Stategy Guide Tid Bits

Baro · December 2, 2002, 21:49

Warning, this contains information about a computer game some people feel they can not enjoy if they hear details even not pretaining to story. If you are such a person do not read here.

Hello everyone, I just went out and bought the guide. I've only gotten 3 pages in, and realised how much I would want to know everything if I didn't have this guide. So I thought I'd share some.

The first thing I've noticed is a list of the NPC races

Darlocks
Brye Ehts
Ajadar
Audriel
Phaigour
Alkari
Rhea
Bulrathi
Mrrshan
Elerians
Gnolam

We knew the cut races would make apprerances, but there are also many new ones. The Brye Ehts are non coporial, the Aud are plants, the Ajadar are proto-plasmic.,. what ever that means. Seems very interesting, and making me yearn to play even more.

I'd recomend this guide, from what I've seen flipping through it is quite well put together.

Feel free to ask questions about the guide and I'll try to answer them.

Baro · December 2, 2002, 22:06

As I'm reading on, I'm surprised to learn the Cynoids and Harvesters are the #1 and #2 races ranked by them (although I never put too much stock in such things). Humans are sadly near the bottom, with the Silicoids and Klackons in respective last places. Quite a power shift!

Most all the "reviews" of the races do not put them down, simply point out their good attributes and how to play them well. All except the poor Klackons, where the part on them begins "To play the Klackons, you have to be a glutton for punishment". Makes a me a little sad to see such imbalance in races.

Lee Johnson · December 2, 2002, 23:05

Balance is overrated as a principle of game design, IMO.

SeanV · December 2, 2002, 23:07

Are the Evons really the new Darlocks or was my guess completely off?

H Tower · December 2, 2002, 23:07

the klackons will be for people who want a real challenge, it is possible that there is no difficulty level to select, and they had to make some way for players to have a more difficult time playing the game

Baro · December 2, 2002, 23:49

Evon are the "new Darloks" in that they are the spy masters, but you hardly needed the strat guide to know that.

Randolph · December 3, 2002, 00:04

Keep it coming!

Baro · December 3, 2002, 00:07

One thing I notice, is that even in this guide there is little revieled on the Harvesters so far. In the very few screen shots of them, they use the art released on the moo3 site.. not sure how to describe it.. looks like a thumb with dark spots for eyes and mouth. Anyone who's seen it knows what I mean.

This makes we wonder... is that actualy what they look like, or more likely have they included the fake art in the guide to keep them even more a surprise.

Randolph · December 3, 2002, 00:15

No difficulty levels?

I'd like races to be variations that one could play at each difficulty levels (Like SMAC, or Civ3, but hopefully with more "color"). It certainly kills some of the variety if one has to use "better and worse" races to vary difficulty. I was impressed when I heard that the AI was not going to "cheat", but I'd rather have the AI cheat than the whole game be the equivalent of Civ3 on Regent. At least (AFAIK) the game can be MODed, looks like some may be necessary.

Can we get some more info on difficulty levels Baro?
Also in light of this: The guide wouldn't happen to say if MP can be used with only I dial up connection? (Used effectively that is)

Baro · December 3, 2002, 00:32

I've not read the book cover to cover, but it has not said anything on dificulty. Although remember, this is a strat guide, not manual, so a lot of the info in the guide depends on the person having read the manual and played the game a few times. So things like how the interface works or multiplayer isn't mentioned, in fact the word multiplayer hasn't come up yet.

Randolph · December 3, 2002, 00:37

yeah I know

MartinTrouman · December 3, 2002, 08:41

thanks for this info from the guide... it has'nt come to Denmark yet

are there anything interesting about space and ground combat?

Xentax · December 3, 2002, 10:19

FWIW, every beta tester I've talked to disagrees strongly with the relative power rankings of the races in the Strategy Guide.

Remember that the guide is based on information from one of the beta versions -- things have changed since then, and race balance is as likely a candidate as any.

But, as I've said before, that's to be expected. Such information in a pre-release strategy guide is lucky to be accurate at the release, and is doomed to be inaccurate by the time of the first patch at latest.

So, if you love Klackons, I wouldn't give up on them just on account of the strategy guide's ranking of them.

As far as I know, the races are *intended* to be relatively balanced, and difficulty settings are distinct of what race you choose.

I mean, choosing your nation influences difficulty in EU2 -- but that's historical, so it's a very appropriate and necessary implication. There's no reason to tie the two together in MOO3.

*Particularly* since race and playstyle are so tightly coupled. If you like playing a diplomatic game, but the humans too weak to compete in a game on a higher difficulty setting, well, that would just stink.

Guffawing Crow · December 3, 2002, 10:24

Re: the new darloks

Each race is rated on how "cunning" they are (which determines how good their spies are).

Evons have the highest possible ranking, as do the Humans...can't remember if there's anything else.

Re: Ground Combat

What I found interesting is the various types of units you can incorporate into your armed forces and the amount of tech devoted to this area.

Foxhound · December 3, 2002, 11:17

Thanks for the information!

