I'm looking for a REALLY old game, and I don't remember what it was called. I remember playing it when I was a kid. It played on Windows 3.1. You were in space and you worked to control different planets. These planets had different size defenses and shields (like the planet was a defense 4 and the shield 8). You would attack other people's planets with shps. There was also transports and other spaceships. I believe you has a radius of how far out you could detect ships, and could even have cloaked ships. I can't find it anywhere on the internet, or remember EXACTLY what it was called. Can anyone help me out?

Is this it?

Stars!

If it is, you're in luck. The guy who hosts Autohost still sells keys to the game (check the Wiki for info on that) and the game has a DOSBox package on the Wiki so that you can still play.

I've thought about grabbing it once or twice, but I've never been entirely sure.

Huh.. didn't realise it ran in DOS. I thought it was a Windows game. Do eeeeet.

It looks like the same concept, but unfortunately, that is not the game I am looking for. In actual gameplay, the ships were not just triangles and squares. I also remember I could play against a friend, since it was turn based. I would play my turn, then walk away and let him do his turn (on the same computer). I'm remembering more as we research this, so don't give up! :)

It doesn't. It's a Windows 3.1 game. I don't know what they did, but they built a Windows 3.1 emulator on DOSBox.Alright, I think I will. It's only $3 a piece anyways.It actually is turn-based, but the rest of it doesn't sound the same.

I'm assuming you've looked at Master of Orion?

At the very least, we know we're looking for a 4x game, so check this page out and see if any of those jog your memory:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_4X_video_games

Hmm. That sounds awfully similar to Spaceward Ho! in which the defense consists of satellite 'shields'.

Dude, I didn't even think about that one. Delta Tao is awesome. I used to play Clan Lord irregularly. I really liked the game, but it was one of those games that felt like you got nowhere any time soon.

Frankly, I'm surprised their site's still going, seeing how as an actual development studio they're pretty much dead... and they still charge a ridiculous amount for Spaceward Ho. I've tried Clan Lord in the past, but I couldn't get into it.

Yeah, they still charge $10-$15 for Clan Lord, but it's lifetime. I think you get a few extras if you pay monthly, but ultimately it's like a monthly donation for people who have played so long that they don't mind that it's still coming out of their bank account every month.

I think at this point, they're pretty much just a shell company. I still don't know what the deal with Arindal was, but it's easy to imagine that it was a case of DT selling the international distribution rights to Clan Lord (which, ultimately, it's not the exact same thing as Clan Lord - the world's different - but Clan Lord restricted their ability to release Arindal in English originally, and that lasted until well after Arindal's release) in order to make a bit of cash to keep the company going.

My brother remembers playing this game with me, but he's not remembering the name either! He remembers that when he played, one player was red and the other was blue. I remember the planets were solid dots for the planets. I think each level of shield was a ring. A also remember you could build a ship to scout the area, that had a view (reach to see things), otherwise everything was fog of war unless it could be seen by the planets.

Also, I looked at Master Of Orion, it's not that. Darnit! I hope I can find this game... :(

? Maybe the first Space Empires (can't find a screenie right now)? [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reach_for_the_Stars_(computer_game)]Reach for the Stars?

I dunno. Anything in that Wikipedia article I linked spark some memory?

I'm not trying to shoot you down, and I know you're just pulling names because I can't be too descriptive. I appreciate your help. I looked at GalCiv and Reach For The Stars, it was neither of those. I did look at that list, and nothing sparked my memory...

I think I have this game on my computer. Let me check...

http://actualdownload.com/pictures/screenshot/solar-wars-12660.gif

Solar Wars?

Sounds awfully like a game I asked for here a few months ago.
Was it real-time and were there grids? Could you drop bombs on planets and stuff?

http://www.synthetic-reality.com/warpath.htm

The full classic version is free now! And it works flawlessly on WinXP! Don't know about Win7 though.

EDIT:
More screenshots here:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/win3x/warpath

How about SSG's remake of Reach for the Stars?

Reach for the Stars