I got it today and just played a bit in my first game and i gotta say: OMG, this simply rocks! :eek:
started as humans, changed the default race abilities to increase research and diplomacy and reduced ground combat and spies, started in the orion senat and they just proposed a bill for banning nuclear weapons :crazyeye:
I'm currently fighting my way through the menues, theres an awful lot of them!
managing one planet makes you click though more menues than managing your whole empire in civ ;)
Seems like this is gonna be a long night for me :D

My wife is going to wonder why we are missing 50$ in the bank account. ;)

Is MP is the game, out of the box? If so maybe we can hook up for a game.

They haven't published it here yet for some weird reason. No store has it. Same in Hamburg from what I've heard.

I've read bad reviews about the AI. Can you confirm that?

MP is already in it :goodjob:

on turn 4 a "praise human" bill was proposed but failed :cry:
I also got 2 leaders so far and already my first defeat after the mekla sent one of their big, fat warships agains my scouts :cry:
but luckily my good friend in the senate just came up with a "total war agains mekla" bill :cool:

now I just have to find out how the game works :crazyeye:


Edit: nah, the AI is good so far, but maybe thats just me, screwing up all the time ;)

I heard a rumor that MOO3 is in real time? that can't be true can it?

Originally posted by .:KNAS:.
I heard a rumor that MOO3 is in real time? that can't be true can it?

Realtime combat, the rest is turn based.

Damn, can't find it around here to buy - maybe a good thing. ;)

do you now when it id out in great britan (england)? as differnt sites quote different release dates

I just ordered it yesterday. My store (www.wog.ch) says that it will be available on feb 27th. so I propably will get early next week, which is just as well since I have two weeks holidays starting next week :D oh well, two more weeks wasted to gaming ;)

Originally posted by handyandy
do you now when it id out in great britan (england)? as differnt sites quote different release dates
I'd love to know that too... When I checked yesterday Amazon.co.uk was telling me that I'd not be getting my hands on a copy until March 11th(!), and the Infogrames site didn't even mention the existence of the game! :crazyeye:

EDIT: Game are also saying that they expect to get MoO3 in on the 7th of March. Do I scent a cunning French plot to piss off the British? :ack:

Well, I have played it for some hours now and my first impression is not good.
The game reminds me of Space Empires IV, which may be a nice game, but which (to me) always lacked atmosphere. This is also the case with MoO3.
Reasons (and remember I've only played for some hours):

- Ship combat is neither optically attractive nor (which I consider more important) informative. You can't even really distinguish your own ships, not to think of the enemy's. You can't see his ships names nor information about them, like their interior.

- The graphics is monotonous, in fact I think it looks worse than that of its predecessor, which was, IIRC, published in 1996!!!
There's not more than one (1!) ship model for every ship size of a race. So all your fighter designs (for example) look the same.

- You can't (as far as I have realized it) not renamed systems or planets, which may be insignificant to others, but for me it is a vital part in creating my own empire.

- There are, except for the maximum four leaders in your council, no other personalities in politics or the military. No King, President or Emperor (that you could assasinate ;) ). There are spies, but you can't change their codename as well. To me that would be regocnizing them easier, and it would be more fun, especially with the more weird races.

I can't comment too much about the ingame mechanics after a few hours but I can say that there are a few concepts that bothered me:

- Starlanes, definately a matter of taste, I don't like them

- Along that lanes your ships seem to have unlimited range from the beginning

- You produce ships into the reserve (not to the planet itself) and can then mobilize the reserve whereever you have a mobilization center. So you don't have to bother much about distributing your fleet to vital point within your empire. You just build up a reserve and summon it to the front if needed. I think that subtracts alot from strategical planning.

What do you guys think?