I'm especially thrilled to learn of all the NPC races. Does it say anything about in what form we'll encounter them? Will they only be available as leaders or as spies, or will they actually inhabit some planets in the game?

ashbery · December 3, 2002, 12:49

How about cut and pasting the whole guide.

Guffawing Crow · December 3, 2002, 12:56

Guide doesn't say anything about the NPC races, other than identify them. Who knows...maybe the Harvesters are a congregation of these guys. That would explain their extreme attitude (being bumped from Moo2).

Heh.

ashbery · December 3, 2002, 13:06

Does the guide mention about policies toward races, can you commit genocide or inslave race's etc.

Guffawing Crow · December 3, 2002, 16:00

There are forced labour camps. This will, of course, lead to civil unrest. No mention of genocide, but I would assume that would be an option (that will have drastic diplomatic penalties).

player1 · December 3, 2002, 18:07

In final game Klakons would not be underpowered and Cyonids would not be owerpowered.

Remeber that QS is trying to make all races balanced, and that they tweak racial abilities very often.

In conclusion: SG info is OBSOLETE, since racial abilities are probably already tweaked and changed.

Bird-O-Prey · December 3, 2002, 23:11

Xentax- I didn't know you had an inside lane to the beta-testers, since they were under NDA's. Interesting.... They obviously know about the strat guide then, and I assume some have read it to come to their conclusions about the race's relative power being wrong in the strat guide. I'm glad to hear that things are better balanced ! Question- Did they say anything about the tech levels being added to or changed, versus what the strat guide shows???

dulahan · December 4, 2002, 02:00

Wouldn't surprise me if Xen, like Sencho, is one of the 'Secret' testers to be honest.

dulahan · December 4, 2002, 14:40

And what do ya know, I was right. Citizen Kane too. PRetty much everyone I've suspected is on it. Just no littlefuzzy yet. But him being so might make sense considering how he suddenly got VERY quiet about the time testing started.

Dhakhan · December 6, 2002, 10:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Baro
I've not read the book cover to cover, but it has not said anything on dificulty. Although remember, this is a strat guide, not manual, so a lot of the info in the guide depends on the person having read the manual and played the game a few times. So things like how the interface works or multiplayer isn't mentioned, in fact the word multiplayer hasn't come up yet.

This strat guide is actually garbage. Having known that to begin with, I'd still have bought it, but it doesn't change the fact that it is crap. How can a strategy guide not mention multiplayer.

Also, it skimps on ALOT of stuff... including any descent stategizing. What I thought was really funny was the little race by race strategy tutorials. Ohh! 3-4 pages covering the first 12 turns for each race! They should have just done 1 or 2 for 100 turns... Oh well.

Don K Hotay · December 6, 2002, 13:14

Here's something I found disappointing: Only four leaders allowed. I think the MOO3 team might have mentioned this long ago, but I just did not understand them correctly (or they did not explain carefully). The leaders seem to have an effect on your entire empire though, hence the name "High Consul". It's better then having an effect on a maximum of four systems (as in MOO3), but still just four leaders? No ship/Fleet Leaders?

Just to mention where I got the guidebook:

Braintree, MA
Electronic Boutique @
the South Shore Plaza
19.99

Its a great read, and seemingly will prepare us for playing this grand game that is MOO3!

Quixote

Sherlock01 · December 6, 2002, 16:46

I ordered the strategy guide online from EB, and thought it was mostly okay, except it doesn't talk very much at all about late-game strategies, where you have huge, powerful empires inflicting unreasonable pain and suffering on each other.

It would have been nice to be more in-depth on the goods/bads of the various kill-o-zap devices, too. Ah well, we can't have everything.

Dhakhan · December 6, 2002, 16:56

Quote:

Originally posted by Sherlock01
I ordered the strategy guide online from EB, and thought it was mostly okay, except it doesn't talk very much at all about late-game strategies, where you have huge, powerful empires inflicting unreasonable pain and suffering on each other.

It would have been nice to be more in-depth on the goods/bads of the various kill-o-zap devices, too. Ah well, we can't have everything.

Or about multi-player gaming, or about leader traits, or about fighter/carrier strategy, or really about ship design, or about TONS of stuff.

But I would still buy it again.

player1 · December 6, 2002, 17:19

That why all pre-release strategy guides ARE garbage.

Since people buy them anayway as some sort of "pre-release information" about game.

Randolph · December 6, 2002, 17:27

I wish they would send you the manual now and the CD once it is ready... even if you had to pay a few bucks shipping.

PriestOfDiscord · December 7, 2002, 21:18

Quote:

Originally posted by Baro
One thing I notice, is that even in this guide there is little revieled on the Harvesters so far. In the very few screen shots of them, they use the art released on the moo3 site.. not sure how to describe it.. looks like a thumb with dark spots for eyes and mouth. Anyone who's seen it knows what I mean.

This makes we wonder... is that actualy what they look like, or more likely have they included the fake art in the guide to keep them even more a surprise.

They have been really trying to keep a clamp down tight on all Harvester information. It seems that is still working after all this time. That won't be their picture, I believe it was Rantz's thumb with ink on it.