Are you a master? I don't think so.

<bitching>

I bought Master of Orion III the other day, and I still can't decide if I like it or not.

EVERYTHING IS AUTOMATED!

It's driving me nuts! You have to actually access planetary screens and technology databes just to find out what's going on!

MOO2 had that nifty little science feature where every time it was time for new research it'd pop up a window, you'd read about the sciences, and then pick one. In MOO3, thought, it just keeps going! If you stop paying attention, you can go through several advances and never find out about it!

You can even have colonies you don't know exist!

And let's not forget the fleets. You have to design every ship. Shouldn't this part at least be automated? I mean, yeah, it's fun to design them and all the crap, but what's the point of having a largely autonomous AI running everything if it won't incorporate the new technology on its own?

Diplomacy's also got exciting depths. The ambassadors talk in Engrish! Example from the subtitle: "'We humbly request to inform you that we have declared war,' confides the Silicoid ambassador. 'We hope you agree.'" And let's not forget my favorite: "The Human ambassador, amiably shuffling papers, accepts your offer. '.' he says." How do you pronounce that? And of course there's always the best diplomatic issue ever: you can have excellent relations, dozens of trade agreements, and a defense alliance, and still have the other race spontaneously declare war on you. Or do it without ever having any contact with you. This can last for hundreds of turns without anything actually happening.

Finally, there are these things called "Antaran Xs" you need to find in order to win one way. The thing is, there is absolutely no information whatsoever on how one goes about doing this. The Gaurdian from MOO2 shows up, but he's apparently invincible now. WTF?

</bitching>

Despite this, I still can't decide if I like it or not. Huh.

 

You're not alone. Plenty of other people feel the same way, including reviewers who haven't given very favourable opinions of the game. Personally, I won't be touching it.

 

Yes, the game took a 180 degree turn from some of the things we expected. It's like it was done for windows xp users, you can't CHANGE SHIT. however i read one review, I think it was gamespy, someone wrote that you can switch off the AI... GREAT YOU STUPID MOTHERFUCKERS, HOW ABOUT PUTTING AN INDEX INTO THE MANUAL SO I CAN FIND THE DAMN THING. Moo3rons

 

Hahaha, Jinxed bought it and didn't get what he expected . I am no longer going to pre-order a game without reading reviews first. Lionheart, Devastation, Golden Land, another Russian tactical combat/RPG whose name escapes me for the moment, even Temple of Elemental Evil (well, okay, maybe not that one). I will read a few reviews of all of them before I buy, because no way am I going to lay out hard cash for shit games like I did Tribunal. For anyone still undecided on that, it blows.

 

I don't really understand what you guys have against this game. According to what you wrote above it doesn't even make you waste your time. It just plays itself.

 

They have to patch this, I won't let them shatter my dream! :sad2:

 

Well, I'm not familiar with the game in question, and judging from what's been said here, I doubt I'm going to get familiar with it.

But what's the point of playing a game if it plays itself? You can sit back and watch a movie and get the same effect.

Jarinor..~smirks~My argument against copyguarding...Who the hell wants to spend $50 for a game that sucks? Burn a copy of it, play it, if you llike it, wait till itt's been out a while, and then buy it. Many games, especially complicated ones like Alpha Centauri(top of my head example) are really ttough to play without some kind of manual, and/or a keyboard shortcut card. Demos rarely give you a true feel for the game, the only exception to that I've run into was Conquest:Frontier Wars. I played the demo happily for months, then when I could afford it, went out and bought the full version posthaste. That and Arcanum are the only games I've come across that I can still play for countless hours. And to this day, ARcanum is the only CRPG I can still play, even knowing where everything is..

Let's see...some of the games I was really dissappointed in...

Warhammer 40K Chaos Gate...BIG disappointment, and I *love* 40K. Diablo 2, I was vastly disappointed in, but I think I'm my own island there. Most people loved it. I was actually disappointed in Warcraft II. But that may be because by the time I got anything other than the shareware version, the game was pretty obsolete, and WC3 was out.

Stronghold...the concept was cool, but the playability was lacking, in my opinion. There were no skirmish boards to speak of. They were there, but they were fixed time/army/resource maps. Of course, my playing style with RTS, I think is a little different than most...I rarely play the campaigns first. I usually dive right into the skirmish mode, cuz I like playing with all the tech.. Usually in campaigns, you don't get the good stuff till you're almost done, and then you have to figure out its application. Some things sound cool, but when you actually build them, they suck, or are just to much of a pain in the ass to implement.

Homeworld, and it's sequel Cataclysm was ok, but the intterface took a lot of getting used to, and I don't think there was enough unit variety. I was also a tad disappointed in Tiberian Sun. Again, not enough unit variety, and the high-tech units weren't all that good, IMHO.

Another game...Odium..a buddy of mine swore by it, and gave me a copy. And although it sounded cool, I played it, and didn't like it at all. I didn't like the way the combat worked, and there were other things, but it's been awhile since I even looked at it, so I don't remember.

My favorite games, are probably Arcanum, most of the D&D games, Conquest, Age of Wonders, Deus Ex, Red Faction, and C&C:Renegade. I'm sure there's more games out there that I'd like, but with my limited finances...I won't be buying any of them soon.

And there's my coffee-drinking rant for the day.

 

Except that the graphics system sucks. A lot. We're not talking just a little here. And you still have to click that goddamn "TURN" button.

