Master of Orion 2!

[zircon]

I'm a hardcore fan of this game (at least, the single player - haven't played multiplayer), which is considered to be one of the best turn-based strategy games of all time, and certainly one of the best space sim games around. I used to play it all the time (since getting it in 1998) but was dismayed about a year ago when I couldn't find a version that ran on 64bit Windows. Much to my delight, I've found that it's available on GOG for just $4, including the first MoO;

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/master_of_orion_1_2

This version runs on 64bit OSes via DOSbox, and plays just like it did back in the day. Having played a handful of recent sim games, including Galactic Civilizations 2, I have to say that MOO2 still beats them all in my mind as a top sim. Suffice it to say, I highly recommend it! It might not have the most flashy 3D graphics around, but the features and depth are unparalleled.

Any other fans here? Share your stories, strategies, etc.! I've been able to beat the game on Impossible in a Huge galaxy with 6 computer opponents, which is my proudest accomplishment, though it took about 6 hours. VERY epic ending too.

[Rozovian]

I know there was a mac version, but that's apparently not on GOG.

Anyway, I always played as Psilon, or with the (was it Creative?) pick in custom race that gave me all possible technologies for each advance.

Haven't played it in a long time, the CD broke and the install started having some problems. I don't think I played with any proper strategy back when I played it either.

[Nutritious]

Man, this is one of my fav games of all time. I haven't tried it on 64 bit win7 yet, but didn't have trouble running it in xp. I'll have to give it a shot to make sure.

I used to play Psilon as well, but found that Creative was very OP and kinda made it boring. Generally would do custom races with a setup of something like:

-2 bc/turn (for extra points to spend)

Warlord (for elite crews, & more command points from bases/colonies)

Unity gov't whatever it's called

Carismatic(?) for better leaders & negotiation IIRC

Last Christmas my wife bought me MOO 1 CD version, which rocked my socks. It's different enough from MOO2 to still make it a lot of fun.

EDIT: Fun strategies I've tried in the past:

-Rush to get good ground combat technology + assault shuttles. Hang back in battle and launch shuttles to take over enemy ships. Scrap the ships to get their technologies.

-No beam weapon strategy: go all missiles & projectiles with high ECCM & missile upgrades like fast racks (shoot 2x in one turn). Hang back & lob away.

-Deny hiring any low level leaders in favor of waiting for better & more developed ones (I used to just hire as soon as they'd appear)

-War with no one: get as many non-aggression, trade, & research pacts going as you can, but never agree to Alliance with anyone. That way, they can't force you to declare war on another player.

[zircon]

I agree that Creative is overpowered. It is, in my opinion, the single best pick out there, and the combination of Creative/Democracy is absolutely lethal. It seems to me that on the highest difficulty settings (Hard, Impossible) your only hope at winning is to plunge into research ASAP. Get Research Labs + Planetary Supercomputer, tech up, and then win with superior fleets later. That being said, the real secret of Creative is that it also makes your diplomacy way better, because you always have TONS of 'useless' techs (Death Spores, ground combat stuff, bombs) to give away, thus improving your standing with other races.

On the other hand, a Tolerant/Unification setup is very good too. This maximizes your industrial production from the start. A Creative Democracy can virtually catch up later, but early on, it allows for faster expansion and creation of labs/computers to tech quickly. Of course, you miss out on a lot of advancements along the way.

The single most effective strategy I've found for repelling attacks early on (when the CPU still has an impossible production advantage or is Repulsive and hates you) is creating a fleet of Frigates (smallest ships) with your best missile equipped. These ships will probably die with one shot or two at best, but you can strip them of their computer making them easy to build (1 turn even w/o major production improvements.) A small fleet of 8-9 such ships can cause serious damage, as missiles basically always hit and tend to hurt quite a bit. Generally, the computer will run when presented with 9-18 incoming missiles, unless they have a HIGHLY superior fleet (which rarely happens.)

On the Impossible setting, you're almost guaranteed to face fleets of 40-50+ teched-out enemy ships by the endgame if the computer has a lot of planets, and the only way to deal with them is pure technology and good ship design. Structural Analyzer + Achilles Targeting Unit with heavy mount/shield piercing/autofire Phasors is pretty much the best ship-to-ship weapon around. Add Hyper-X Capacitors and High Energy Focus and you have some serious power. Ideally you'll be punching through 2-4 ships per turn with EACH of your ships. You can supplement this design with ships carrying Emissions Guidance missiles, which are among the most powerful weapons (a single hit destroys almost any ship.)

However, even these weapons can be ineffective against certain ship designs, and against heavily-fortified planets (Barrier Shields), so you NEED Stellar Converters to just obliterate these defenses. 2 Stellar Converters mounted on a Titan or Doom Star will basically destroy ALL planet-based defenses is a single shot - so this includes the Missile Base, Ground Batteries and Fighter Garrison all in one.

[Rozovian]

-Deny hiring any low level leaders in favor of waiting for better & more developed ones (I used to just hire as soon as they'd appear)

-War with no one: get as many non-aggression, trade, & research pacts going as you can, but never agree to Alliance with anyone. That way, they can't force you to declare war on another player.

