25-03-2003 23:18									#1
	Confused?? Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

Firstly, I'd like to say Hello to all, as I'm new to these forums. So, "Hello, all."

Now, my post concerns MOO3, obviously, and my thoughts regarding it. This is quite a long post, but I don't know anyone else who has the game, so have a lot to talk about!

1) I don't think that MOO3 is as 'ugly' looking as many reviews I've read of it have made out. Certainly it's not as pretty as CIV3, say, but few games are. Overall the look of the menus and the icons and so on is good, and I think it's reasonably pleasing, aesthetically. What I don't like is the GUI design, which is frankly embarrassing. I work as a Software Engineer, and I have designed UI's for all kinds of programs, and worked with many very skilled people on things like screen layouts and so on. I think that the MOO3 designers should have bitten the proverbial bullet, and got an ergonomics/UI expert in to help design the screens, since they are a real mess.

2) Why did the desingers see fit to remove one of the best parts of the MOO2 design, which was the right-click to bring up help or info on a subject?? It makes no sense, and a link to the Encyclopedia entry could have been done simply.

3) I do not feel that my empire is in any way threatened by the enemy. I have yet to have a single space or ground combat, despite being at war for 50 of the 70 turns I have been playing!

4) The game is complex, yes, but at the same time I can spend turn after turn doing absolutely nothing, and my empire seems to get by fine without me. So, why bother doing anything?? My input seems to make little difference, and the Viceroys make the best decisions, I have found, so best leave Plent Management to them??

5) The Diplomacy is done well, but the AI can be all sweetness-and-light one minute, then storm in and angrily bellow at me to sign a trade deal the next. Buh??

6) Ship design is awful - I'm sorry, but it is. From the inability to modify an addded item (I have to delete it first, then re-add it, with changes made) to the way it helpfully says "INVALID DESIGN" with no other feedback! And why have Life-Support etc. listed if they are a given? Why not include them in the hull in the first place?? It just clutters the view pane, and like o much of the overall design, the information it provides is entirely superfluous.

7) The difference betwen bio regions - e.g "Barren" and "Hard Scrabble" which I thought was a boardgame personally - seems oddly defined. I can have a region designated as Hard Scrabble, yet there is a picture of a mountain, and then a green leaf with "arable" on it. Errr? What am I meant to do here? It's arable, so is that farm land? But it's a mountain! So is that mining? And what effect does it's "Scrabble" rating have?? Even if the answers are located somewhere, the point is, that the UI should make SENSE to you at first glance.

8) A game of this complexity featuring a manual with NO INDEX - I shuddered. I cannot believe it.

Overall, I am still hopeful that 5 or 6 patches down the line, they will have this all cracked. But once again, I have to question the role of the designers...when you BETA tested this game, didn't you get all these problems raised first time round????

	26-03-2003 00:42									#2
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

There won’t be many who disagree with you, even those who think Moo3 is a good game with promise (like me). Your points are well considered, and many echo those posted by others (as everyone has their own twist, and personal likes/dislikes).

	28-03-2003 12:01									#3
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

In mountains whether green land or brown land, it is better for mines than food.

Plains are better for food.

Whether the land is brown or like subsistence, then it gets worse.

If you need food, you can use the mountain, but it will not yield as much as a green plain.

Actually sometimes it will be better to put a mine there, than food, and better to put the food on a plain of brown, unless the brown is really bad, and hostile or such.

Ship design depends on what type of ship you are building, System ships, will not take a warp drive, and if you are over capacity, shown by red number on bottom of make-up screen, then that design will also be invalid.

Otherwise, if you have a ship in the current design, you can click on that, and remove some weapons or add some weapons, and then when it is confirmed, you will have two ships of the same name. If you obselete the old one, then the new one will be built, but probably cost more, sometimes not, depending on how you do it.

Yes, you can hit the turn button, and perhaps, win the Senate Victory, or try for the 5 X's in the game.

But as always, the only victory condition that you can not turn off, is the one that will give you the title of "Master of Orion".

The others are like difficulty conditions, if you do win the Senate, you are a politician and a President still under the council of the Antarans who run the galaxy. If you turn it off, then another species may be voted in, and you will lose that way, if you do not stop them.

