One last MOO II game

shmily_dana · February 24, 2003, 15:52

I wanted to play one last MOO II game this weekend, but family stuff got in the way. (I have twin toddlers and not much time...)

Anyone play one last game of MOO II?

Since CivIII came out, I never went back to Civ II. The same with Age of Kings when Age of Mythology came out. Do you think you'll go back to MOO II?

Main_Brain · February 24, 2003, 15:59

Well I have one MoO2 MP still unfinished ;=)

Kc7mxo · February 24, 2003, 16:14

What do you mean last?

Anguille2 · February 24, 2003, 16:42

If MOO3 was "the" game, i guess that i would do that. I hope that MOO3 is good but i don't think it's the game i have been waiting for. I even suspect that MOO2 has some parts better than MOO3 (Leaders, Planetary viceroys (ever seen a fertile planet with people starving?) or even battles)....
So i think that i will be playing MOO2 some more years until another team tries to make something better (MOO4).
What's more: i still play the original Age of Empires (haven't finished the scenarios of the extension, yet) and Age of Kings. I have to say that i don't like those 3D games so much: doesn't look that good yet, maybe in some years.

Harry Seldon · February 24, 2003, 16:59

I'm sure I will. Just because a game gets older doesn't mean it's obsolete. I still pull my Atari 5200 out every once in a while to throw down on some Dreadnaught Factor. One day I'll beat that one hundred ship armada

Pallidyne · February 24, 2003, 17:08

I still play MOO1 AND MOO2... MOO3 will definately take a place in the rotation. If its stupendous, then it will have bigger spaces in the rotation.

(Course I still also play Civ and CivNET and DO NOT play Civ3 at all)

-P

Araanor · February 24, 2003, 17:27

I played a fair bit yesterday. Despite my fond memories, MOO2 bores me by now. Too much micromanagement, gameplay that stays the same and annoying AI. Suddenly I'm at war with the Sillicoids, no warning, their ships enclosing on several of my systems. I couldn't bring myself to fighting them. Quit game.

Eric S · February 24, 2003, 19:10

For the first time in my two months of play (bought MoO2 to warm up for MoO3), I got my butt kicked after I thought I had hit critical mass Saturday :-) I got framed, war was declared, and I wasn't ready. I quickly got ready and held my own, despite having a glaring gap in my tech tree. I forgot to push on to Titan construction, so when the largest warmonger on the map starts throwing DoomStars at me and all I've got are BattleShips, it was interesting. Of course, my ship design was better, so I only needed about a 75% advantage numerically (ie 14 BS to 8 DS) to win. I was building up strength when he threw 40 DS at my homeworld, defended by almost my entire fleet. I knew it was going to be tough, this one battle would decide the outcome of the war, and I thought I was going to be able to pull it off. Until the first shots of the war, that is. The bugger had managed to research stellar converters, and this entire DS fleet had them. Talk about game over. Half my fleet didn't even get the chance to shoot.

I won't let that be my last MoO2 game.

drsparnum · February 24, 2003, 20:59

I played MOO2 yesterday, thinking I would get a confidence booster. You see, among my friends I was the guy who never lost. The first one to win on impossible in a small galaxy and some other feats. Anyway, I lost. I lost twice! My usual formula is that the game is 90% technology and 10% everything else. After reading lore weaver's strategy guide about how the insecta are a good first choice in MOO3 because they breed, farm and build ships out the yin yang (even if those ships are technically inferior) I played as the Klackons. So I played as the Klackons and tried to expand much more then usual and tech'd less, since the klackons don't get tech choices (although I got the research lab as an option - I feel cheated if I don't at least get the research lab or automated factory). I started right by the Silicoids and after a short while they surprise attacked me and destroyed my home world. Undettered, I played a second game as the Silicoids (can't beat 'em join 'em). I again emphasized expansion over tech. The Bulrathi attacked me (everyone hates the silicoids) and I beat them. Before the Bulrathi fight ended the Alkari had attacked me. I wiped them out too and got a moment respite. I think the wars put my poor misunderstood crystals too far behind technologically though, since the Trilarian's (thats right-THE TRILARIANS) came over after a while with a fleet that I could not catch destroying all my planets. Even if I could catch them I'm not sure I would even dent any of there ships. Thus the Silicoid empire lay in ruin. Trully I am not the Master of Orion. So much for a confidence booster.

Kaptain Ken · February 27, 2003, 15:01

Moo2 will survive just like Civ2 has survived the third.

vmxa1 · February 27, 2003, 17:28

Eric good story, the moral of it is to keep an eye out for the fleets. Do not let them get so large they can not be stopped. If they get first shots, it is bad news.
I still play Moo1 and Moo2. I am going to install Moo3 as soon as I finish this post, so I shall see if it will be in the rotation or not.
Civ3, did make it hard to play civ2 any more, but I would expect to fire up a game once in a great while. Civ3 is so much like Civ2, there is not much need to fall back.
Moo2 is not so similar to Moo1, that it feels the same. I may play Moo2 and then play Moo1 the next day, or visa versa. Have fun.

Eric S · February 27, 2003, 20:26

All too true. The Lizards had over a third the galaxy, I should have been more prepared.

On the other hand, in my followup game, I had something very funny happen

Huge/pre-warp, and I had a good/bad starting position. Decided to wean myself off of telepathy since it isn't in MoO 3, so I picked aquatic instead. Got a starting world almost dead center of the map, with another large ocean world in the same system. That was the good news. The bad news was that while I could get scout ships to other stars, the only star close enough to get to without improved fuel cells was Orion. Still, I managed to contact the other 7 empires fairly quickly, establishing non-aggression pacts with everyone and trade/research agreements with many. Funny thing happened when the first Senate election took place. Everyone was just about even on population counts (I almost never see that). Because I was an aquatic with two ocean planets in my home system, I was in the #2 position, despite the fact that I had problems expanding, and my opponent wasn't a peace-nik like myself, so other than my opponent, everyone votes for me. If they had had two more votes, they would have voted me in against my will!

