Announcement

**vovan** · January 23, 2003, 14:24

Hello,

I just read through all three parts of the preview and must say it is pretty nice. Though I seem to have a problem with screenshots... When I click on them, I get a blank window, and the status bar of the main page says "Error on page." That is the case for each and every section... Any ideas why? I wanted to just browse the screenshot directory, so that I could see the large version of the screens any way, but sure enough, directory browsing is forbidden. I could just copy the screenshot url's from the html source, and in fact did that for a couple of the most interesting ones, but since that is a big pain in the behind, I was thinkning that maybe somebody would have any ideas.

**ashbery** · January 23, 2003, 14:39

Hey i like the intro talk ,very deep.

**Iron Giant** · January 23, 2003, 15:00

The game looks to be about as interesting as doing your taxes in a glorified spreadsheet.

Where is the combat? Where are the grand battles that allow me to force my will on other races?

I don't get any feel for the scope of this game.

Am I an accountant trying to balance my company books or the Leader of a Galactic Empire?

**Alexfrog** · January 23, 2003, 15:05

well yet again, compliments on the apolyton site forum and violent attacks on the other forum boards for this reveiw....

I think they are at this point attacking the preveiw mostly for the sake of attacking it!

Quotes from a thread on IGMOO (not posted by me):

"Ouch... I think I just injured my language skills."

Whether or not you an experienced MoO player or a relative novice, one of the first tasks you will want to assign yourself is to get comfortable with the interface. This is true of any computer game for that matter. It provides for all key tools of the trade that one should be familiar with so as best to utilize them in the future. As your game progresses, it increases a strategy gamer's interest but also the intensity.

" wtf is that meant to mean? "

"That thought is like a hangover... see, with a hangover, the horrible, head splitting pain is your brain's way of saying you almost killed it last night.

That thought you just expressed is your brain telling you that you almost killed the part of your brain responsible for language comprehension, by trying to read that."

"Does anyone else regret having read the preview...
this is just... damn it...
and there are 3 more... does that mean AT LEAST three more weeks waiting... and reading that...
the screenshots are even "bad"... nothing new at all..."

"My eyes!"

"Blech... yeah, but don't blame Apolyton's inability to write anything or give any useful info on the QS/IG guys.
By all rights, the guy who did the review really should be capable of expressing his thoughts more legibly than my little sister."

"My head hurts.
Anyway, I'm trying to reserve judgment on this preview, and justify the fact it has little new stuff, because it isn't for me; it's geared toward someone who's never played MoOs.
On the other hand, I'm not sure how many such newcomers will wade through these previews and come out the other side thinking much of MoO3. If it were me, I'd think, I can't even make it through the preview. This game must be boring and lame and no fun."

"EDITOR!!!!
We need an editor over here, STAT!
Ouch, ouch, ouch. This is worse than the last one... basic grammar mistakes hurt more than misuse of big words. GAH!!"

"From that review, the game sounds about as engaging as being a Tax accountant: lots of numbers, make things balance, win game, yawn."

Attacking the apolyton preveiws has now become a sport over on the IGMOO forum.....

**Alexfrog** · January 23, 2003, 15:08

May I make the suggestion that Dan write up the rest of the reveiws and post them in the next few days. I think that seeing an incomplete picture of the game is confusing people and/or turning people off because they cant figure out what the heck its all about. I think if they were to read the whole preveiw at once it would probably be fine, but reading half, being confused as to the big picture, and not being able to read more isnt that great.

**Main_Brain** · January 23, 2003, 15:10

hehe I call this phenomena 'Envy of the Damned'
:=)

**Jack Frost** · January 23, 2003, 15:13

my suggestion:

have dan give the game to someone who can write a review. . . please, before its too late.

**Jack Frost** · January 23, 2003, 15:16

i think the problem is dan got too much positive feedback and doesn't realize what he is producing is a flaming pile of ****.

If -everyone- bashes him on this forum then maybe we will see reform.

