<s>
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
is	O
a	O
multi-player	O
,	O
space	O
strategy	O
war	O
game	O
originally	O
released	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
follows	O
the	O
4X	B-Application
game	I-Application
(	O
eXplore	O
,	O
eXpand	O
,	O
eXploit	O
and	O
eXterminate	O
)	O
model	O
:	O
The	O
players	O
start	O
with	O
a	O
home	O
world	O
,	O
and	O
have	O
to	O
build	O
spaceships	O
,	O
explore	O
the	O
galaxy	O
,	O
colonize	O
planets	O
,	O
mine	O
minerals	O
,	O
build	O
up	O
their	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1994	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
distributed	O
as	O
shareware	B-License
,	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
purchased	O
for	O
$15	O
and	O
registration	O
was	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
games	O
could	O
be	O
set	O
up	O
directly	O
by	O
any	O
group	O
of	O
players	O
,	O
a	O
common	O
way	O
to	O
find	O
groups	O
was	O
to	O
post	O
and	O
answer	O
game	O
invitations	O
on	O
the	O
Usenet	B-Application
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
predefined	O
races	O
are	O
modeled	O
after	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
,	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
and	O
Battlestar	B-Application
Galactica	I-Application
,	O
though	O
custom	O
races	O
can	O
be	O
created	O
with	O
special	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
follows	O
the	O
4X	B-Application
game	I-Application
(	O
eXplore	O
,	O
eXpand	O
,	O
eXploit	O
and	O
eXterminate	O
)	O
model	O
:	O
The	O
players	O
start	O
with	O
a	O
home	O
world	O
,	O
and	O
have	O
to	O
build	O
spaceships	O
,	O
explore	O
the	O
galaxy	O
,	O
colonize	O
planets	O
,	O
mine	O
minerals	O
,	O
build	O
up	O
their	O
industry	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clients	O
up	O
to	O
version	O
3.0	O
were	O
DOS	B-Device
programs	O
;	O
from	O
version	O
3.5	O
on	O
there	O
were	O
clients	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
cross-platform	B-Operating_System
third-party	O
tools	O
,	O
including	O
clients	O
written	O
in	O
Java	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third-party	O
Linux	B-Application
client	O
named	O
"	O
GNOME	O
War	O
Pad	O
"	O
is	O
also	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2010	O
a	O
new	O
project	O
was	O
approved	O
by	O
Tim	O
Wisseman	O
called	O
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
Nu	O
to	O
rebuild	O
the	O
version	O
3	O
game	O
with	O
modern	O
web-based	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
Nu	O
is	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
the	O
version	O
3.0	O
game	O
which	O
runs	O
on	O
the	O
web	O
in	O
a	O
web	O
browser	O
or	O
via	O
the	O
mobile	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nu	O
project	O
aims	O
to	O
overcome	O
the	O
technology	O
challenges	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
older	O
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
3	O
versions	O
which	O
do	O
not	O
run	O
on	O
modern	O
technology	O
and	O
create	O
many	O
barriers	O
to	O
entry	O
for	O
new	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
now	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
way	O
to	O
play	O
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
gained	O
popularity	O
,	O
LANs	B-General_Concept
and	O
the	O
Internet	O
were	O
not	O
generally	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
,	O
so	O
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
was	O
primarily	O
played	O
via	O
dial-up	O
bulletin	B-Application
board	I-Application
systems	I-Application
(	O
BBS	O
)	O
,	O
gradually	O
moving	O
to	O
email	O
as	O
a	O
PBEM	O
as	O
it	O
became	O
more	O
widely	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
in	O
1993	O
and	O
1994	O
noted	O
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
3.0s	O
"	O
clunky	O
"	O
interface	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
single-player	O
AI	O
,	O
but	O
approved	O
the	O
"	O
great	O
deal	O
Mr.	O
Wisseman	O
is	O
giving	O
the	O
computer	O
gaming	O
public	O
"	O
for	O
$15	O
,	O
and	O
his	O
"	O
constant	O
striving	O
to	O
improve	O
his	O
product	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
May	O
1994	O
survey	O
in	O
the	O
magazine	O
of	O
strategic	O
space	O
games	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2000	O
and	O
later	O
gave	O
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
3.0	O
four	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
excellent	O
...	O
easy	O
to	O
learn	O
,	O
tough	O
to	O
master	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
article	O
in	O
the	O
issue	O
described	O
3.0	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
wonderful	O
blend	O
of	O
Reach	B-Application
for	I-Application
the	I-Application
Stars	I-Application
,	O
Master	B-Application
of	I-Application
Orion	I-Application
and	O
Diplomacy	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
1994	O
VGA	B-Application
Planets	I-Application
was	O
named	O
a	O
Finalist	O
(	O
Honorable	O
Mention	O
)	O
for	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
"	O
Online	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
losing	O
to	O
Multiplayer	B-Application
BattleTech	I-Application
.	O
</s>
