MOO2 installation on Windows 7

[Tabarnak]

I want to install my MOO2 cd-rom on windows 7 but nothing happens. My comp doesnt recognize anything. I have a french version of the game. Does someone know how to properly install this game under Windows 7?

I played on my pentium 4(years ago) and everything was ok.

 

[vmxa]

I had to use DosBox to get it to install and run. That means you have to use the dos version of Moo2. Both versions are on the CD.

 

[RaiddinnRZ]

I just wanted to say that DosBox isn't the best way to get pretty much anything old to work. It has to reduce your hardware to 1993 levels (99% reduction) in order to emulate the old DOS environment.

If there is any other way to load a game, you should probably try that first.

That being said, often times nobody has created that other way. Additionally, DosBox does make the whole process very easy, if you are willing to tolerate the gameplay on the other side.

Raiddinn

 

[neilkaz]

Tabernak, if you're not sucessful, just buy the game from GoG (Good Old Games) and you get MOO1 also for a few bucks and MOO2 comes as the 1.40b23 patch and plays and loads almost instantly using DosBox.

MOO2 (and MOO1) are some of the best games ever and I play almost as much MOO2 as I do Civ5.

.. neilkaz ..

 

[vmxa]

BTW there are several programs you can find on the DosBox page to create a shell to launch DosBox with the correct parms. Very handy, I use ProGammax. I have it setup for Ascendancy, ALien Legacy, Moo1 and Moo2.

I start ProGammax and then I can just double click any of the games. It will issue any needed mounts for disk or CD.

 

[Tabarnak]

Tabernak, if you're not sucessful, just buy the game from GoG (Good Old Games) and you get MOO1 also for a few bucks and MOO2 comes as the 1.40b23 patch and plays and loads almost instantly using DosBox.

MOO2 (and MOO1) are some of the best games ever and I play almost as much MOO2 as I do Civ5.

.. neilkaz ..

Tks for the info all.

I guess it's pretty cheap. Yes MOO2 is a game i play since 15 years now but took a break for last 2 years. Impossible, pre-warp, Antarans, random events and tactical combat(hell yeah) and all type of maps are my usual settings. Never played multi tho. Maybe i will drop to one level below for next games if i'm rusted...

CiV needs some MOO2's applications to be more balanced to replace the broken RAs and lux trade system(lump slump gold) by a more realistic diplo gaining % of science determined by some variables from research pacts(different types of pacts can only add fun too), and also get only gold per turn from lux. Simple to do and so much realistic. Luck proof and exploit proof as well. Oh man...i'm so brilliant

 

[neilkaz]

@ Tabernak....

Knowing your production oriented Civ5 style, I expect you may want to use a production oriented custom race for MOO2. I find UniTol to be the easiest to play, however UniAquaProd+2 is also very powerful.

I've done quite a bit of thinking and some comparisons and even calculations for UniTol starts and when I get home from vacation in a couple days I'll post some of my findings and starting style. A bit of what I do I haven't seen posted elsewhere, although I suspect a few of the old fine MOO2 sites are no longer online.

vmxa is also quite skiilled at this game and may have some good input to add.

Like you, for me it is, Impossible, Pre-Warp etc etc etc. I am confident that soon you'll be slapping the AI's silly like I've learned to do.

.. neilkaz ..

 

[Tabarnak]

If i remember i try to build frigates with MIRV missiles very fast. I learned to not play creative. Demo-Aqua-Artefact homeworld(+3 science for each scientists)-Large homeworld are some settings i like. I play between Demo and Uni often.

I read about housing strategy but again i'm not sure to remember all details.

 

[neilkaz]

Frigates are the tiny ships and you can't pack much in them. Of course you can make lots of them, but you'll burn up your CP's early in the game. I prefer to make larger war ships.

The Population 1 housing technique is a good way to build up population quickly.

All you do it to is to take a planet with population of 1 and set the lone worker to make housing. Move all newborns to another planet and keep the population of the housing planet set to 1. This is a very efficient way to build up population.

A typical UniTol planet with a pop of 1 will build at about 130k/turn which improves to about 225k once you get an autofactory built.

.. neilkaz ..

 

[adamjgp]

I had completely forgotten how much i enjoyed playing the MoO games. I'd like to get back into playing MoO2, since 3 is just too micromanaged/buggy.

I'm planning on buying 1&2 from GoG, but i've been reading that I'll have to use DOSBox to play them. Is that still true?

Also, I have read that there are some mods out there, and I really enjoy modding my games (Oblivion, Civ IV, Dragon Age, etc.) and I was hoping that you knowledgeable people here at CivFanatics could suggest some of the better mods?

Thanks,
adam

 

[vmxa]

I have to use DosBox to get either I or II to worked in Win7. That means using the dos version of II, not Orion95.

There are some fixes to Moo2 that you can find. Try this site for more info:

http://masteroforion2.blogspot.com/2006/05/dosbox-guide.html

 

[neilkaz]

If you buy MOO1/2 from GoG it comes with DOSbox allready. I have Win7 and when I purchased the games from GoG near the end of last Dec, all I had to do and still have to do is to click on the icon to launch and play either game.

So no worries about hooking up DOSbox when buying MOO's from GoG, it just worked automatically.

Hmm...I still need to type up my detailed UniTol start for Impossible Pre-Warp. This is a very strong easy race for newer players. I still am perfecting all the fine points. I had something all typed up but when I went to post it, it timed out.

.. neilkaz ..

 

[RaiddinnRZ]

Can't pretty much anyone win with UniTol? Doesn't seem like there really needs to be a guide for it, you just pick that combo and win.

Why not play something hard and write a guide for that instead?

Like Mrrshans on Impossible in Orion 1.

Raid

 

[neilkaz]

Yeah...your point is valid as I realized once again, while fine tuning opening strats. Playing UniTol on impossible is like winning a drag race with a Lamborghini vs a Volkswagon. Yeah it is too easy and the only real challange is how fast I can take every AI planet with troop transports on a cluster map.

For my next UniTol game to make it a challange I'll have to choose uncreative for -4 rather than - ground - defence. Uncreative and Repulsive should be "fun". I've played uncreative as telepathic a few times and IMHO, it should count for about -10.

Yeah..Unitol is too easy and UniAquaProd+2 almost as good.

 

[RaiddinnRZ]

You could always take -ground -spy and take no positive abilities and just play like that. That would be challenging.

Raid

 

[neilkaz]

I won the uncreative UniTol game tonight in the GC on turn 262 with 40 out of 52 votes. I could probably win by wiping every one out in about 30 more turns or maybe 75 turns slower than I could if not uncreative on this mediocre map (lousy start with my 2nd home planet being ultrapoor LG).

Anyhow..more challanging as my tech was well behind (I finally stole research labs) due to lack of tech building and some of the AI's had Neut Armor quite early and caused some havoc as I couldn't defend all my conquered systems and I bombed a few of them when reconquering since I had to try to catch up with enemy fleets.

No battle pods until I stole them late and had to make more ships to compensate and as a result had very serious CP issues and no tachyon or subspace comm to help.

Clearly more fun this way as I have to improvise but I don't really feel at risk of losing the game. Maybe if I was attacked sooner and double or triple teamed I'd lose.

.. neilkaz ..