- You produce ships into the reserve (not to the planet itself) and can then mobilize the reserve whereever you have a mobilization center. So you don't have to bother much about distributing your fleet to vital point within your empire. You just build up a reserve and summon it to the front if needed. I think that subtracts alot from strategical planning.I'd have to see it for myself but I think they put this in here because people were tired of having to move the ships all over the place - though a nice que-then-send system could have helped with that. I would like to see a game where you can build multiple things on a planet and ships would be built on planet A but needs materials from planets B, C, and D. How about dealing with that logistical nightmare? Could be fun!

i heard a similar complaint hitro, but since they said you could only use names up to 12 characters long, you must be able to rename planets. I dont have it yet but I'm still going to get it despite some bad first reactions to it. I've always wanted an expanded moo2, but it seems moo3 is going to be its own game, new from the ground-up.

if it truly disappoints, no biggie, there's always civ3 to fill that gaming void:)

I received MOO3 yesterday (thanks to amazon.de).
:goodjob:

I started as Evon and I played now 66 rounds and have a not too small empire and good relations to 2 neighbours.
You have to get used to the gameplay a little bit and there is a lot of automation but overall I like it.

When I'm deeper in it, I will let you know about my experiences.

I like the game :D

So far ther are only 3 things I don't like:
1) manual and in-game help are outdated/vague eg. the effect of governments is stated like: "performs average in" or "is more effective" etc instead of numbers.
2) Spies!!!! they are very effective and there are no "counter spies". Only way to defend yourself against them is opressing you ppl...
3) Part of the combat system: I have fighting ships + colony ships in a system. When I'm attacked the whole fleet will defend the system, even the colony ships which means they can't colonize in that turn and even be destroyed...

I like the combat system. Not enough info about enemy? well, what did you expect, that they just e-mail your their blue prints everytime they launch a new ship? ;) You just gotta be prepared for everything.

The reserve thingy.. well, When you create a task force it'll be ready the following turn, so you still need ships to defend yourself against staelth ships (and stealth technology is there from the start). Combat looks fine enough IMO, don't need any fancy gfx.

Diplomacy is pretty cool! apart from the senate there are all sorts of treaties (intelligence, research, trade, improved trade/research) and Alliances (full/defense) and embargos :goodjob:

I like star lanes. In moo2 I hated it when enemy ships always moved around between the plantes where I couldn't attack them, especially later when you could change cours while traveling...
Also It makes certain points where many lanes/wormholes meet strategically important. I haven't seen all thechs yet, but maybe there is a drive later that allows travelling space without star lanes at a reasonable speed.
In theory, every point in the galaxy can be reached from the start, but there are still guardians like in moo2 which attack all your ships + the orion system + other races that attack you + at the start, travelling along lanes takes 4-8 turns to get from one system to a another, in a huge galaxy with 250 systems that would take quite some time ;)

The new region system on planets is nice too, as well as the government settings (opression/working hours, mobilization(5 levels from peace to holy war).
Research system is nice too.

There are 3 kinds of vessels: planetary(space station), system(no warp drive) and spaceship.
they vary in size, planetary are the biggest and spaceships the smalles and in addition spaceships also need a warp drive which takes up space, thus system ships are armed more heavily.

Setting up fleets is nice but seems to lack strategic value. there are 3 rings in a fleet: picket(for scouts), escort and core. It is a good idea to have the long range attackers in the core and the short range point def ships as escort, but you can't choose any tactics or formations, which is kinda sad since other space strategy games (like homeworld) had 3D formations.

In my current game I'm doing pretty well. I was number 1 in power for quite some time, now I'm only number 2. I just conquered a system with 3 plantes. In tech I'm at 37/38, the leading race is at 40/41 and two other races I know (4 and 6 in power) are at 34/38, so I'm pretty optimistic :goodjob:

So far I'm pretty happy, apart from the 3 things mentioned above. One other thing would have been nice too: flag ships whith combat leaders like in moo2.

But you can'T have it all :cry:

Originally posted by DaEezT
I like the combat system. Not enough info about enemy? well, what did you expect, that they just e-mail your their blue prints everytime they launch a new ship? ;)
I'd expect scanners to show some things about the enemy, at least if they're good enough.

To me the game has almost no appeal, because I like to personalize things. In MoO3 you can neither name your systems
nor choose your colour, which shouldn't really be a big thing to program.
All in all it is far too much focused on the background story, and frankly, I don't care a bit about that. I'd prefer to "write" my own story, including customizing the game.

