I don't remember too much about this game, but let me list out what I can tell you.
- I'm pretty sure I downloaded it from AOL back in the day when AOL was the main way people got online in the US, during the dial-up years.
- The game was in Windows, either windows 95 or windows 98 I think.
- I'm 99% sure the game came out in the 90s.
- The graphics looked fairly simple, 2d images with little or no animation.
- It was a turn based space conquest/colonization strategy game.
- When you created your race, you had to pick between two types of propulsion systems, I think it was Ion drive and star drive. I remember that one was instant travel limited by tech range and the other was over time travel limited by speed.
- I remember that when you colonized a planet, that you were able to pick the planet's specialization, like if it was a resort planet or if it was a military colony.
- I think the game only had planets instead of planet systems.
- I can't remember if it had any sound or music.
- I /think/ it had local hot-seat multiplayer and possibly had play by mail multiplayer.
Does anyone have any idea what it is I'm talking about, or what this game turned into?