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Master of Orion III
gimpy writes "Alan Emrich is a gaming veteran's veteran. He's done it all, from boardgames to card games, from computer games to pen and paper role-playing. Now, he's working as designer and lead writer on a title that has strategy fans drooling: Master of Orion [?] III. SharkyGames recently had a chance to sit down with Alan and get the inside scoop on what's happening with MOO3." The website for the game is available as well. I cannot count the sheer number hours spent playing MOO/MOO2 - hopefully this can live up the legacy of those games.
that the status of a Linux version is "unknown at this time". Send them e-mail; let 'em know.
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Sarcastic? Perhaps.
True, nonetheless. I still play Nethack to this day - it's the ultimate surviving example of game design over graphics.
I can see the fnords!
Ahh, to be able to do some Cruel Brutal Damage again! I miss the days.
Anyone else like to go for the "massive overkill" victory where you kept the last race cooped up on a small, ultra poor planet until you maxxed all the technology levels and started pumping out stacks of 32000 ultra large ships just bristling with miniaturized weapons?
I'm surprised the planet survived.
I also hope they don't try to get too fancy with it and abandon the addictive simplicity involved. I dread the thought of them turning MOO3 into something like Star Control 3. Ugh. That would suck.
Frighteningly, MOO2 is still in my CD pouch of games I always take when I travel. Even if I'm tired of all the others, I know I can pull that out an be amused.
Interesting to see if they're going to end up taking this into account - wonder if it meshed well with their plans.
Granted the makers of MOO3 also cried when real time combat was discussed. The rational was that since there would be hundreds of ships in a battle moving them all individually would be way too painstaking.
They plan to do it different from current real time battle, ie not who can click the fastest. Will be interesting to see what they come up with.
It's turtles all the way down.
- Masters Of Orion
- Battle At Antares
- Wrath Of Orion's Founders
(For the coffee deprived: think acronym).Or maybe 'More Everlasting Orion Wars'
Makes me wonder how you would describe the graphics of any of its prior incarnations :)
The OP is correct that Shrapnel Games is only distributing SEIV through snailmail (this is not a downloadable game, it requires a CD in the drive to play).
Malfador Machinations is the development team behind the Space Empires series -- the best thing about SEIV is the community (to which the developers actively belong). The game itself is a patch or two away from meeting the expectations of those who have played SEIII, imho. The documentation is many, many more "patches" away from being worthwhile :)
The OP linked to the Shrapnel Games homepage -- those interested in the actual product might be interested in the actual product page.
Not terribly surprising, given that both titles were distributed through Microprose.
There was even a MOO scenario distributed for CivII in both a scenario pack and in the Collector's Edition.
It was very much like CIV but (duh) in space. In the begining MOO had big problems will large fleets of ships and complex fighting. MOO2 fixed most of those problems and was a very fun game. Of course it was turn based multi-player (suck!) Otherwise it was a blast...
Basicly you colonize planets and try to dominate the galaxy. What I liked was the close fighting. If you wanted it to it would zoom in and you could direct the battle.
It had the standards for diplomacy. You could form trade or research treaties with other
races.
Every race had special abilities and you could even play a custom race.
It even had a bit of a story line similar to B5 with the first ones. One planet in the galaxy was orion and was rich expect it was guarded by an ancient but powerful ship. Another planet was in hyperspace and that's where the Orions banished their enemy. Occassionaly the enemy breaks out and sows maddess and destruction.
It's very addicting. At least it was for me, I played it for entire days!