I like star lanes. In moo2 I hated it when enemy ships always moved around between the plantes where I couldn't attack them, especially later when you could change cours while traveling...
Well as I said that's a matter of taste, I definately preferred the old system. To me a useful addition would have been to be able to attack fleets in space, not just on planets, that would have been sufficient. The star lanes also narrow the strategic planning.

And how great would it have been to built Babylon-5-like stations in outer space...
In theory, every point in the galaxy can be reached from the start, but there are still guardians like in moo2 which attack all your ships + the orion system + other races that attack you + at the start, travelling along lanes takes 4-8 turns to get from one system to a another, in a huge galaxy with 250 systems that would take quite some time ;)
Agreed, the galaxy size is a good thing, though I want to name my planets. :mad: ;)
Research system is nice too.
The presentation is boring, I don't care about the technology like in the predecessors. You just let the AI do it and then use the latest thing that came out...

Which is a general problem. Though I'm not a fan of micromanagement I want to be able to do it, especially at the beginning. In both Civ and MoO a great part of the fun (for me) is to build up the empire. In the later stages of the game I always wishes for a good viceroy AI, but that should be optional.
So far I'm pretty happy, apart from the 3 things mentioned above. One other thing would have been nice too: flag ships whith combat leaders like in moo2.
Yeah, I would have wanted to see an improved MoO2, not a downgraded Space Empires 4 with flashy movies. :D
MoO2 was a great game with a few flaws, like a pretty weak AI. They should have spend their time and money improving that instead of trying to invent it new.
This game in its current state is not great for people who like as much freedom in the way they play it as possible.
I don't want to care about the back story (it's not Star Trek or Star Wars after all...), I want control over the game and I want information about the results of my actions.

Example: You send out a spy, he successfully infiltrates the enemy and then starts his mission himself. You can't assign him a specific mission. So some turns later you just get a message like "Spy X has been captured" or "Spy X has destroyed an enemy building". Great, an enemy building. Any information about what and where? No. Sure nobody cares about a major terrorist act...
But you can'T have it all :cry:
No, but you could have had more that this. And more than MoO2, for that matter...

That said I have to say that it is not an entirely bad game and I can imagine that people have fun playing it, but it is no MoO in my opinion.

I'll second Hitro's post. This isn't "Master of Orion". I'll grant that I've only played it for a couple of hours or so but I'm VERY disappointed so far. I feel far too detached when playing. It's more like you're just along for the ride. In my first game, after maybe 100 or so turns, I just started clicking 'next turn' all the time. At some point later in the game...with very VERY little input from me...I was elected President of the Senate and won the game. That's just ridiculous.

'New' and 'different' doesn't necessarily mean 'better'. If they wanted to make this game, fine, but don't call it Master of Orion.

I just picked it up. Havent installed it or anything ( busy busy day here at work ) but I have one gripe already. This seems to be a horrid trend at Infogrames. What happened to putting CDs in jewel cases!? MY GOD they are 10 cents each. I spend CAN$80 on this game .. why do I not get proper protection for my investment. Those paper sleeves will do nothing!

Infogrames you cheap bastards!

bah

Infogrames sucks.....I think we can all agree on that. Maybe we should do an online petition to get them to start using CD cases again - the slim ones :)

Got the game today, it seems awesome, and it is real fun so far. Took Humans, uncustomized, and I didn't got into the senate.

Now I'm preparing for War against the Silicoids which have been using spies against me for so long (not that I havn't been using any against them ;)) And they are SO slow when it comes to Diplomacy...

Well, my New 'StarDestroyr'´s and Corvettes will destroy their puny civilization...

One thing I think is bad about MoO3 is that you have to manually make new units to use the latest technology.

i got master of orion 2 and it's too confusing for me to even begin to figure it out so i'm not getting master of orion 3

I just found it, but I'll wait until I've tried it a few days before I draw an opinion about it.

I'm on the fence about buying it... I'm still obsessed w/ Civ 3. But the more I think about it the more I want it.

