Prima Guide and Questions

[Hydro]

Just got the Prima Moo3 strategy manual and have skimmed it a few times. It was what I expected: a general overview with a few hopefully helpful reference tables, and some very general run-throughs that show how the game works. There was no in-depth discussion of strategy, nor were the race-specific strategies any more than the obvious (e.g. – espionage races should build spies).

It did generate a bunch of questions, though. Forgive me if these are answered in other areas/forums (I’m relatively new). I’ve tried to pry them out of the official site w/o much luck.

Technology – it looks linear, with a set of technology schools to research. Is there no either-or like Moo2, or random like Moo1?

Base/orbital upgrades – will these be upgraded to latest tech, like in Moo2? If I have to scrap and re-build my orbitals, groundbases, and troops all the time I will be seriously annoyed since I can’t count on the AI to do this competently (like Space Empires IV, where the AI leaves old, useless ground bases and orbitals intact because they are ‘full’). I understand ships can’t be upgraded, but I can live with that. They’re likely to die quickly anyway.

Ship construction – there was no discussion of ship construction except to say there are long range and close fighting ships, each of which can be assigned missions (good!). Is ship design by the AI only? Dan Q hasn’t gotten to this part yet, and I will be interested in what he says.

Food transport – in Moo2 you build freighters, which automatically supplied food to low or non-producing worlds. Based on the discussions and examples in the guide, it looks like it doesn’t work this way anymore. But, it is not clear. It seems like you give imperial ‘grants’ to allow the planetary manager AI to buy food if you don’t have enough, or rely on trade (how?). This is a level of micro management I will not particularly like. It also means you won’t colonize planets that aren’t ‘green’, as opposed to marginally habitable ‘yellow’ or hostile ‘red’ worlds. The result will be a serious competition for ‘green’ worlds.

World classification and races – the guide implies but doesn’t say if races will have different ‘green’ worlds. In other words, a worthless planet for one race may be paradise for another. I like this idea, if it is correct. Further, the guide suggests that sun type is important in ‘sweet spot’ worlds, but it doesn’t explain what this means. However, if all ‘terran’ worlds are green for everyone then this is not really meaningful since it will be must like Moo2.

[Alexfrog]

Technology: you gain levels of technology in the different fields, and once you have the appropriate level of tech in a field, you get the advances that come with it. However, these can vary by plus or minus 2 levels. So in one game, Automated mines might be level 12, another 10, another 14. Also some tech requires certain levels in 2 fields, like maybe level 20 economics, level 14 biology.

Everyone has access to all tech.

Ships: There are 14 ship sizes, each is (square root of 2) times larger than the last. (So biggest is 128 root2 times larger than smallest). You design ships (or let computer do it, but its better to do it by yourself). Constucted ships go to reserves where they have low upkeep. To use them, you mobilize them into a task force, and assign the task force a "job". Like a long range task force or short range defense or carrier task force.


I think food transport is abstracted. Either that or you can build something like freighters. Each race has different amounds of temperature and pressure it desires. Examples: Etherians like high pressure, medium temp, silicoids like moderate pressure high temp, insects like below average pressure below average temp. I have a chart if you want more details.
Yes its cool. Certain star colors are more likely to have worlds of a certain type of pressure/temperature. So for each race, some star colors are more likely to have a good planet, others are less likely.

Also, the strat guide is a POS. Please ignore what is says about races and that rediculous "race ranking" it gives. It is horribly and grossly wrong. Basically, he ignored all special abilities, government type, and all other racial bonuses like good/bad starting diplomatic relations, preferred planet type (its an advantage to like high pressure worlds because these are more likely to be big and rich) and just counted up the number of points worth of abilities of the normal types. This basically ranked those races with lots of points in special abilities, like klackons, at the bottom, and those without many like cynoids at the top. Truly pathetic. Also, that was before much race balancing had been done. By now, many of the stats are changed.

[Stormhound]

And when was the last time somebody saw a strat guide that was worth the paper on which it was printed?