Same.

Hm, I could probably run this on dosbox. The mac version was for mac os classic anyway. Could be a fun multiplayer game, except for the lack of a simultaneous turns mode (as in Civ IV). Or did it have something like that?

[zircon]

I do believe the MP involves simultaneous turns - you don't go and then wait for the computer to go, stuff happens all at once.

[prophetik music]

this actually sounds pretty sweet. i'll have to give it a shot =)

[StarZander]

Woo! I remember a friend of mine playing this once, and showing it to me, I was hooked. I couldn't get it to run on my computer of that time, so I could only play it at my friends house. We played it for hours upon hours, but I can't remember many details of the game. Just that we had a ton of fun!

I'm gonna have to get this and finally play it on my own, to see if I can be a Master of Orion myself.

I heard that the third game wasn't as good, but that's pretty much all I've heard about it.

So, for you guys who know the game by heart... Any tips on things I should be aware of when starting, so I won't get crushed right away? Strategy games aren't my strong side, but I love them anyway.

[Nutritious]

I heard that the third game wasn't as good, but that's pretty much all I've heard about it.

Yeah just.... don't bother with MOO3

[zircon]

Here are some tips on MOO2, based on my own experience:

1. Start at an easy level, like "Easy" or "Normal"

2. Larger galaxies are generally easier. More opponents make the game harder. Some alien races are randomly generated to be very hostile and xenophobic, and if you're in a small or cramped galaxy you may be attacked before you can muster a defense.

3. Technology is key. Technology can make up for almost all racial penalties and differences in fleet size, production power, etc.

4. Diplomacy is very important early on, less so later. Offer gifts to the other races to make them like you, then enter into non-aggression pacts and trade/research treaties (where appropriate.) Alliances are generally not a good idea, since you might get sucked into wars. On the other hand, if a race REALLY loves you, you may be able to demand things of them (eg. declaring wars on other players.) By keeping the computers off you and fighting each other, you can amass untold power uninterrupted.

5. Don't enter into wars unless you have a significant technological advantage and the ability to defend your colonies (Missile Bases, mobile fleets, etc.) The computer players generally favor fleet-building and production, meaning they won't fall down easily.

6. Early on, the most important technologies are Automated Factory and Research Lab. These give all colonies natural production and research, even with no workers in those areas, and magnify the output of existing workers/scientists. There are more powerful version of these techs later, but if you don't get the basic level, you will fall way behind.

7. Expansion is key. Try to get as many planets within your empire as possible, as once they're all taken, you're capped off (though you can use Colony Bases and later, Artificial Planets, to improve your empire's population internally.)

Race and ship design are minigames in and of themselves. Here are some tips on that.

Good race picks:

* Creative: Probably the best pick of all, allows you to research multiple technologies at once. This in turn basically gives you a diplomacy advantage, as you can give away useless/harmless techs.

* Tolerant: Increases max population and eliminates the effect of pollution (which basically vastly increases the production of all your workers.) Not as good in the endgame, but should give you a massive advantage early and midgame.

* Unification: Improves production and farming in all colonies. Obviously good, especially when paired with Tolerant.

* Democracy: Improves income and research generation.

Good race penalties (to balance out your bonuses without sacrificing much):

* Ground Combat: Sacrificing ground combat is a non-issue. If your fleets are defeated you're in big trouble, and good technology will make your armies superior anyway.

* Spying: If you're focusing on research, you will surely be spied on. However, if you're focusing on research, you'll also be getting lots of techs to improve your spies, so...

* Ship Defense: Again, slightly reduced ship defense is not a big deal as tech can immediately override this penalty.

Ship Design:

* Always use Heavy Mount beam weapons, if you're using beams at all, and make sure you have a good computer. Beam weapons dissipate over time, so you need to get close to maximize effectiveness.

* Battle Pods are good to have on any large ships, allowing them to pack on more technology.

* Heavy Armor & Reinforced Hull are excellent armor/defensive specials.

* "Emissions Guidance" missiles are very powerful.

* Forget about bombs; they're useless.

* Phasors are basically the best beam weapon, as they can be miniaturized repeatedly and loaded with modifications like Shield Piercing, Heavy Mount and Autofire.

* Plasma Webs are incredibly powerful against large ships, such as the Guardian at Orion.

* Early on, Frigates (smallest ship size) are effective as missile carriers w/ no computers. Later, you'll want to use larger ships for your missiles, and Titans or Doom Stars bristling with maxed-out specials/beam weapons.

[Palpable]

Used to play MOO2 a lot back in high school. I've forgotten most of it but I think it would come back to me if I picked it up again. I recall Creative being really really strong. I played MOO3 for a bit but it didn't grab me at all.

[zircon]

Been playing another game on Impossible as a Creative race... it does seem like virtually the only way to win at that level. Nonetheless, I'm going to keep experimenting. Supposedly, Sakkra is a pretty strong pick for production/war.

[StarZander]

Wow, thanks for the great and thorough tips! I really hope I'll have time to play it soon. Love this game!