I can certainly see why this game has remained popular for so long

I can't say that no two games are alike, but at least every third game puts me in a position that has never happened before.

vmxa1 · February 27, 2003, 22:59

True

The Mad Monk · March 1, 2003, 09:32

My last MoO2 game will probably occur shortly before my demise.

vmxa1 · March 1, 2003, 14:35

Now that is how I see it. The frequency may go down a tad, but not to zero.

Kaptain Ken · March 3, 2003, 17:35

Moo2 and CivII will always be on my HD. I know that whatever else I might play or do, I will always come back to those two. (Also SMAC).

vmxa1 · March 3, 2003, 19:22

Look at Moo1, it did not die off after all this time and a very good Moo2 game. So I am sure even if Moo3 was great, it will not kill either Moo1 or Moo2.

Kaptain Ken · March 4, 2003, 14:51

Vmxa1,

Are you playing Moo3 and if so what do you think of it? I am a long time CivII fan and am glad I didn't waste my money on CivIII as I love scenarios and tinkering with them. I won't buy Moo3 for sometime and only if bugs are patched and more people like it will I consider it. Over the years I have bought too many games too soon and now they gather dust.

I am the only Ken in my family, thanks for the info.

vmxa1 · March 4, 2003, 18:19

Yes I am now fooling around with it. I had a good time last night and played until 2AM. I am still groping for the
correct strats, but I had fun with some combat and planet storming.
I played CivII for ever and still do, but I have not since I got CivIII. I think it is a better game than II as II was just too easy at any level. I hated spies and the Sentate. It was too easy to hold a city and combat was a fore gone conclusion. Still I had rated it as the number 2 game of all time. I just prefer III now. It is a game that can give you a run for your money at high levels, especially after PTW at 1.14. I have the new patch, but have not gotten back to try it.
I do miss terraforming mountains and such. I really do not miss those lame trading caravans.
I have games like Warcraft III, that I have not gotten a chance to play after all this time. I got it right away and Warcraft was a huge fav of mine. So yeah it is easy to get a game it sucks or you just can not get into (AoW2 for me as a huge AoW fan).

Kaptain Ken · March 5, 2003, 16:33

I will be interested to see what you think the replay value of Moo3 will be after you have had it for awhile.
Some of the scenarios for Civ II could be pretty difficult, I was a playtester for Nemo's Red Front, which if you played by the rules was very difficult. You really had to customize the rules text to get good games, and even then the AI was weak. I still like to mod my games so Civ II for me is still better. Hopefully Civ III will be enhanced for scenario making and Moo3 will turn out to be as good or better than 2. In SMAC(X) I adjust the rules to try to make the game more interesting, part of the fun is tinkering with the game and keeping it fresh.

vmxa1 · March 5, 2003, 19:28

I will let you know one way or the other. If it is low it will be sooner, rather than later. Some of the things that are annoying me, may be less relevant, once I learn to play better, such a spying, unrest. These are things that I have alway disliked in games that had a lot of them in them, unrest can you say SMAC. But then again I did play it all the time for 2 years.

Kaptain Ken · March 6, 2003, 16:49

Thanks, I look forward to your views on Moo3. In the mean time I hope very few people will have played their last game of Moo2 (the subject of this thread) because it is a great game.

vmxa1 · March 6, 2003, 18:10

Maybe a new thread wouold be less intimadating. I suspect that a new comer will look at teh size of teh thread and say forget it.
Start one on you favs.

Zealot · March 7, 2003, 10:43

Anyone who would like to play a game of MoO 2 send me a pm.
I got moo3 on a thursday. On saturday I was playing moo2 mp again. Guess all master pieces are bound to have a "2" in them, and all master fiascos are bound to have a "3".

Kc7mxo · March 7, 2003, 16:31

How do you get your moo2 to play multi? I bought it again when amazon was selling them last year, and me and my roomate could never get the thing to work.

clumsydwarf · March 9, 2003, 03:48

After Racking my brain learning MOO3...i took a break and played MOO2...MOO2 has given me 6+ years of pure joy...I will always play a game of it here and there..."but other chalanges await the Master of Orion"

Kaptain Ken · March 9, 2003, 11:08

Thanks guys for returning to this thread, glad to hear more people still playing Moo2, was afraid only a couple of us were left. Moo2 is too good not to return to it at least once in a while. Happy mooing.

moomin · March 10, 2003, 14:13

I'm back to 2 again, too. Won't touch 3 again till there's a patch, and I don't really think it'll make much of a difference anyway.

Kaptain Ken · March 10, 2003, 14:48

Welcome back moommin, sorry Moo3 is disappointing you, we all had high hopes and waited so long. At least we still have Moo2 and Civ2.

vmxa1 · March 10, 2003, 17:31

Since we are bit loose on the Moo1.Moo2 board..
This is for the Kaptain

My perspective on Moo3 after more than a week of playing more or less all day. I found many issues to be annoying, but in the main I did enjoy the experience.
I would put it in the same boat as Space Empire IV and Stars. By that I mean that it is very slow to start and is often dull, but I find myself enjoy the game. I had all three games the first week they came out. I am now running through Moo3 to see more of the features and races, but I would guess that I will be visiting it in the future rather infrequently as I do those games.
I find it hard to start a new game for them, but once I get going I start having things I want to get accomplished, which is a sort of one more turn facet.
All three games are some what complex to learn. All three have or will have mods to make it better. I am glad to have them around to play from time to time. I will be playing Moo1 and Moo2 more than these three games combined.