Master of Orion 3 is Microsoft excel set in space. That was my biggest problem with it.

LOL LOL

to true.....


Poor interface. Very annoying espionage system I couldn't stand. When I would get a new leader and 3 turns later they where assinated, happened everytime. Then every turn sitreps piled on top of each other with mainly useless information. The game on paper looks very fantastic and lots of awesome idea's, but those idea's where poorly implemented. It really did need another 18 months of refinement, better post release support, and the origianl design team to continue the development of the project.

I only played it when it first came out, and was very disappointed. My biggest gripe was that the AI was completely incapable of mounting a military campaign.

I'm going to dl the patches and try again. People say it's better...

~SDC~

I downloaded the patches, and everytime I try to run the game it keeps saying that the MOO3.exe file is missing. So a good advise don't waste your time, the game is not worth the effort.


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I don't know what problems you are having, but the patch works great. I have had the game for over six months now and still play it. It does take some adjustment as it is not like the other games in the series. Since it is more of a macromanagement view it is difficult for those who love to micro to get used to it. Could it have been better? Sure. But, I would say, it is playable now and a great deal of fun for those who like that style of game.

I download all the patches and I did what they about running the file, and I tried for over 15 times and always there was or a MOO3.exe file missing or some dll file missing, so again the hassle is not worth. Here you have a problem and you ask and always someone from the developers helps you and answers you very quick, sometime not here at the forum but by e-mail and that is what I call customer service. So by a big marging GalCiv is way better than MOO3.

@Renegade
I find your experience with MOO3 very odd. So, just to verify:
1. You have a purchased copy of MOO3? Not some hacked illegal download, right? There was an old version floating around out there.

2. You install it. You can verify your installation with this official tool:
moo3.quicksilver.com/downloads/Moo3InstallCheck.zip

3. Then you download the moo3_v125.zip file (it's 5.1megs), uninstall it to the moo3 directory (just for extra certainty), and then run the patch exe from that folder. Right?

4. The shortcut on your desktop or start menu will run the game (and the disc must be in the drive).

(oh, and if you have a Mac, then it requires a different set of files. But if it's a PC, then make sure you're logged on as the administrator.)

Finally, I find your criticism unjustified. Here you have a few people trying to help you with a game and it's not even that game's official forum. Head over to the MOO3 forums and you'll find dozens of people ready to help you at a moment's notice.
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I do too. I have not read about this problem at all in the MOO3 forums.

I did not even run the patch from the MOO3 directory. I launched it from my thumb drive and everything was fine. Weird, very weird....

Actually it's weird from the start as he did not even have the manual in the box...very strange :notsure:

I did exactly what you described, step by step, I downloaded the patch using the DXL secure thing, yada,yada. I install it in the MOO3 folder, I ran the validate thing you have to do, it found everything OK, but it didn't find the patch, I did it like 15 times and in everytime didn't find the patch, I tried to play the game, inserted the disk and the MOO3.exe file was missing from the directory, I have uninstalled and reinstalled the game so many times that I just quit trying to do it, because the agravation is not worthy.

One other thing the game doesnot install a shorcut on my desktop, I am running Window ME

Did you double click the patch to install it?



So what? You need the cd in to play it anyway and with autorun on the game will start by itself anyway.

...moo3 is a joke. Its looks is abusive on the eyes, the inteface is moronic, the AI the level of W. This is a game where you don't have to do anything, save using a LOT of time stopping the AI doing al sorts of things for you. Some claim this game is complicated, which of course it isn't, it's just designed to LOOK that way. The latest patch fixed some of the quirks, but all the patching in the world cannot fix rotten design and coding. The intro movie is very good though.
The people behind this should have spent a few hours with Space Empires IV: Gold Edition, which is a real lesson in intuitive menu design.
Don't waste your money on moo3, or even more importantly; don't waste your TIME on it.

