Planetary Annihilation is entering Gamma phase tomorrow, which sounds very serious. It won’t be Hulking out and smashing buildings in a blind range, but Uber is planning some big additions to the growing Early Access RTS.
It’s been a while since I last took a long look at the game, and the plans for Gamma phase, which includes multi-planet spawns, is making me eager to jump back in.
“Planetary Annihilation has always been about incredible scale and features that let you make entire solar systems your playground,” Uber says. “We’re going to push on this idea even harder in the game’s gamma phase with a new suite of features focused on giving you more options, more control, and even more epic experiences.”
The two main ways Uber plans on expanding Planetary Annihilation in Gamma phase are multi-planet spawns and picture-in-picture.
Normally players all begin on the same world, eventually building up to the point where they can launch into space and conquer new worlds, or even turn moons and small worlds into planet-crushing weapons of mass destruction. The multi-planet spawn battles will see adversaries begin on different worlds within a solar system, driving the conflict into the interplanetary scale quicker. The system editor, which allows players to design their own solar systems, customising worlds and their orbits, will also see some changes systems can be designed with this style of play in mind.
Planetary Annihilations picture-in-picture (PIP) is an extremely versatile mini-map that allows players to have a second window into the battle. It can be zoomed in and out, and rotated, and there are plans to allow for PIP customisation. A mini-map might seem like a no-brainer for an RTS, but because the battlefields in Planetary Annihilation are all spheres, standard mini-map designs couldn’t be used, hence the extra thought that needed to go into it. Updates to the PIP will add unit tracking and a notification feature that snaps the map to where an alert occurred.
During the upcoming phase, Alliance Mode will be implemented. It’s going to allow players to set up alliances before a match starts or during it, and allies will share vision and excess resources. A dynamic version is also in the works, where you’ll be able to cancel alliances whenever you want.
Chromocam, Planetary Annihilation’s video streaming tech is also getting an update. Replays will become instantly accessible when a match ends, and players will receive a link that takes them straight to a video of their last match. Additionally, Uber is planning on implementing sharing, so you can fire your replays over to mates.
You can check out the new features tomorrow, when the free update drops. Hulk smash.