Master of Orion 3 post patch?

elric_sloan · Post by **elric_sloan** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 1:20 pm

Is the game worth it after the patches? I am thinking about picking it up for five bucks, any thoughts?

Koz · Post by **Koz** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 1:30 pm

You will most likely be attacked by the rabid anti-MOO3 mob. They may have not migrated to the new forum yet though. It's also been a couple years so they may have lost their fervor.

I haven't played the game in quite some time so I'm not sure how it is after patch, but I heard it improved the game but nothing astronimical.

If you like "deep" space sims with a helluva lot of numbers and management, then I'd suggest giving it a try. If you're looking for something light and fun, I'd suggest not.

Fishbelly · Post by **Fishbelly** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 2:19 pm

I was never a rabid MOO 3 hater, but I have to admit I never took to the game. It just seemed to be missing the "fun factor" for me. But I'm not like many of the other folks--I was a MOO 2 hater. I thought the original was the best by far, so take that in consideration.

Chesspieceface · Post by **Chesspieceface** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 4:16 pm

Its fun for what it is. A MACROmanagement sim. It doesn't want you to tweak every little thing. The main idea is creating management strategies and assigning them to planets. Its a bit odd, but I actually found the notion quite interesting... once I figured it out. Its worth $5, as long as you aren't working for minimum wage. I got some enjoyment out of it, and there are surely guides out there now, which weren't when I played it.

Marik · Post by **Marik** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:20 pm

Heh, the reason there are so many anti-moo3 people is because that game is really, really awful and a lot of us got suckered into buying it early on by over-hyped reviews (later retracted by IGN, if I recall

) . Trust me - I bought it on pre-order and even convinced my friend to do so too (luckily he forgave me, but it was a close thing). We both tried to enjoy it but really, it is just a poorly put together P.O.S. The gameplay is unbalanced, the AI is catatonic and completely random (prepare yourself to be inundated by tiny empires that cannot even reach your systems reminding you every turn that they are at WAR WITH YOU and VERY VERY DANGEROUS. Similarly, prepare to find yourself able to glass another civ's planets and remain at peace with them. Apparently turning their home system into a smoldering pebble isn't enough to convince the AI to reconsider your relationship.

)

Even post-patch Moo3 is junk. All the patch really did was fix some nasty crash bugs and *almost* fix the ship dynamic (previously it was a game of Rock Paper Scissors where someone had forgot to properly code in the counter for rock, making it possible to destroy the most advanced fleets without breaking a sweat).

The AI remains completely incapable of mounting an offensive and is known for its tendency to move huge armadas into your territory... and sit there menacingly. They *could* land invasion forces. They *could* blockade your planets. Hell, they could just nuke them from orbit, yet whoever was in charge of that bit of the AI spent the afternoon beating off and missed a few lines of code. One guy on the old forums ran a test where he set up a macro to click the "end turn" button a thousand times for his empire. He started the game, axed all ship production and research and declared war on every computer empire in the game. Then he ran the macro. Then he ran it again. And Again. The computer was literally incapable of beating an opponent who did nothing. How is that for challenge in a grand strategy game?

If you're looking for a decent space strategy game, check out Space Empires 4. The demo is fantastic and gives you a great idea of what the game is like (a complex strategic game somewhat void on personality for its races and somewhat dull diplomacy). Moo3 was hands-down awful. I feel the same way towards those CDs that I do towards AOL discs - they are of use only for skeet shooting.

Asharak · Post by **Asharak** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 8:30 pm

I don't think you can patch a learning cliff (not curve; I meant cliff) higher than the face of the Grand Canyon. And I don't think you could patch a truly phenomenal amount of generally poor design. As Demosthenes says, it's meant to be a macromanagement sim. So why, exactly, did it include more stats and contextually meaningless numbers than any micromanagement sim I've ever played?

I was one of the most rabid defenders of MOO3 around here when it first came out. I tried to like it. I tried to understand it. Problem is that I did come to understand it - and ended up understanding why I didn't like it.

- Ash

Bakhtosh · Post by **Bakhtosh** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 2:55 pm

I got $5 worth of enjoyment out of it (post-patch and with a few mods). Unfortunately, I paid $40 for it. In fairness, I probably got $10 woth of enjoyment out of it, which is more than I can say for X2-The Threat.

I don't recall it being as bad as some are saying. You won't remember it 5 years from now. It won't be a classic. It's a good time killer, but I've chosen to play other games with my limited gaming time and budget.

Currently playing: Total Annihilation - Core