"Only one thing, is impossible for god: to find any sense in any copyright law on the planet." Mark Twain
Choose Primary race types (Energy beings, stargate masters, etc)
Choose Secondary race attributes (excel at remote mining robots but have poorer engines, etc)
Choose Environmental Conditions (optimal gravity, temperature and radiation)
Choose how productive your race is at building and mining
Choose how prolific your race is
Choose how good your race is at researching each broad category of science
Tons of options and configuration possibilities....Everything is done on points, and each race characteristic (good or bad) gives or takes points, with the only restriction being your race points must be positive (you can't have taken too many good traits, without balancing with some poor ones)....fun fun fun
What I really liked about the MOO games was that the races all played differently and had real character. You had the spying Darloks and the intelligent Mentars etc. Too many games think that more == better. Space Empires IV, Stars! etc. all throw a gazillion similiar races and planets into a lifeless galaxy. You just don't care if your generic neighbour gets wiped out, but if the Elerians are getting their asses kicked by the Silicoid, I'll surely join their campaign. It's like Alpha Centauri versus Call to Power, a couple of very different factions or 50+ nations all alike.
;)
Another amazing aspect of MOO was how the game scaled. In the beginning you managed your single home system and maybe a few neighbouring systems. Building the colony improvements in the right order was very important as it gave you a boost over the other nations early on in the game. As the game progressed you could give over colonies for the computer to manage and concentrate on drawing up the big war campaign strategies, managing fleets and the border colonies while the core of the empire churned out science and new ships. And as your fleet of 50+ Doom Stars (2 stellar converters each, and time-warp faciliator) orbit the last alien planet, you can't help but smile
There's no way I can get addicted to a MOO sequel and stay and school at the same time.
And I *certainly* know which one will get higher priority.
Judge Pag, the Learned, Impartial, and Very Relaxed
Formidable, but their mincemeat up against a stack of fortified slingers or longbowman. That's another thing I loved about the game: no one killer strategy. Would have made some kick-ass multiplayer.
Probably not many are still reading this thread, but I'll post it anyway. Gamefaqs.com has a MOM message board that a few of us have been haunting in recent weeks. The posting has dropped to a minimum as of late, but if anyone out there's still listening and interested, stop on by, and do your part to revitalize the board!
Here's The Link!
First and foremost, the game has not been released yet. It, along with Civilization 3, are currently two of the most eagerly anticipated turn-based strategy games.
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Dyolf Knip
That's why you start sending emails to them and Loki. If they get enough requests and they'll do it. It's not necessarily their fault they don't have any skilled Linux programmers.
"The words of the prophets are written on the Slashdot walls."
Good luck Alan Emrich - the gaming world is watching, and we've been playing FPSs while waiting for number 3...
Yah. Kinda like, although always loved tweakin my race the way I wanted. With Civ, it's which direction you push your tech. With MOO, you've got that, plus a fair bit more. Civ and MOO both allows you to select what you're gonna build, and in what order (also the option to do it auto (bad choice)). I can't wait to see how many hours I can waste on the latest version!
Damn you! Damn you to hell!
(Calms down, sighs, submits - puts down homework, digs through box of CDs, pulls out MOM, grade in English 252 takes a nosedive)
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Antarans Return Fire?
Dancin Santa
Although some features like voices do not work, the MOO series has been pretty good.
It's more like Master of Magic than Master of Orion, IMHO.
Dancin Santa
On the other hand, Eidos is rumored to have given funding to another Romero project.
Given a reasonably level playing field, who would win a fight between a bear and a shark?
Actually, the new game has features meant to deal with this specifically. From the faq:
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Since its written in Java, it works under Linux (and developed for the most part under Linux.)
Can Quicksilver find a combination of these three that produces some synergy, without having to improve on all of the above games? A lot of it can be done with the application of aesthetic sense, common sense and attention to detail, but it sounds like they have a real challenge in the AI area.
I had one of the first copies of MOO2 out of the carton at my local game store, and I loved it. But I quickly mastered it. Pax Imperia II for the Mac became my new galactic empire game, and I've yet to master the most difficult settings. So there's yet another comparison MOO3 must win...
Best of luck for them - I admit I'm anxious to see what they turn out...
I can see the fnords!
You're asking for two types of game in one, here. Do you really want to be in the middle of empire management, and then spend two hours in a Starcraft-esque tactical battle? Not only will it totally bloat the game, but they'd have to reinvent a wheel that's already got tough competition, and it would ruin the continuity of the overall game.