Infogrames also produced Civilization III. You'd think their Encyclopedia thing would be useful. No, I don't care about the FUCKING ANTARANS. Tell me how to make my planetary AIs fuck off.

In case you hadn't noticed, this game has induced a slavering rage in me. Why? Because everything I loved about the first game is GONE! You can't even name your damn colonies! The graphics are a step down! There isn't a single race that's actually attractive! AHHHH *angstrageangst*

I have Windows XP. I set it up exactly how I wanted it and over the course of several weeks it mysteriously changed back to the default. And I didn't even notice until it was done. Wicked, evil machine.

And that's not a waste of time because...?

The thing is, it doesn't even play itself well. You'll discover Ion Pulse Cannons and the ships it autobuilds will still be using [i[lasers[/i]. Argh.

 

I've never played any of the Master of Orion games, so I can't comment on them. I did buy Homeworld and I can't stand it. I'll send it to you free of charge. I have been playing the demo of Space Empires IV. I really like it. As soon as I can afford it, I'll buy the full version. It seems to be a very similiar game by the way you all have described MO3. I'm also a big D&D fan. I keep an old computer just so I can play the old RPG games. Yes, I'm an old timer. Anyone remember Bard's Tale?
I've been pleased with Arcanum. It's not as open ended as I thought it was by what the box described, but still a good RPG. I just bought Elder Scrolls III Morrowind. So far, I recommend it. I wish the combat was turn based in it. To me any RPG that requires fast fingers to win a battle isn't set up right. But other than the combat, I like it. Good story, a lot of options in character creation, and suppossedly totally open ended. You are in no way penalized if you don't follow the main plot. You're suppose to be able to play truckload of different story lines, plots, and quests. Well, I'll end this post/memorial trip/ad :grin:

 

I was rather disappointed when I noticed that a chain in our national electrical rip off store (*cough*Harvey Norman*cough*) was selling Wizardry 8 for $70 (around $30, $35 US), a year and a half after it came out. That was on special by the way, reduced from $90. It's amazing how long games stay at full price here, and how much they cost.

 

Etalis, I found that AI planet button. Yes, the AI really does slow down in its tinkering, however not fully. But then again, once you have a zillion planets under control the AI comes in handy, too bad you need to switch it on/off for every planet individually.

 

I also was disappointed by Diablo 2. It kinda looked goofy compared to the cool music and effect of Diablo. Playing in a darkened room for hours, walking around in a crypt with monsters and skeletons popping out at you, and that creepy, creepy music made Diablo incredibly sweet. Even though it wasn't a really great RPG for story or much else, it was a great game for hte time and was tons of fun.
Diablo 2 just lacked the spirit of the first game, though it was still worth playing.

Homeworld is one of the best games ever!!!!! To hard to figure out? You must be incredibly impatient! But i digress... If you couldn't figure out the interface it must have been tough, but it was well worth it for story and gameplay, and is the only truly 3-D space RTS that actually worked well and was worth playing.

Tiberian Sun was nothing compared to Red Alert, which despite horrible problems in AI is still, and always will be, the greatest Command and Conquer game ever!

 

Oh, Jesus, you're kidding me. Please tell me you're kidding me.

How the hell did we start talking about Homeworld? The games are nothing alike. Nothing at all. Except they're both for the PC and have spaceships. That's it.

 

Yup, it's sad.

I really hope they patch the whole ai thing.

I colonise planets myself, then why do I suddenly notice that new worlds are mine? Low end planets, starting off at 50 population? An outpost? I didn't send any.

And The ai mostly builds totally useless shit, instead of building a beambase and other military defense structures, it builds a hacker, or an outdated eagle defense ship which is taken down by an enemy scout.

 

OH YEA BABY, I just killed the second guardian, I must tell you etalis, I figured it mostly out.


The AI is actually A GOOD THING.

Why?

Well, it builds ships for ya. But I mentioned earlier about them being crap? You just need to sert them as absolete and the computer will build the best one you have.

What comes of this? You are never left without a fleed because you forgot to set construction on some planets.

In Moo3, you need to set the global options, and let the AI take care of all the little details...

It's hard to get used to but FUCK, I CAN'T STOP PLAYING THIS GAME!!

I just need to figure out how the planetery on land battles work.

 

i don;t mind the AI. i like it. it keeps most of my planets building super-dreadnoughts with a ton of weapons. the only problem is the diplomacy. simply put. it SUCKS. also, Jinxed, tell me if you figure out how to attack a planet with ground troops. because atm, i can't eve make an army. i try, but it says in the rules box; Rule 1: You can't build an army with your current reserves. i don't get it. i have about 100 of every ground unit in the game up to battleoids... i hate the manual. it doesn't tell you much. i had to learn how to MAKE a ship task force. it never said it in the manual from what i saw.

 

Ech, another glitch in the AI, it leaves some planets to make cash. It doesn't build any usefull building on them, like a research facility or other structures. However some planets are full. I wonder if the ai does that cause the production/research level of the planet is so low, that it would be a waste? Umm, I'm not too sure, I don't like the fact that those structures aren't built though.


Gamenut, beats me how to create a ground task force. Gonna have to figure it out someday. I've seen some planets with thousands of troops, doesn't look like it's gonna be as easy as space combat where the computer always uses some outdated crappy ships against you.

 

that shouldn't be a problem if i can figure out how to make a ground task force. seeing as i have tens of thousands of troops eating up my cash. i disband them, but they just make all the ones i disbanded plus a few thousand more. :sad: