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Master of Orion II is an excellent game from 1996. I think it was the first game I bought on CD-ROM, and it even looked so promising I bought it without testing it first. Being a fan of turn based strategy, civilization, science fiction and hot seat games I could play with my friends, this game just rocked.
The Research Menu at the start of a game. The highlighted tech area (Power) is being researched.The Physics techs appear in the bottom left box in the Research Menu and are responsible for acquiring most of the beam weapons in the game.Getting the best weapon isn't always the best solution.Strategy 1The Physics and tech tree between them force non-Creatives to make some really difficult choices. The problem is that, if you take the best choice at each individual level of Physics, you get no better beam weapon than the pathetic Laser Cannon until you reach Phasor in the upper half of this tech tree.
You could decide to make missiles your main space combat weapons, a perfectly reasonable approach that many players adopt; but this leaves you without a useful PD weapon to deal with enemy missiles and fighters ( can't target fighters). There are two solutions, both with down-sides:. Take Fusion Beam rather than Fusion Rifle, which means your Marines have to make do with the unimpressive Laser Rifle for a long time. In the first tech level, take Mass Driver as your first decent 'beam' weapons. You forgo ECM Jammer, and and have to hope either that no opponent ever uses or that you get one of the much later jamming techs before enemy torpedoes cause you heavy losses.Strategy 2The Physics and tech tree between them force non-Creatives to make some really difficult choices.
The problem is that Force Fields tech tree have in some case better weapons, but if you take it you become vulnerable for some kind of attack: beam (with fighters) or missles (with torpedos and bombers). Thus the best choice at low level of Physics is to take decent weapons until you reach Plasma Cannon in the upper half of this tech tree.In early stages of the game, an opponent could decide to makes missiles his main space combat weapon. It's a perfectly reasonable approach that many players adopt.
There are several counters:. Get immune through a low chance to hit with jamming techs (you have to take ECM Jammer and thus miss Mass Driver). Have a lot of armor and rapid repairs. Reduce damage by shields (take Class I Shield and thus miss out on Mass Driver) or Damper Field. Destroy by beams, Anti-Missile Rockets, other fighters, Lightning Field, explode or some other special gear.
Displace on battle screen and run out from combat before it reaches you. Become totally invisible in combat. Kill before you get killed - play offensively.0 RP: starting techs None. You have to research all the Physics techs if the game starts at Pre-Warp.50 RP: Physics This is a ' general' tech level - even Uncreatives get all the techs.Laser CannonShip beam weapon that does 1-4 damage, minus whatever is blocked by the target's shields. Not useful until you get all of the modifications; even then Class 3 Shields generally make them ineffective. PD Lasers are particulary ineffective. Miniaturization: Reduces size and cost.
Modifications: (0) HV, PD; (1) AP, CO, NR; (2) AF. This large set of modifications is mainly for the benefit of Uncreatives, who might not get a better 'beam' weapon for a very long time.Laser RifleAchievement that increases ground units' effectiveness by +5%. Not cumulative with other rifles.Space ScannerAchievement that extends warships' and Star Bases' ability to detect enemy ships. The maximum detection range depends on the enemy ships' size and is 1 parsec + 1 per size class, so it ranges from 2 parsecs for Frigates to 5 for Battleships (and 6 for Titans, 7 for Doom Stars if you don't get better scanners before someone builds these larger ships). The upgrade is immediate and free.150 RP: Fusion Physics Fusion BeamShip beam weapon that does 2-6 damage, minus whatever is blocked by the target's shields.
The lowest-tech beam weapon that's useful, especially with all the modifications; but it has twice the normal rate of dissipation, i.e. Reduction in power per combat square between the weapon and its target - that's one reason why Augmented Engines are usually the best choice at the 3rd level of the tech tree. Even so, Class 3 Shields generally make them ineffective.
In terms of ability to do damage fully-modified PD Fusion Beams are the most powerful PD weapons until Phasors (below); but their twice-the-normal dissipation has the tactical disadvantage that it's difficult for one ship to help defend another that's attacked by a swarm of missiles or fighters. Miniaturization: Reduces size and cost. Modifications: (0) HV, PD; (1) CO; (2) ENV.Fusion RifleAchievement that increases ground units' effectiveness by +10%. Not cumulative with other rifles. The best rifle you'll get for a long time.Best choice for non-Creatives: Fusion Beam, for the reasons given above and despite the fact that you won't get a better rifle before you want to start invading.250 RP: Tachyon Physics Tachyon CommunicationsAchievement that allows you to tell a ship within 3 parsecs of a colony or outpost to change course in mid-transit, and adds 1 Command Point for each Star Base, Battlestation, and Star Fortress. Not cumulative with any other communications Achievement.Tachyon ScannerAchievement that extends warships' and Star Bases' ability to detect enemy ships to 3 parsecs + 1 per size class, so it ranges from 4 parsecs for Frigates to 7 for Battleships (and 8 for Titans, 9 for Doom Stars if you don't get better scanners before someone builds these larger ships). Your Star Bases, Battlestations and Star Fortresses also decrease aggressors' Missile Evasion by -20%.
The upgrade is immediate and free.Battle ScannerShip Special System that increases 'beam' weapons' chance to hit by +50%, and increases scanning range outside of combat (on the Galaxy map) by 2 parsecs.Best choice for non-Creatives: Battle Scanner is essential if you intend to use 'beam' weapons. Otherwise probably Tachyon Communications, as the next communications tech is 3 levels up.900 RP: Neutrino Physics Neutron BlasterShip Weapon that does 3-12 damage, minus whatever is blocked by the target's shields; and also kills 1 enemy Marine for every 5 points of damage that penetrate the shields.
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Contents.Early game Players begin the game by either choosing from one of a dozen prebuilt races, or by creating a custom race by choosing a combination of attributes, each of which costs (or grants, in the case of disadvantages) a given number of 'picks.' The player then begins on his homeworld with a colony ship and two scout ships, which he uses to explore and gain control of new worlds.Planets and colonies Different sizes and types of planets grant bonuses or penalties to production.
Larger planets offer a higher maximum population than smaller worlds of the same type. More hospitable climates also have higher max populations and produce more food per colonist.Players must manage the population of their colonies, divying it up into producing food, industry, or research. Food is required for population growth. Industry allows the creation of colonial facilities which grant bonuses and/or abilities, the production of military units, and trade.
(Excess industry generates pollution, creating a point of diminishing returns.) Research allows for the development of new technologies.Additionally, until the very end stages of the game, colonies are required to refuel spacecraft, who can only travel a certain radius from previously established colonies or outposts.Space combat Space combat is turn-based, and functions on a two-dimensional grid. Each ship's armament is customizable, and old technology becomes smaller and gains more options as time passes. Included are options for beam weapons, missiles, and fighter craft, as well as more exotic technologies such as weapons that damage ships through (for example) the generation of miniature black holes or by destabilizing gravity.A player moves and attacks with all of his ships before ending his turn.Planetary defenses constructed by a given colony are all targeted through attacking the planet, and are damaged or destroyed in the order of construction. Orbital defense platforms remain in a fixed position near the planet that constructed them.Boarding actions are available provided the enemy ship is immobilized and the attacking ship is within two grid squares, or, with the Teleporters equipment, the enemy's facing shield is down and the attacking ship is within fifteen grid squares.
Ships may be captured, but may not be used in the same battle unless the player has the Telepathic trait. Boarding actions may also consist of raids which are intended to damage as many ship systems as possible. Boarding actions are resolved automatically based upon infantry equipment once they are initiated.Planets with no defenses or in-system fleets may be bombarded from orbit, which can destroy ground garrisons, colonial facilities, or colonists, although precise targeting is not allowed.Ground combat Ground combat is resolved automatically based upon infantry equipment once it is initiated. Special troop transports are required to stage planetary invasions from orbit; these transports are defenseless in space unless accompanied by a combat unit. Races with the Telepathic trait may Mind Control a colony if they have a combat ship of Cruiser-class or larger, which automatically transfers full control of the colony without the need for invasion.Once control over a colony is established, the enemy occupants may either be assimilated into the player's culture or eliminated.