If they could just smooth the edges off of the MOO2 fleet combat mechanics, I'd be happy. I had a lot of fun going to war in MOO2.
One of the few problems I had in this area was that a lot of the combats were totally unbalanced. Tech levels could vary so much that often, one or the other combatant was totally outmatched. This can be fun when you're the one on top, but it's still nowhere near as fun as a good contest between equally matched opponents.
More Ship types/mods
I would add that they need custom starship design. If you haven't seen Pax Imperia: Eminent Domain yet (was it released for Windows?) take a look at it, especially the research and custom ship designs. The original Pax had even MORE detail in its system and ship design screens, but that was abandoned due to the dubious excuse of it was too complex. Some people loved it.
3-dimetional glaxy map and space combat
Oh yeah. If they could pull that off, it would be a hit even if other parts of it sucked.
That things stay turn based.
I'd generally agree, but when things were slow, I'd want the option to let the clock run while I manage the economy, production, etc... Games like this can sometimes be long periods of tedium interrupted by crises.
I can see the fnords!
I also still play Master of Magic on occasion. You've just got to love a game that allows so many interesting combinations. Flying, invisible, spell-locked warships are a particularly deadly combination, because they're almost unstoppable.
There is a petition for a Master of Magic sequel here. This game is just crying out for a sequel. I would absolutely love to see what a Flame Strike would look like with today's graphics capabilities.
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. - Edmund Burke
Anybody else remember Spaceward Ho! ?
MSK
I don't know about MOO... but I've tried it with MOM (master of magic), and it ran like a charm.. or at least no less instable then the original dos version. I liked MOM better than MOO though, and I still think it's a mistake that there was no MOM2. :)
yeah, the classics run fine
//rdj
No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness.
--Sheikh Abd-Al-Kadir, 1587
I love Moo2, but the networking capability was so lame. I remember playing the game on a few P2s on 100 Megabit switched networks.
I figured, well, the game took some time on P166s with modems, so it'll fly now... nope...
They game was mad fun, but waitting to sync was maddening.
Alex
I'm going to lose my job, my girlfriend, my dog...
So go get a country CD, and play it backwards. You get your job back, your girl back, your dog comes back to life...
Three dits, four dits, two dits, dah!
Radio, radio, rah rah rah!
Also, I submitted the same story last Tuesday and it was rejected! I take this as a personal insult!
[Before flaming, please re-read this post as parody. Thank you.]
TheFrood
If you say "I'll probably get modded down for this..." then I will mod you down.
Thank you, now I feel real old. :(
:)
I might have to adopt your tactic though, so my wife doesn't catch me.
"The words of the prophets are written on the Slashdot walls."
Who needs anymore damn games flooding the market. Nethack is all I need. That game has it all, it takes skill, immagination, smarts, and fearlessness. Yes you must be fearless to play this game for hours and hours with your hand constantly clicking on the hjkl keys... hlhlhhjjjhhllhhjjlhlhjjjjljj... yes, carpal tunnel be damned. RSI HA! I laugh in your face. Hour after hour,click click click cold numbness, click click click.. sharp shooting pain...click click click
Ah yes, nethack, the one true game.
Yours,
Bob
All the best,
--Bob
A game worth mentioning in any discussion of Masters of Orion is Space Empires IV. It's only distributed online (to my knowledge), so you won't see it in any stores. It's not for those who like big luxurious cut scenes and beautiful graphics. The graphics are merely functional.
However, if you're interested in the strategy side of things, it's got a lot going for it.
Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
I'm not big on purchasing games, but MOO I and II are definately ones I've loved. In fact, its kind of strange this came up, because I loaded the original MOO onto my PC a few days ago, and I've been readdicted! Playing the Psilons is so much fun, using my repulsor beams along with my tri-focus weapons at 3x range. It was produced in 1995 I believe, and it STILL draws my attention. Excellent strategy game.
I enjoyed MOO II because of the technology update, but also the new rules and stuff were a GOOD addition. Someone here KNOWS how to make a game, and KNOWS how to make sequels!
MOO was the game that got me into Strategy/Galactic Conquest games. I spend most of my off time in the military playing MOO2. My friends and I used to talk about what kind of features we'd add if we were on the dev team for MOO3.
Creative, +2 research, +1 Production -20% down the middle... the standard Custom race.
This is also the game that truly threw me into network gaming. I am glad that there is going to be a sequel and I am anxious to hear about added features. The "official site" is dismally slow right now (No doubt the impact of slashdot readers). But I personally am hoping for:
Detailed ground combat
More options for custom races
More races
More Ship types/mods
3-dimetional glaxy map and space combat
That things stay turn based.
In this age of RTS games I think we need new, good turn based strategy game. Something I haven't seen since Alpha Centauri.
______________________ There is no
Master of Orion (2) is one of my all time favourite games, and the undisputed king of X4 games. I still occasionally play MOO2, but the gameplay has unfournately become so routine that a campaign on the impossible skill level only takes an evening :(
:), let's hope the MOO team can do better. While they're at it they should try to find some middle ground between micro-managment and letting the computer manage everything.
I really hope they can manage to catch the original spirit of the games. The web site talks about random generated "plot lines". Imperium Galactica II, another X4 game, tried it and it didn't really work (plus the game was just lame, enless micromanagment and no ship customizing! Plus who's the genius to come up with "interesting" techs like Laser 1 and Laser 2? MOO is all about the cool ships/technologies, I want my stellar converters and spatial compressors and xentronium armor
When MOO2 was out I was in college! I had no girlfriend! I had a part time job! I could afford to spend 36 hours straight playing computer games!
I'm going to lose my job, my girlfriend, my dog...
Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex Bud.
I was making such progress on breaking my MOO addiction, and they have to start designing another one. They just don't want me to get my homework done, do they?
Bugrit! Millenium hand and shrimp!
We would spend so many countless hours playing that game, I'm afraid to pick up a copy of MOO3 when it comes out!
A couple of other people have mentioned it, but I just want to plug my all-time favorite game, Master of Magic, or MOM.
To say MOM was inspired by MOO is of course accurate, but it's also not doing MOM justice. Not exactly a "sequel", and more than just a knock-off, MOM had a level of strategy and depth of gameplay all it's own. As you might expect by the title, it's a fantasy-based game, which borrows heavily from the Magic:The Gathering style of magic system (Chaos, Life, Death, Nature, and Sorcery magics). The gameplay was also similar to MOO, in that you started with a home city (planet), and from there could build or capture other cities while battling enemy wizards. A unique twist in MOM was the addition of "nodes"; mana-generating squares that you had to capture, guard, and channel for more magical energy.
Unlike MOO, where exploration and combat was relegated mostly to ships, you had a variety of forces at your command in MOM. Normal units like pikeman, archers, and magicians could be trained. You could also summon up to 6 hero's, who not only had thier own unique skills and abilities (plus the ability to cast magic for some), but could wield powerful artifacts to increase thier strenght. In addition, you could summon monsters to do your bidding, things like drakes, fire giants, and the ever-popular wraiths.
Thanks to the sheer number of possibilities of starting pick combinations, combined with different strategies available for waging war, MOM had some incredible replay value. I still occasionally play MOM even today, and I still get a kick out of trying some new strategy or pick-combination once in a while.
Microprose made me their bitch for most of the 90's with MOM, along with titles like MOO, MOO2, Civ, Civ2, Colonization, and XCom 1&2. It's a damn shame that they never got around to making MOM2, and there are those of us still hopeful, though the possibility seems less likely every day. I mean damn: if they can churn out 3 MOO's, 3 Civ's, and 4 XCom titles, surely there's room in the world for MOM2?
Never ever play against another (real)person. It's worse then a game of monopoly. It's like one of those really long traffic lights where you can literaly feel yourself aging except it spans 3+ hours of turn-based madness. It can be even worse... the length of a multiplayer game is exponentially proportional to the skillz of the player. You've been warned!
"Me Ted"
BOSTON SUCKS!