I think ist just like it was with civ3: the game isn't just a polished version, but a completely redone game. I'm quite happy with it so far and although there are some things I don't like it's still far better than Space Empires 4 ;)

Bought it, installed it, playing it - Graphics are very, very nice. Games runs smooth on an XP 1700+ with 512 Megs of RAM. I will have to try it out on my wife's P2-450 with 64 Megs of RAM.

Originally posted by DaEezT
2) Spies!!!! they are very effective and there are no "counter spies". Only way to defend yourself against them is opressing you ppl...D, read the One final note section.

Yeah, and if you are Cunning: Dangerous, like Humans are for starters, your spies get better :D

Originally posted by munzy
D, read the One final note section.

errrr, now thats emberassing :o
I never read anything that smells like "tip of the day", but they didn't write that in the spy section or in the manual :mad:

hehe, well, we all miss things. I just posted it so you would know about it.

Originally posted by .:KNAS:.
I heard a rumor that MOO3 is in real time? that can't be true can it? There is an option to have time limits on the turns, even for single player. This effects interest rates. If you choose to play without time limits interest rates are set and are not effected by how long you take for your turn. What actually happens with the interest rates/turn time is not know by me - I just remember reading about this while playing the game....I am still on turn one, there is a lot of information to absorb and there is a nice Master (tutorial) guide in-game, at least there is when you pick easy level.

Originally posted by Grey Fox
One thing I think is bad about MoO3 is that you have to manually make new units to use the latest technology. Maybe the in-game Master guide is wrong but it says that your generals automtically create new units with the latest and greatest....

Originally posted by munzy
Maybe the in-game Master guide is wrong but it says that your generals automtically create new units with the latest and greatest....

I think you misunderstood Grey Fox. There is a button that'll generate an up-to-date unit based on the type you selected(eg long range attack) but there is no upgrade/refit option like in moo2.
I think by saying "you have to manually make new units to use the latest technology. " he meant that you can't upgrade and that you have to build a new unit from scratch to take advantage of new techs.

Thats also something that should have been added. manually scrapping the system ships and rebuilding them is a pain in the ass. I'd like to have an upgrade funktion or something to manage the defensive units.
But maybe that function is there, just not mentioned in the manual and munzy will enlighten me :goodjob: :lol:

Yeah, you still have to go into the Shipyard and select what kind of unit you want, and then press "Auto-Build". Which I do, and then edit as I want. And you also have to manually make units Obsolete. It doesn't replace if you name it the same name.

Although, I'm getting used to making new ships.

Another thing now... I invaded a planet with ground troops, how do I get them off the planet? Do I have to build a command center? If I do... now that's stupid... I just invaded with my entire army of 25 or so Marines, and I have to wait 50 turns for a damn Command center to be built... :(

I never invaded a planet (that statement includes moo2), I just bomb them all off the planet and resettle it!

:mwaha: genocide :mwaha:

Munzy, or anyone else, can you please post some in-game screenshots?

Originally posted by Grey Fox
Yeah, you still have to go into the Shipyard and select what kind of unit you want, and then press "Auto-Build". Which I do, and then edit as I want. And you also have to manually make units Obsolete. It doesn't replace if you name it the same name.

Although, I'm getting used to making new ships.

Another thing now... I invaded a planet with ground troops, how do I get them off the planet? Do I have to build a command center? If I do... now that's stupid... I just invaded with my entire army of 25 or so Marines, and I have to wait 50 turns for a damn Command center to be built... :(



You have to disband the Ground Unit to send them back into reserves.

OK, I got the game the first day it came out.

I was frustrated and disappointed, but didn't give up on the game. So I went online and started finding answers to those frustrating questions that the game causes. I am not so frustrated or disappointed anymore. :D

The learning curve is being described as a learning cliff, and I agree. It is very, very steep. Howevere, I am finding that as I get more use to it I am really getting addicted.

Gernal thoughts.

The AI -- Not bad. You can pretty much just click next turn...but that is not the way to win! You have to learn how to set DevPlans for the AI to follow to get the most out the colonies that you want to grow in a certain way.

