Master of Orion 3 Released

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Posted by michael on Wednesday February 26, 2003 @05:49AM from the master-of-the-cash-register dept.

Kintaro writes "The long awaited Master of Orion 3 is now in stores. The reviews so far have been unusually mixed, but rest assured the game is still complex - in fact that seems to be a recurring complaint among those that don't like it. And as an added bonus, the game actually runs on Linux right out of the box."

20 of 301 comments (clear)

"actually runs on linux" by Prizm · 2003-02-26 05:52 · Score: 4, Interesting

So how many games is that which "actually run on linux" out of the box? I guess it is quite a bonus, as the author put it.
1. Re:"actually runs on linux" by Jonny+Ringo · 2003-02-26 05:56 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  What a fantastic quote. They should slap that on retail boxes for linux software every where.
2. Re:"actually runs on linux" by Feyr · 2003-02-26 06:02 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  actually is doesn't run on linux "out-of-the-box". if you read the thread, it needs wineX
  
  too bad
3. Re:"actually runs on linux" by DashEvil · 2003-02-26 06:37 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  That's one of the bad things about wineX, I guess. Now people are going to start claiming that their products run under Linux, even though they don't have native support for it. Ah well.
  
  --
  -If God wanted people to be better than me, he would have made them that way.
great by haedesch · 2003-02-26 05:52 · Score: 4, Funny

I was afraid I might actually pass this year :-)
Bah! by delta407 · 2003-02-26 05:53 · Score: 4, Informative

And as an added bonus, the game actually runs on Linux right out of the box.
...under WineX, of course.

That statement is rather misleading -- there is no native binary version available.
1. Re:Bah! by FortKnox · 2003-02-26 06:04 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Its a step. Why must it be 100% linux or I'm gonna bitch and moan?
  
  My mom used to tell me to be happy with what I got. You got it on linux, quit whining.
  
  --
  Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Re:well there goes another bzillion hours by war3rd · 2003-02-26 05:53 · Score: 4, Funny

No kidding, I can feel my social skills beginning to atrophy already....

--
Got sushi? The Sushi FAQ
finally..... by iamsoscrewed · 2003-02-26 05:53 · Score: 5, Funny

I can stop wondering when it will come out, and finally have my wife deny letting me buy it.
The new trend in gaming by DownTheLongRoad · 2003-02-26 05:55 · Score: 4, Insightful

The "strategy Guide" was out months before the actual game. It should really be called "The Game Manual You Have to Pay an Extra $30 For Because We Want to Rip You Off". I guess that is too long and honest though. Just another way to drain their customer's bank accounts. Oh how I long for the old Microprose Manuals. They seem like textbooks compared to the 20 page garbage included these days.
1. Re:The new trend in gaming by SuiteSisterMary · 2003-02-26 05:58 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  The Moo3 manual is 161+ pages. A good third of that is backstory.
  
  The strat guide was a DISAPPOINTMENT, compared to classics such as MOO1, or Master of Magic.
  
  --
  Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
Don't get your hopes up by Anonymous Coward · 2003-02-26 06:00 · Score: 5, Informative

I was 'fortunate' enough to be a beta tester for this game, and I was extremely disappointed with the game. Simply put, there are fundamental issues here.

I highly recommend that people read the review at http://www.quartertothree.com

From this tester's perspective, that review is the clearest picture of what I feel is wrong with MOO3.
1. Re:Don't get your hopes up by Xentax · 2003-02-26 06:57 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Hmm. I was a beta tester too, and I feel no need to remain anonymous. Are you afraid of NDA-related trouble, or are you pretending to be something you're not?
  
  I think the game is great. By no means perfect, and the learning curve is one of the steepest I've encountered in a "game", but it *definitely* grows on you. As I recall, it was little different for MOO2, just to a lesser degree.
  
  In general folks, don't take a reviewer's word for it, unless they're VERY specific on what's not to like, and if that applies to you or not. I mean, the graphics will probably get slammed, but eye-candy isn't a must-have for everyone. Also, too many people will sell this game short because they haven't put enough time into it -- the first stages of the game aren't very compelling, and your first game or two might feel more like work than fun as you're learning the ropes.
  
  I'll say this -- if you want something *simple*, this is not the place to look. You don't really have to micromanage in the MOO2 sense of the term, but there's a lot going on there, maybe more than some people will want to deal with.
  
  Otherwise, it's a great game. The battles in the later stages of a game are amazing and fun; real-time combat means you FINALLY have a space strategy game where maneuver is a non-trivial factor in the outcome. Also, combined arms are there and fairly balanced -- you can't win with JUST fighter or missiles or beam weapons, you probably need all 3 against a savvy opponent.
  
  Xentax
  
  --
  You shouldn't verb words.
Re:Yay for MOO!!!! by ClippyHater · 2003-02-26 06:08 · Score: 5, Funny

I'm picking it up tonight on my way home :-)

...and it was months before Jerdie was seen or heard from again. 100 days later, a friend finds Jerdie--hair down to knees, pasty-white skin, and 1000-yard stare--emerge from the house, blinking in wonder at the fiery orb up in the blue, blue sky. :)
Online costs (lowest & highest) per Froogle by TastyWords · 2003-02-26 06:09 · Score: 5, Informative

Least expensive: CompuExpert has it for $39.90 and BuyPCSoft has it for $39.85. Most expensive: Chumbo.com for $52.99 It looks like standard retail is $49.99
doesn't work by Anonymous Coward · 2003-02-26 06:15 · Score: 4, Funny

# apt-get install moo3
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
E: Couldn't find package moo3
# apt-get install master-of-orion-3
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
E: Couldn't find package master-of-orion-3

OK, so what's it called then?
1. Re:doesn't work by RPoet · 2003-02-26 06:43 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  You got it wrong. Try:
  
  # apt-get moo
  
  --
  "Oppression and harassment is a small price to pay to live in the land of the free." -- Montgomery Burns.
Doesn't work for me by yamla · 2003-02-26 06:18 · Score: 4, Informative

Note: Moo3 does not currently work for me with the latest version of WineX. Early on in the game, it seems to forget that I have a keyboard attached and also stops registering mouse clicks, though I can still move the mouse cursor around. I strongly suspect this will be an easy fix but at the moment, Master of Orion 3 does not work in Linux for me.

--

Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.
Lol by jayhawk88 · 2003-02-26 06:20 · Score: 4, Insightful

Some guy gets a pre-release or beta version (check the post dates, 2-16) to run on a certain version of Linux via Wine, and suddenly it's "runs on Linux right out of the box".

"If I read it on the Internet, it must be true!"
Re:Yay for MOO!!!! by DNS-and-BIND · 2003-02-26 06:47 · Score: 4, Funny

The yellow face! It hurtsss us! It hurtsss us, precious!

--
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!