Depending on a race's government, the rate of assimilation differs. Building an Alien Control Center increases the rate of assimilation.Diplomacy To be written.Research Research in Master of Orion II is the basis of acquiring technology in the game. While there are other methods of acquiring tech, research is a fundamental aspect of empire growth. On the colony management screen, a player can assign his populace to three different areas; farming, industry or research. Each unit of population (1 million colonists) produces a certain amount of RPs or Research Points when assigned as researchers.
The number of RPs generated per population unit assigned is based on racial factors and colony buildings. Building research oriented structures such as the Research Lab on colonies produce two effects. In the case of the Research Lab, the building itself produces 5 research points, and an additional point per population unit assigned to research. Therefore, if there was no population assigned on a colony with a research lab, the colony would output 5 RPs a turn.
But if there were 2 population units assigned, the colony might output 11 (5 on its own, 2 per population unit, assuming that each unit produced one RP/turn). There are three tiers of research buildings (each generating 5, 10 or 15 research points and adding 1, 2 or 3 RPs per population unit), all acting cumulatively with each other. In addition to this, there is a building called the Autolab that generates 30 RPs a turn, but does not grant any other bonus.Total RPs are collated each turn and displayed on the right side of the screen. These RPs are used to research technology. The Tech Tree is divided into distinct fields; Construction, Power, Genetics, Sociology, Engineering, Physics, Computers, Chemistry and Forcefields. Each field has a number of tiers of technology. Each tier has two or three separate items (and in some cases, one or four).
When researching a particular field and corresponding tier, it is necessary to select one of the available items. Only one field/tier/item can be researched at a time. However, an exception is made for races with the Creative characteristic. In that case, only one field and tier can be researched, but upon completion, the race will gain all the items in that particular tier.
Uncreative races on the other hand are given less technology to research and may skip tiers entirely.Each tier has an associated RP cost. Once an item is selected, RPs are automatically allocated towards that cost.
When a project is assigned, a counter begins ticking down turns remaining on the right hand side of the screen (where total RPs are displayed). These 'Turns Remaining' are a rough estimate, and research will not always be done on time. Within 5 turns of expected completion, a random die roll (with an attached percentage) is used to determine if a breakthrough will occur that turn. The likelihood of achieving a breakthrough at 5 turns remaining is very low, but the chances increase exponentially as scientists near completion.
This percentage is also displayed in the research window on the main screen.Once all the tiers of a given field are exhausted, new teirs open up. These tiers are called 'Hyper-advanced' and they do not offer any new technology per say. The hyper-advanced tech instead shrinks component size and cost. For example, the Stellar Converter is one of the largest weapons in the game (and also the most powerful). Initially when it is first researched, the component is too big to fit on any ship save for the Doom Star hull type (the largest). As you research hyper-advanced physics however, the size of the converter shrinks, and eventually it becomes possible to place it on battleship hulls (the third largest type).
Hyper advanced tech can be researched forever, but the RP cost does multiply exponentially with each tier.Research in Master of Orion II differs from the first game is several ways. First of all, a race does not research all fields simultaneously. Only one field is researched at a time. Therefore, a player does not need to redistribute RPs throughout the different fields. While this does eliminate some nuances present in the original game, it more tightly focuses research. As a result, the tech tree is more transparent and goals are more easily set.
In addition, the tech tree in the game does not branch. Each tier leads to the next higher up with no pre-requisites existing for certain technologies. Some technology however, such as all Antaran and some Orion cannot be researched at all. Only by conquering Orion, or by capturing Antaran ships can this be acquired.
This technology is considered to be the most powerful in the game, such as the Damping field, which eliminates a need for shields and instead blocks a percentage of damage based on ship size.
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