**niteshade6** · January 23, 2003, 15:21

Actualy I think the issue is more that people on this board are afraid of insulting Dan so they tend to be nicer. They aren't attacking it on the other forum just to attack it, they don't attack other previews there only this one. You can't tell me you think this preview was well written.

In Dan's defence though at least he did put alot of effort into the preview, and it's pretty obvious that English is not his native language so maybe we shouldn't be too harsh on him.

**Alexfrog** · January 23, 2003, 15:29

They have attacked all the preveiws over at IGMOO.

The gamespy preveiw was attacked a lot.

The wargamer preveiw was the most supported, and only had small attacks. So that was the most successful.

**niteshade6** · January 23, 2003, 15:33

I've never seen a preview attacked like this one though. Usualy there is some debate, and some people defending it. Here everyone just agrees that it's awful.

I also notice that you haven't made any attempt to defend the preview. You simply comment that everyone is attacking it.

**Alexfrog** · January 23, 2003, 15:45

www.ina-community.com

http://www.ina-community.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=254648

Its painful...

I feel I should point out things I liked in the preveiw.

1) I like that he gave us the audi for the intro scene

2) I liked that he gave some explanation of the numbers on the main screen like farming, mining and so on. Especially that if your food excess is not sufficcient, your pop. growth slows, and if you have insufficient minerals, you production decreases. (I would have liked more deatils about how he got those bonus RPs though...and exactly how this 'manufacturing ability and research abiity" transfers to production points and research points

3) I liked that he talked about the oclonization option ,where you have the AI autocolonize for you. Thats cool. Also how he talked about the different ways to have a colony try to build itself up (specialized, balanced, etc). And how he tried to point out advantages/disadvantages

4) I liked how he said it was a mistake to turn the oppressometer all the way down and not build a spy network....though more detail wouldve been good, its probably coming later.

5) I liked the info on the finances / taxes

6) I liked the galaxy map screenshots, and wouldve liked more detail on those. (probably coming later)

I did feel that many of the screenshots merely showed stuff he had just explained, and were unnecessary, and couldve been replaced by other stuff.

**DavesWorld** · January 23, 2003, 15:53

Describing screens step by laborious step isn't a review or preview. Screenshots do what you've taken 6x3 screenpages to accomplish.

Please

Please

P-L-E-A-S-E

In part four, stop describing what you see when you sit at your computer looking at the screen and start describing how the game plays. Here are some questions that might help you order your thoughts along this line:

* How did you start your empire?
* How did you set your various sliders and empire management decision points, and what happened?
* When you made modifications (initally and ongoing), what did you adjust and why? What happened when you did?
* Does the game play the same when you have one colony (start) vs after you've settled in (do you change any management decisions in either event, and again WHY)?
* How does auto colonization work? Did you like what it did or not? Did you like it better or worse than manual colonization?
* Ship design, did you auto or manual? How did it go? What changes did you make as you learned about ship design from combat encounters?
* How does research progress, and did you adapt any of your play strategies to how research does function? Did you focus or spread your research efforts (for either, why?)
* Combat. Who were your galactic neighbors? Did you get attacked or attack them? Why? How did it go? What changes and alterations to your play did you make following these initial encounters? What about new games, did they start better after your lessons in the earlier games?

Just, please, please, talk about the game. Keep attaching screenshots, reference them in your text, and DISCUSS the game. Folks will love you. Just that easy.

**darcy** · January 23, 2003, 15:58

In my experience writers who ask for "comments" don't want to hear the truth. You see, the truth hurts sometimes. Writing style is a very personal issue; unless you really, really want to improve your skills, you are not prepared to listen to honest feedback, as it might easily hurt your feelings and your self-esteem.

Writers who do want to improve usually say so very openly, deliberately asking not to be spared. If such a request is missing, the general consensus is not to get personal.

That said, I will keep my comment superficial and polite:

I'm looking forward to the next part.

Announcement

In-House Preview Online: Part 3

In-House Preview Online: Part 3

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