Master Of Orion 3 ? Advise

[Captain86]

Would you recommend 3 vs this version ? Which has more multiplayer participation ?

Please advise.
Thanks

[DukeOfLight]

this, by far

[DukeOfLight]

with UCP its a must...

[WillieSea]

If you are a micro-manager then you will like 3. It can take an hour or more just to play one turn. I could never finish that game and I tried because I like MOO so much.

This version is a much better successor to the original titles.

[Drunked Rompa]

Generally this version Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars (MoO:CtS) is more palatable and has a larger playerbase. Some choose to download and install the Unofficial Code Patch (UCP). It is encouraged as it fixes a lot of bugs and adds some nice quality of life features. Yet I don't know how many are playing multiplayer with UCP vs vanilla. In these forums it seems most long-term users who are interested in playing multiplayer usually have UCP installed.

MoO3 is more of an acquired taste. It has a high learning curve and is notably unpolished due to its troubled development. While it is seen as the black sheep of the series, it still does have a fan following that resulted into unofficial patches of its own. Those who play it usually like it for behaving more like an imperial manager than the other games in the series. There is a YouTube user known as AbsoluteZero that since recently started playing through that game and extensively showing its ropes. I don't know how much multiplayer participation that game has, but it is definitely significantly less than MoO:CtS.

[dtt.scanner]

MOO:CTS -- You also have to have exactly the same mod list and exactly the same order, installed exactly the same way as the host (manual or workshop install) in order to play MP. Otherwise the game host won't show up on your list. Most MP hosts post a listing of their installed mods when they offer the game.

I liked MOO3 for a solo game, I micromanage and MOO3 takes a huge amount of time for each turn once you pass the mid-game (and even the early game to maximize your colonization and trade worlds with other races). MOO3 has a much more flexible diplomacy, in that races are more willing to trade worlds with you and you can populate "useless" worlds with more suitable races. This is much easier than terraforming. It is also nearly impossible to completely de-populate a planet (bombarding/attacking), which is frustrating if there are races present that you don't want (the parasitic race), but it also means that some of the population can survive nearly any attack. Worlds are also set up in regions (# based on world size), with different regions more efficient for certain purposes (farming, industry, science, etc). I did win MOO3 by diplomacy, but still only about half the tech tree researched. Getting as many different races as you can, so you can populate 90% of the planets with minimal terraforming, will allow you to gain most victory conditions. I did like the ground combat better than any other version, as you have to conquer region by region.

MOO:CTS is more like MOO2 in the management requirement, and flows better for multiplayer. You cannot do manual combat in MP mode, so you build your ships differently (for mass auto-combats) so that they can survive without your dodge moves and have weapons that work well in auto mode. Vaash's tactical mod may be especially good for auto-combat because it fixes a lot of the quirky ship behavior and poor weapon systems. It becomes a different game with the tactical mod, so there will be a learning curve for the changes.

[Captain86]

Thanks.

Is there multiplayer participation or is this a rare occurrence ?

[Drunked Rompa]

Well, if you can find friends to play with, you all can together participate in a game of multiplayer as often as you all are able to.

[Captain86]

thanks

[Soul]

Master of Orion 3, a once-anticipated PC game, unleashed a relentless horror with its twisted entities, but the nightmare was intensified by a nightmarishly convoluted user interface, amplifying the terror to unimaginable levels. It inflicted agony upon my soul, as every interaction felt like a jagged knife carving deeper into the depths of my being, leaving me shattered and tormented, my spirit forever scarred by the torturous ordeal. Master of Orion 3 taught me the true meaning of appreciating devs that think about quality of life features versus engineered human suffering in their UI.

[DukeOfLight]

Originally posted by Captain86:

Thanks.

Is there multiplayer participation or is this a rare occurrence ?

me...i have the best multiplayer experience with this game

[dtt.scanner]

I only play MP with my brother in a LAN, but I have seen other MP hosts pop up briefly. As soon as the game starts, they depopulate from the lobby, so most of the time it will be empty.

[DukeOfLight]

ive played like 40 games with my friend, on steam multiplayer.