If finding all 5 X's you will win the 5 X game, but that is not the real win either.

If another specie (and this I do not know) gets all the 5 X's you lose the game

But the only way you get the real win of the game (and MOO II was also this way) is the victory condition that you can not turn off, on the options screen.

The rest is up to you!



And the game has always been that way!!
in previous version.

The nickname for MOO III is probably the same, just say Moo!

And if playing a Human, expect a harder time at it, for from reports, it usually easier to play a alien specie.

The game may have been written by the Antarans, and since they pass all the laws and bills in the Orion Senate, they:

"Support the forty hour work week!"

Same humor in the game as MOO II.

	05-04-2003 14:38									#4
	Re: Confused?? Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

quote: Originally posted by RevLegend Firstly, I'd like to say Hello to all, as I'm new to these forums. So, "Hello, all." Now, my post concerns MOO3, obviously, and my thoughts regarding it. This is quite a long post, but I don't know anyone else who has the game, so have a lot to talk about! 1) I don't think that MOO3 is as 'ugly' looking as many reviews I've read of it have made out. Certainly it's not as pretty as CIV3, say, but few games are. Overall the look of the menus and the icons and so on is good, and I think it's reasonably pleasing, aesthetically. What I don't like is the GUI design, which is frankly embarrassing. I work as a Software Engineer, and I have designed UI's for all kinds of programs, and worked with many very skilled people on things like screen layouts and so on. I think that the MOO3 designers should have bitten the proverbial bullet, and got an ergonomics/UI expert in to help design the screens, since they are a real mess. 2) Why did the desingers see fit to remove one of the best parts of the MOO2 design, which was the right-click to bring up help or info on a subject?? It makes no sense, and a link to the Encyclopedia entry could have been done simply. 3) I do not feel that my empire is in any way threatened by the enemy. I have yet to have a single space or ground combat, despite being at war for 50 of the 70 turns I have been playing! 4) The game is complex, yes, but at the same time I can spend turn after turn doing absolutely nothing, and my empire seems to get by fine without me. So, why bother doing anything?? My input seems to make little difference, and the Viceroys make the best decisions, I have found, so best leave Plent Management to them?? 5) The Diplomacy is done well, but the AI can be all sweetness-and-light one minute, then storm in and angrily bellow at me to sign a trade deal the next. Buh?? 6) Ship design is awful - I'm sorry, but it is. From the inability to modify an addded item (I have to delete it first, then re-add it, with changes made) to the way it helpfully says "INVALID DESIGN" with no other feedback! And why have Life-Support etc. listed if they are a given? Why not include them in the hull in the first place?? It just clutters the view pane, and like o much of the overall design, the information it provides is entirely superfluous. 7) The difference betwen bio regions - e.g "Barren" and "Hard Scrabble" which I thought was a boardgame personally - seems oddly defined. I can have a region designated as Hard Scrabble, yet there is a picture of a mountain, and then a green leaf with "arable" on it. Errr? What am I meant to do here? It's arable, so is that farm land? But it's a mountain! So is that mining? And what effect does it's "Scrabble" rating have?? Even if the answers are located somewhere, the point is, that the UI should make SENSE to you at first glance. 8) A game of this complexity featuring a manual with NO INDEX - I shuddered. I cannot believe it. Overall, I am still hopeful that 5 or 6 patches down the line, they will have this all cracked. But once again, I have to question the role of the designers...when you BETA tested this game, didn't you get all these problems raised first time round????

The people who make this game arenot the same one who make MOO 1 or MOO 2. Which can make all the different in the world good or bad..

	06-04-2003 07:22									#5
	Re: Re: Confused?? Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

quote: Originally posted by CharlesBHoff The people who make this game arenot the same one who make MOO 1 or MOO 2. Which can make all the different in the world good or bad..

Yup you are right. Hello to you too!!

	07-04-2003 13:51									#6
	Increase Your PM Length

I also have a big problem with the UI. Very often it happens that I open a planetary infrastructure
window to change something and then various questions come up like "what is the fertility/biodiversity/richness/etc." which I cannot see without exiting that window. This sucks big time!!!

Also, after I open a planetary building queues window, I cannot see these things either, nor can I see what planet I'm in at the moment (yes, sclerosis... ).