Stategy Guide Tid Bits

[Baro]

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]

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]

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

[SeanV]

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

[H Tower]

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]

Yes

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

[Randolph]

Keep it coming!

[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.

[Randolph]

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]

Hard

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]

yeah I know

[MartinTrouman]

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

are there anything interesting about space and ground combat?

[Xentax]

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]

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]

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?