[Tiara]

Ok, I just bought MOO2 for $2 Couldn't let that one slip. But I'm not sure if I should buy MOO3. I've read some of the reviews and they are not as positive as with MOO2.

Could the people who have played the game please say what they think of it. I'm not going to throw $40 out of the window. (May not be the exact price, can't remember)

[Styxx]

Didn't play the game, but I heard it sucks.

[Tiara]

Bump!

Bump?

BUMP!!!!

[Crazy_Ivan80]

I have MOO3

potentially a great game, but it has... er...issues. Player mods are resolving this though (very easy to mod this one)

BTW: MOO3 isn't for the mircomanagement nuts. You can do it but it'll drive you insane.

[Tiara]

So, is it worth the money or not?

[Petrarch of the VBB]

When did MOO3 come out? And why was I not informed?

Tremble before my DOOM STAR!

[Dark_4ce]

Played MOO3. Didn't like it. As been mentioned before, it has issues. I'd spend my money on something more interesting. LIKE RAVEN SHIELD!!!

[Petrarch of the VBB]

The Rainbow Six games are very good, except for the missions.

[Fury]

I have MoO3 and I like it a lot. It has potential but is currently plagued by small bugs or other bug like issues. When properly patched, MoO3 will be great game.

MoO2 also sucked when it first came out, but patches saved it.

Petrarch of the VBB, sorry no Doom Stars. You have more hull sizes than in MoO2 howewer, and stellar conventer is still there.

Be warned though, MoO3 is not a modern MoO2. It is little different.

[HeX]

I got MOO3. I like it but I will warn you of a few things right now.

1) Steep learning curve. I had okay time with it, some have trouble. READ THE MASTERS NOTES. They help.

2) It is very different from MOO2. Very. You do not micromanage. The AI takes care of it. You can turn it off but I find it's a big help. You just have to learn to use development plans.

3) Some people don't like the interface. I think it's fine. Matter of oppinion really...

4) Graphically, it won't wow you. It's meant to be functional more then pretty. Does what it has to do.

5) The AI has some issues...hopefully being ironed out.

6) You can't name stars or pick your color. This sux. Hopefully addressed in a patch.

7) You can't refit your ships once they're built. I hate this and hope to GOD they will fix it.

8) Starlanes are the only fast way to travel between stars. To get to a star without starlanes, you will be taking a LONG LONG TIME

9) Taskforces. All your ships have to be put in task forces which have rules limiting the number and type of ship in them.

However, there are solutions to several of these. Here is the plus side to all of this.
It's VERY VERY VERY EASY TO MOD.
All the information the system uses is in txt files contained within MOB archives. These can be opened with winzip.

Editing the txt files is as easy as tabling in Freespace. Maybe easier.

Just go to the MOO3 site and on the board go to Fan Modifications. Heck go here, I describe how to do it: http://www.warpstorm.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2027

You can alter everything from system names to ship speeds to AI parameters, everything.

What I've done so far:

1) All races now have 150 pick points instead of 0 for modifying. Gives some improvement room.

2) The AI now builds more Warships then transports.

3) I eliminated the specific ship limiters in Task Force menu. You can build a fleet of various sizes made up of ANY type of ships. An armada can now have 15-20 scout ships if you want.

4) Starlanes are faster. You can also now reach a star without a lane in MUCH less time (like between 5 and 40 turns instead of 80-400).

5) All ship icons in space combat are now bigger. Looks better.

[Fury]

Originally posted by HeX
7) You can't refit your ships once they're built. I hate this and hope to GOD they will fix it.

I thought same way at first, but I am not looking for refit feature anymore. MoO3 plays fine without it.

Another feature I'd like to have is that orbitals should be listed in system ship list (or in their own list), so they can be easily found as scrapped when necessary.

[HeX]

The only time I have a problem with no refit is when I've got a taskforce of warships and suddenly I get a ton of features like shields and bigger guns. Suddenly my fleet is....obsolete. It'd be nice to upgrade them.

[Stryke 9]

Basically, the only real problem (and it's a deadly one) is that the AI controls EVERYTHING, but the AI is a functional retard. Just in the past week I've heard enough stories of colony ship after colony ship being sent to enemy bases, military complexes being raised on farming planets, and enemies that just plain won't attack to keep me off the game for good. If you're gonna make the AI the core of the game, you don't use a set of scripts that probably originally belonged to the ghosts in Pac-Man.

Apparently it ain't so bad in multiplayer (you can override SOME of the AI's stupidities if you don't mind a lot of work with a bad interface), but in order to PLAY MP you've got to install that ****ty piece of Gamespy spyware that's pretty much the Polish virus given an upgrade.

In ten or twelve years, when it's been patched, upgraded, fixed, and broken in, it might be playable. But by then far, far better games will have come along. Stick to the original two.

[HeX]

umm...the AI only sends colony ships if you turn it on in the Empire window. Otherwise it'll never send colony ships. It defaults to off. I've never had a problem with it.

[HeX]

I dunno what all these complaints about interface are *shrug*

It's all pretty straightforward to me. There are shortcuts to everything if you read the readme. Escape key gets you out of the menu you're in.

I've had no problems with the interface at all.

[Fury]

Originally posted by HeX
The only time I have a problem with no refit is when I've got a taskforce of warships and suddenly I get a ton of features like shields and bigger guns. Suddenly my fleet is....obsolete. It'd be nice to upgrade them.

Your fleet is not obsolete.
Because all players have the same "problem", no fleet is immadiately obsolete.

Stryke 9, the idea of AI controlling all micromanagement is good. I admit that AI has it's flaws but I can live with it. And patches will most likely improve AI as well.

Hey, what can you expect? 90% of all games are plagues by bugs and other issues when they are released. It is really an achievement if the game is even playable without patches.

[HeX]

Only AI flaw I ever saw was it was building too many transports. Which I edited and fixed.

[Eishtmo]

Read this.

[HeX]

Read it. Don't agree with it.

[Ace]

I personally like MOO2 better at the moment. If MOO3's quirks get patched and fans pretty it up enough, then I think it could be a classic.