that special quality that makes you come back multiple times a day to deal with the same issue, even if you get angry when things don’t pan out they way you intended. You have the freedom to do things differently every time, and that means a lot. Hence, it’s one hell of a commitment, but the challenge is worth the effort, because there’s nothing like seeing your colony thrive in spite of the hardships.