(No credit if your answer is MOO1 or MOM)

[Arnelos]

Originally posted by Stormhound
And when was the last time somebody saw a strat guide that was worth the paper on which it was printed?

(No credit if your answer is MOO1 or MOM)

Yeah, my answer was going to be Alan's guide to MoO1. Since I played that game again last night, I have Alan's old guide sitting right next to me right now

One of the best strategy guides ever made for a game, bar none (if not the best, but that's very hard to judge ).

Good to see that you're still lurking about, Storm

[Cedayon]

Originally posted by Stormhound
And when was the last time somebody saw a strat guide that was worth the paper on which it was printed?

(No credit if your answer is MOO1 or MOM)

The Arc the Lad 1&2 guide for the first two games in the Arc the Lad Collection by Working Designs. It wasn't really a strategy guide, however, as it wasn't for a strategy game

[Kc7mxo]

And when was the last time somebody saw a strat guide that was worth the paper on which it was printed?

The simcity 4 strategy guide seems pretty good. Its basically what the manual SHOULD have been. Anyone else remember the simcity 2000 and civ2 manuals? Now THOSE were manuals. Today they just give out pr pamphlets.

[Apocalypse]

Originally posted by Stormhound
And when was the last time somebody saw a strat guide that was worth the paper on which it was printed?

(No credit if your answer is MOO1 or MOM)

The X-Wing Collector's CD Guide was very good. Incredibly thick too. The SMAC guide was neat in that it has TAS's name in it. SMAC's guide was also the last one I bought though.

[deamon451]

Ah yes, the Xwing guide. It was good, as well as the one for Tie Fighter. It really helped knowing all the flight group orders so you knew what to go after first.

[Kc7mxo]

Of course, its far easier to make a strategy guide for a mission based game than for an open ended strategy game.

[Arnelos]

The problem with buying strategy guides these days is that GAMEFAQS will always have something better for free and more game-specfic sites have strategy forums for even better information (like here at Apolyton). The internet made good strategy guides obsolete...

[ZargonX]

Originally posted by Kc7mxo


The simcity 4 strategy guide seems pretty good. Its basically what the manual SHOULD have been. Anyone else remember the simcity 2000 and civ2 manuals? Now THOSE were manuals. Today they just give out pr pamphlets.

Ain't that the truth! I've been ranting about that ever since I got simcity4... give me the good ol' manuals of days gone by; something with some depth to it!

[DavesWorld]

The problem with buying strategy guides these days is that GAMEFAQS will always have something better for free and more game-specfic sites have strategy forums for even better information (like here at Apolyton). The internet made good strategy guides obsolete...

Bingo. Maybe this will force Prima and the other slackards to actually produce *strategy* guides? SGs are always a POC lacking in any real info.

[Hydro]

You are quite right about internet strat guides. For me the penultimate strategy guide is Vel’s SMAX Guide. It is a work of art – well written with thoughtful strategies that will improve your game play by orders of magnitude. The problem is that the internet guides come out a year or so AFTER the game comes out and I want something to chew on NOW!

I’ve always used the strat guides as references and to get a leg up on what is available (especially when tech is ‘blind’ so you won’t know what you can do before you get there). For instance, the SMAC strat guide is worthless as a strat guide, but it does have hardcopies of tech, secret projects (etc) which are somewhat useful, especially when I don't want to fire up my computer to poke around in the FAQs.

[booklord]

And when was the last time somebody saw a strat guide that was worth the paper on which it was printed?

(No credit if your answer is MOO1 or MOM)

Dungeon Keeper Strategy Guide is easily one of the best.

Normally, I page through strat guides in the store to see if they're any good. I got the Moo3 strat guide because the game wasn't out and I wanted to learn more about it. If I had gotten the game already I'm pretty sure I'd never have gotten the strat guide.

[TCO]

Any chance of an Emrich guide? Is he prohibited? Would it be easy for him to whip one up?