MOO1 - Hot keys and other questions.

[MattyBoy]

Anybody have any clues about the following?

1) Does anybody have access to a list of the main key-strokes that you need to navigate through MOO1 efficiently? I do everything with the mouse at the moment. Also, I tend to forget ships for a turn or more after they land, especially later in the game. Any efficient way of working with this?

2) The manual mentions that researching techs gradually is more efficient than trying to research in a big rush? Does anybody know what this actually means?
I suppose that this is all that they are referring to:

Each device has a base research cost that must be spent before the
device can be completed. The light bulbs by each technology bar show
how close you are to reaching that cost by filling up. Each year you
spend money on research after the light bulbs are filled, you get a
chance, shown as a %, of your scientists completing that device. The %
chance continues to go up as you continue to allocate research to
that area, but stops entirely if you stop spending on that field.

3) Newbie questions:
Please don't take too much time over these as time can reveal them to me anyway...

a) What happens when somebody wins the 2/3 vote?
- I refused to accept the position for fear that it would end the game.

b) What are the benefits of beating the defender of Orion? Do you mainly just do it for the sake of the challenge or are there situations where it is well worth doing?

[Yolky]

First for the key short cuts I believe they are in the manual since I use them all the time. or try pressing F1 and see what happens.

Yes it is easier to gradually put money in research over time but I usually if I am in a rush say 80% for computer then when the light bulb is almost full or say at 1 to 5% I cut the money into other research since you dont get that much bang for the buck when research is almost complete.

When someone wins 2\3 of the vote you either accept the out come and the game is over or you don't and all the races form an alliance and for to the final war with you.

Hope that answers your questions.

[tonic]

Re: MOO1 - Hot keys and other questions.

For the benefit of those who cannot access the manual here is the relevant section on the use of keys:

The numeric keypad can be used instead of a mouse, to move the
pointer. Be sure that the Numlock is turned on. Pressing Enter selects
an option, and pressing the Esc key cancels a selection. To scroll the
game map, hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the numeric keys.

Most buttons on screen can be activated by pressing the keyboard key
corresponding to the first letter of the button's name. There are a
few exceptions to this rule:

Main Screen: RELOCTATE = 'L' TRANSPORT = 'X'
Fleet Screen: SPECS = 'V'
Combat: SPECIAL = 'X'
Many screens: (down arrow) = '<' (up arrow) = '>'
F1 = online help.
F2 = next planet.
F3 = previous planet.

I can't think of any way of being reminded of a ship landing on a planet of your own - perhaps this may be a suggestion for the open project MoO.

On 3b) the benefits of beating the Guardian of Orion, see the discussion in my thread on defeating the Guardian.

For me so far (playing on average on a large universe) it's just to experiment with the goodies in the final levels after I've subdued the other races.

[MattyBoy]

Thankyou both for your help, especially the hot keys.

Looks like I'd better not let somebody else get 2/3 of the vote then.

[Yolky]

Dosn't matter who gets the 2\3 of the vote.

If it's you you still have to accept(game over then) or decline and your oponent will win (and game continues with the final war)

Davor

[vmxa1]

Just abstain the vote if you do not want to go to final war or end the game. If you do not have enough votes to revent it, you need to make some friend(S) or at least end a war, try gifts. I will give old tech to pacifiy someone. Don't give them to civs that have an alliance with the other canidate.
Keys:
PF5 -PF6 scroll planets that made ships
PF7-8 scroll planets that have enemies fleets approaching (needs improved scanners)
B - base scapping
C - spies
PF7/8 are very useful to detect attacks in time to get defenses ready.

[MattyBoy]

vmxa1
Thankyou for more hot keys.

To be honest, this will make all the difference as to how much I play.

The hot keys didn't help me much last night, though: hard, small, 3 opponents. Great start, founding 6 planets quickly. But I still lost the vote quite early and was steadily over-run. I knew that something was wrong when all of my efforts culminated in a huge, self-repairing fighter, which was destroyed in its first battle.

Yolky,
You are right. Rejecting the verdict does make them angry, but if you have the majority they probably aren't very scary anyway. From now on, I'll abstain under those circumstances.

[vmxa1]

Yes if they get an early vote on you it will be very hard to win as they share all tech and will not make peace. You must get someone to flip to prevent it until you are strong enough to win. Never put repair in anything but a missile ship and then only because it is all you have room for.
Med hull missle ship - one 5 shot merc missile or stinger (never put any missiles better than stinger as you want them to retreat and the others will reach them, so no retreat). Best armor that can be fitted, best engine, all the move allowed, now if any room add ecm, if room add shields, any room add repair.
Note that prior to getting merc or stingers, I only make a missle ship on a planet that is going to be attacked. Put whatever you got for missles. Once I have a missile ship, I put one on all planets that may come under attack and can not be reenforced. With 10-20 missile bases (10 early, 20 later) and at least one missle ship type for the first 3 types of attack ships, you should be able to fold them off. If they come with o\more than three types, add a second type of missle ship, not a second of the original type. This is so you can force two stacks to retreat. One other stack get hit by the base. Next round drive those remain stacks back. AI will foolishly retreat and attack never getting to you most of the time. By the time they have faster ships (3 movement), you should be able to sent a fleet to defend. If you got 6 planets and at least two of them are terrain/ocean/jungle you should be able to win at the hard level. Good luck. BTW once war is declared by a civ, put 4.4% into spying on them and steal everything they have that you do not, stop once peace is given, unless you do not care if they go back to war. After two civs have been picked for their tech, you should be ahead in tech and well on your way. The two key techs needed early for that game is 1) pop boost 10 or 20 and 2) robotic control III or IV. If you do not get those, it will be much harder, steal them if you can. Early pop and production boost are important. I can wait for more of both if I get those two.

[vmxa1]

I forgot to point out the big problem you can have with only 3 players is that it allows one to grow too large and win the vote. I prefer 5 players, but at least four to spread the planets some what evenly. If the umans are in the mix and are the biggest, they can win a vote as all races are inclined to at least see them as good. You race will have some races disposed to not like them or even hate you.

[MattyBoy]

vx, Thanks for the tips on forcing retreat of multiple stacks, etc. Will keep these in mind. Game is not as simple as I thought.

[vmxa1]

Happy to talk about MOO, have fun.