In the game,
humanity has
colonized the
Moon and
Mars. However a 20 trillion ton
asteroid has collided with
Earth, making it uninhabitable. All that is left of humanity is a small, self-sufficient colony on the surface of the
Moon, and a race of mutant humans on
Mars. As the commander of Moonbase, it is your job to ensure the survival of humankind by exploring the
Solar System for other habitable planets and moons, and ultimately re-establish life on Earth. However, the
Martian mutants consider themselves the superior race and want Earth for themselves. A war is inevitable.
The core of the game is spent in resource management and researching new technologies for space ships and base improvements. A typical game involves manufacturing probes, managing each colony's solar power energy generation, and mining for resources on various planets and their moons.
The player needs to balance manufacturing output with the available solar power, and many minerals are only available from certain planets or asteroids. Depending on planetary orbits, colony ships and probes can take longer to reach their destinations. As time progresses, colonists will adapt to different atmospheres, and after Earth is terraformed, secede from the player's control, stranding any ships that may be docked.
Each game begins with the planets in the same orbital positions, and the types of resource were always the same for each planet. A certain hard to find mineral is always on the same planet, and that planet only.
The only break from the resource management simulation comes when the player is under attack by Martians
