#BarrenPlanet is released today! This turn-based strategy game runs in #msdos on the original #ibmpc with #cga graphics. Two mining corporations fight a series of battles to gain control of a mineral-rich but lifeless planet. Also runs in DOSBox on just about any computer or mobile device! Get it at http://dos.cyningstan.org.uk/downloads/7/barren-planet
Buildings provide excellent protective cover for Combat Droids. If you're defending a base, you need to keep enemy Combat Droids out of here, as once they get in, the droids are very difficult to shift with all but the most powerful units. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
Monorail lines built around a base allow Gun Platforms to move around as needed. Without a Monorail, a Gun Platform is a static unit that needs to be protected; with Monorail, the Gun Platform can advance and retreat to cause a real nuisance to an invading enemy. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
Barren Planet campaigns feature up to eight types of unit. Different units can appear in each scenario, and sometimes you can build your own units during the course of the battle. A range of statistics define a unit's capabilities. #barrenplanet#msdos#ibmpc#cga
There can be up to eight terrain types in a Barren Planet campaign. The terrain used in each scenario is drawn from these, so each battle map will have its own individual character. A couple of tables of stats define the effects of terrain. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
As you'd expect for a campaign called "Waterworld", most of the maps are made up of ocean. But there are small areas of land that poke up above the ocean surface, and there is a variety of terrain there. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
The construction and repair units in Waterworld are static, while the harvesting units are mobile. This is a reversal of roles compared to The Polar Expedition, and gives players of this campaign some new strategies to experiment with. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
The Port is a static unit found on the coast of the numerous islands that pierce Dalen's oceans. The port has facilities to build and repair other units. It has little of its own defence, and needs protecting from attack by other units. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
Gun Platforms are static land-based units, useful for defending ports. They're static units, but they have a longer firing range than any other unit in the game, so can keep enemy ships away from your Ports. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
Mining boats are as important as the Ports: they sail out to the crystal nodes and harvest the resources. Since they're mobile, they can retreat from attack. They are small enough to venture near the sandbanks where other ships would run aground. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
Hoverbugs, the small anti-gravity combat vehicles familiar from earlier campaigns, are present here on Dalen. They can hover over land or shallow water, but are not stable enough to cope with the rolling waves of the deeper ocean. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
Air Fighters are another unit brought over from Dapra. They can fly over anything except volcanoes, whose eruptions are too dangerous for airborne traffic to venture near. Air Fighters have a longer attack range than Hoverbugs or Ports. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
Destroyers are the smallest sea combat units. They have little firepower and a short range, but are lightly armoured. They can navigate both deep and shallow water, although they can't navigate too close to the sandbanks. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
Battleships are the largest ships afloat. They have more power and a longer range than cruisers, and are the best units to have in a sea battle. They are also good for offshore bombardment. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
I've retrofitted CGALIB with Hercules support to Barren Planet. The Hercules card is automatically detected, and the CGA graphics work nicely when scaled. I'm usually on Team Green, but amber works better for this game. This version will be available in the near future. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga#hercules
An expansion is now available for Barren Planet! In The Polar Expedition, the beaten corporation returns to Dapra to try to take and hold the so far unexploited polar regions of the planet.
The expansion features a new campaign with sixteen battlefields, new units, and new terrain. You can download the expansion and its PDF manual from the game's web page: http://dos.cyningstan.org.uk/downloads/7/barren-planet
It's exactly a year ago that I released Barren Planet into the world. Since then I've added two expansions to it. You can download them all from the game's web page: http://dos.cyningstan.org.uk/downloads/7/barren-planet
The game is free, there's a ko-fi link there if you want to show your appreciation. #barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
The stream is starting! Today's my first Barren Planet stream, playing Nuvutech in First Landing. Can I crush the Avuscorp forces to take all of Dapra? Come join me and find out! Live at https://twitch.tv/cyningstan#barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga
In just over an hour (7pm BST) I'll be on Twitch, continuing my play through of Barren Planet: First Landing. Join me there as I attempt to finish the campaign. As I'm a new streamer, follows on Twitch are especially welcome! https://twitch.tv/cyningstan#barrenplanet#ibmpc#msdos#cga