I had trouble playing Moo3, bought 2 copies dled the patch the patch valadtor kept freezing on me and it still never worked, I agree Amere about Space Empires 4 from the demo I played it seemed to be a better game then moo3

It's a very different game. I wouldn't really compare them. SE4 is a great game, however it's highly concentrated on micromanaging, which is good, but very far from the macromanaging from MOO3. If someone thinks the ai is poor in MOO3, it's because he didn't get behind the concept. This is macro, in the game, there are many ai's, each one with priorities. Your role is to guive guidelines. There is no guarantee, that they'll do what you asked them do, however usually they'll follow the Development plans.
If you don't do anything in MOO3, you'll loose every time. The game IS complicated. Does it look more complicated then really is? probably due to the lack of information in the manual. However it's difficult to balance all your policies and that's the beauty in the game.

I wish that the developers of MOO3 were still in the picture, as they are here for GalCiv. But don't be misled by this; the fans for MOO3 have produced many fantastic mods that drastically alter the game, including UI and AI. For what it's worth (and I make no claim at being a good player), I've never beaten the AI after the patch, and this isn't even on the difficult levels. And the difficulty of getting into the game now is nothing like what I had to go through buying the game on release day (thanks to the hard work of a lot of fans - check out the strategy boards). Better yet, make your way over to the AAR board for some interesting game reports:

http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=c255c8c49a018b1bdb55d039e229f1f3&forumid=279

Anyone reading this thread should also be aware that MOO3 was born of a completely different design philosophy than SE4. The former is all about macromanagement, and although it partly fails, I welcome the attempt. I like to play the game, as I like to play GalCiv. What I don't like to do is get mired in late game micro-details.

Just don't be fooled by black and white opinions.
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Well, if you can wait a bit longer, SEV is in the works. Better everything, it should be great.

I rather like MOO3, although it can be a bit trying at times. I didn't pay 9 bucks though, they paid ME a buck to buy it. LOL

I got it for 19, and got a 20 dollar check in a rebate. Not a bad deal.

MOO3 patched is not nearly as hideous as some make it out to be. Still, it can be sort of like reading quantum physics while having a headcold, and some people just don't like that for some reason.

fleabitfox

Is there a link about SE five? I just went on the malador site and I haven't seen anything about it yet.

I was told that i should come out in about 2 years.

Long time to wait. Won't GC2 be out before then?

Yes, hopefully!!! :notsure:

...I've beaten moo3 v2.5, hardest difficulty level, and I've never even GLANCED in the manual. That's how predictable this game is. Macromanagement u say. Yes. And where is the fun in setting up a few development plans, and then press the next turn button for the next 1000 gameturns? But the most annuying thing with this game, is that as a tactical simulator, it has the IQ level of a monkey...

I was a fan of Moo1 and Moo2. I played Moo2 more than any other game. When Moo3 came out I tried to play it but even at the normal levels I kept getting defeated and I never really knew what I was doing wrong. The manual was pitiful and the tech support was nonexistant.
Before buying most games I usually wait until I read some reviews from players and not magazines. This time I listened to the magazine previews and got suckered!
Moo3 is a terrible game and I chucked it in the garbage.
I still play M002 though, which is amazing still, even though the graphics are very dated.

Well...i am not that good and i wonder how you can win by just clicking next turn. I've just got beaten. Small cluster. I had contact with Evon, the Raas, the Imsais, the Silicoid and the Ithkul. I had managed to conquer the Silicoid to give me a better base to fight the Ithkull who were number one. I had good treaties with the others. So i was building a fleet to fight the Ithkull when the Evon and their ally, the Imsais, started a war with me...two fronts with at least 700 ships for each race....i just couldn't do anything anymore.
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I too question this winning by just pressing the turn button. That no longer exists with the patch. In my current game, on a large 3-arm, with 8 other species, and on easy, I'm playing the humans ... and I'm sandwiched between the Harvesters (with their 4000+ fleet) and the Tachidi, who I'm slowing defeating. What's slowed me down is that the Tachidi have a heavily defended home system which I haven't been able to crack yet (even after throwing waves and waves of armadas at it). I'll get through, just as long as the Harvesters don't let their eye focus on me for too long (they have other enemies to worry about).

All this is to say that it's by no means a self-running game. I'm not sure why I'm writing this on this forum; I'm not trying to troll or anything like that. I like GalCiv and I play it - I just don't like the heavy-handed criticism some people level at MOO3, especially if they don't have their information straight.
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