Beginner Tutorial

Introduction

VGA Planets is one of the deepest and most complex strategy series ever developed, and Planets Nu is no exception.

The objective of Planets Nu is to achieve galactic conquest by conquering as many planets as you can.

The First Turn

Notice: This tutorial does not apply to Giant Melee games as they give you more planets and more ships. Your first will also not necessarily be turn 1, either.

The freighter

To start colonizing planets, you transfer cargo to your starting freighter (which has a Transwarp Drive). Transfer about 160 clans and 40 supplies, invert it if you are The Cyborg. Carry about 300 to 500 megacredits, to be dropped to a very important planet to facility maximum growth.

Move it to adjacent planets. Make every attempt to avoid going into deep space (or disguise movement if unavoidable). Your freighter can move up to 81.54 ly each turn, although a warp well can allow you to go further.

The planet

With respect to the home planet, it is a good idea to build some mines (about 50 more, 150 more if you are The Solar Federation) and factories (about 100 more).

There are two different approaches to taxation practices that you can use to raise megacredits. It is imperative that you learn to growth tax, especially if you are playing as The Lizard Alliance. This way, you get the most of your colonists and, therefore, your megacredits.

With growth taxing, it is usually a good idea to knock the happiness down to 70, let it grow to about 100, then knock it back down to 70, and so on.

The starbase

Starbases are key Space Objects that orbit a planet. If you are a premium member (and newly registered players get their first month free), always raise the Engine tech level to 10 so that you can build the most efficient engine, the Transwarp Drive.

The first build is a key choice to make, and ultimately depends on the race you are playing and what you would like to do.

Lizard

The Lizard Class Cruiser (tech 4) is an excellent ship with a superb cargo hold and cloaking capability. Be aware that it requires 8 kT Neutronium to cloak. With torpedo tubes, it is also a great mine layer.

Privateer

The Meteor Blockade Runner (tech 5) is one of the most powerful ships the Privateer Bands can employ. It is equipped with a Gravitonic Accelerator, allowing it to move twice the normal speed (162.54).

It is also potent for exploiting the Rob mission (steals Neutronium and other cargo from hostile ships), and can lay decent minefields as well with its torpedo tubes.

Cyborg

Don't let the B200 Probe's small cargo hold fool you. As a tech 1 design, you can easily get away with dropping only a single clan on each planet (assuming they have non-Amorphous natives). A common suggestion is 5 clans, 10 supplies. It can also hyperdrive about 350 ly at the expense of 50kT of Neutronium.

Empire

The Pl21 Probe (tech 1) is another hyperdrive ship, extremely potent for its uses, as it can detect enemy presence with its Dark Sense mission.

Robotic

The Cat's Paw Destroyer (tech 2) is the Robotic Imperium's only mine layer, but it is extremely powerful. It's 300kT cargo hold allows it to easily carry enough clans and supplies to colonize planets and when the time comes to lay minefields, it will lay quadruple the normal amount of mines for the same grade of torpedoes.

Rebel

The Falcon Escort (tech 2) is the last of the hyperdrive ships. It can remotely commence Rebel Ground Assault against opposing planets (after movement). It is also an excellent remote minesweeper late-game.

Other races

Another Medium Freighter (tech 3) is usually fine. If you are building something other than a freighter as your ship build, then X-Ray Laser beams (tech 1) are usually fine accompanied with (if supported) Mark IV Photon torpedo tubes (tech 5). In any case, always equip your first ship with Transwarp Drive(s).

Finalizing the first build

Once you've decided on your first build, then raise the hull tech to the tech appropriate with your hull and if what you plan on building supports torpedoes, then raise the torpedo tech to level 5 as well before you enter the space dock.

The space dock is where you construct the various ship parts and assemble them to form a new ship.