The Readme on disc 2 has a lot of information.

Pop. Growth. You can go to the planet tab and select a planet and then at the bottom click the Orders Tab. Set the planet to Mirgrate. People from more established planets will start moving.

Spies: A counter spy is a spy you build but don't assign any missions too. Each race has different rates as to how they handle spying. Humans are weak at stopping them.

Taxes: There are three level of taxes.
Planet = City/Sales tax...can only be spent on that planet.
System = State Income...only planets within that system that were collected
Empire wide Taxes = Federal Tax...can be spent anywhere.

Pirates. If you get Pirates in your system (the more pop. planets the greater the chance) the only solution is to have warships stationed in the system.


Races: check out this link http://www.ina-community.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=261632

mY first impression of MOO3 is it feels "flat".... bleh.

I agree with all of Hitro's points, the biggest glaring thing I really dislike about moo3 is I cannot change the way my spaceship model looks. My first fighter will look like my last... :mad: THAT SUCKS!

I never played MOO2 but I played the first MOO hundreds of times. I loved it. I payed $50 bucks for this so I hope my first impressions are wrong..... but....

Originally posted by Neomega
mY first impression of MOO3 is it feels "flat".... bleh.I fell that way too.....but I also feel that there is something underneath that I still haven't found. I am on turn 150ish and have run into two other races but have not figured out how to actually make contact with them....

Techs: Got Level 15 power, I think, and level 10 of everything else - I think :)

Edit: turn 100 not 150 and level 8 in everything and 16 in power - kind of close in my guesses :)

Got it yesterday and until now I love it. It's really hard to get into it, but I learn something all the time, and that's what I like most about a game, you haven't figured it out after a few hours of playing.

I'm playing my second game now, after I lost my first one since someone else was elected master of orion :mad: . Now I'm playing as the humans and they suck at counter-espionage, something blows up almost every turn...

Does anyone now how this warfare thing works? Those bloody cynoids declared war on me, I took the opportunity and conquered 2 of their worlds just as I was about to attack the third one I got I message that I am no longer at war. WTF? I didn't accept any peace agreement, or is peace unilateral in this game? It didn't matter that much since they declared war again about five turns later so I could finish what I have started :evil:

BTW, I love those "gamers tips" in the manual: Always set your priorities. Live human encounters are beneficial to your well-being and add balance to your world :lol:

:lol:

I love this game so far. What I've seen is interesting, it will take a long time to learn all the subtle little things- but that's the fun part of the game! I think Civ3 spoiled alot of us on the graphics, but they are still good looking. I'm sure lots of folks will be coming out with some good mods and improving the graphics and whatnot.

Learning with fun!

Ive played it for another 2 hours and....

I dont really care about the "depth" of the game, if I don't feel like I am moving or manipulating anything.

This game looks and feels like a bunch of numbers, words and pictures. I would prefer starships, planets and troops. I watched my friend play MOO2, and it looked a hell of a lot more fun.
I popped in Master of Orion in 1995 and loved it. I was having fun in 10 minutes.

I have bombarded some silicoid planets, I've colonized a few more planets, I've had some stuff destroyed by silicoid spies, and fellt a very tiny twinge of anger. Due to the fact that cynoids (me) dont like silicoid planets, I haven't landed any troops.

The diplomacy is just cheesy, at least the humans growling like Klingons is just dumb. And they look angry even if they are offering a trade alliance.

So.... after four hors of playing, I am starting to wonder.... when does it get fun?

I am going to try anoter game on a small as possible galaxy, and see if it is any more interesting.

Acctualy they can look angry when they are offering you a trade agreement.

In diplomacy you select what you want to offer (trade agreement, alliance, or declear a state of war between you). In addition you select the "wording" of the ambassador, ranging from Begging to Insulting.

I've played LAN games with some of my friends and we often sent deplomatic messages like:
"We hate you, you son of a B****. We will kill you!!! Will you join us in a full alliance? you stupid cow!"

Not the best diplomatic move i know of, but it is possible...