OT MOO3 reconsidered

[Saxon]

It has been quite a few years since I last posted here, but I had some thoughts that I suspect only the SE crowd might find of any interest. Even that might be stretching it, but I thought I would float it anyway.

MOO:3 has been much maligned and I was one of those who was not taken by it. However, recent events have led me to reconsider.

I have been promoted and now manage a much larger staff than before. I crossed the line from being able to handle almost everything personally to having to delegate entire functions to other managers. It has been disconcerting and very unlike the way I did things before. However, it is the reality of management. As a system grows, you have to begin passing more and more control over to other managers, as there simply is not enough time in the day.

What it most reminds me of is MOO:3! The efforts in that game to make you a high level manager of an empire and to take away your ability to micromanage. You have to set policies and targets, then let other managers do the actual work of getting you there.

I must say that I am not as happy with my new job as I was with my old one. One of the big things is that I don’t get my hands dirty with the details. Another is that I don’t seem to have as much direct control, even if I have much more power. Again, it reminded me of the differences between the early MOO and SE games and MOO:3.

It is not that MOO:3 was a good game. It is that it is actually quite a good upper level management simulator. I think the design team did a good job, but they managed to miss out the fun factor. That said, I am trying to hunt down a copy of the game, as I want to fire it up again with a new perspective.

[Atrocities]

Do they pay you more or less? Do they make you work more hours or less? Trust me, you're better off telling people what to do then being told. I was the same way, I didn't like the new job where I got to tell people what to do and couldn't do much myself. TRUST ME when I say, be happy.

MOO3. I really haven't put much thought into that game. I have read though that since the success of a few new type games, discussion on a new MOO project is in the works. Sins of a solar empire, and Galciv are both very highly visible and successful games. The games that MOO3 should have been like.

Fingers crossed.

[Ironmanbc]

I was a BIG fan of MOO 2 and when MOO 3 hit the shelf ($70 can) I was thrilled (BOY OH BOY was I wrong) when I got home there was all ready a patch out for the game (ok some last min bugs was fixed) I played it a few times (in one game a few turns into the game the computer won the game by votes!!!)

and in another game it won by taking Orion!!! in less then 30 turns!!!!!!!!! (it was THAT easy to beat them)

I was SOOOO disapointed in it I put it away for a long time

I saw the game for $10 over at Giant Tiger about a month ago so I'm sure you can find it or look on Ebay for it

[Atrocities]

Sadly, I think it is safe to say that the betrayal that was MOOO3, will not soon be forgotten. It was equivalently the 9/11 event of 4X gaming.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

...At, that's way overdramatic.

[Saxon]

Funny you mention the “better to work telling others than being told what to do.” One of the reasons I applied for the job was defensive. The last boss had been a nightmare, so I wanted to make sure that it couldn’t happen again. Sure, I still have a boss, but they are not in the same country, so the relationship is radically different than having the boss just down the hall.

I found a cheap copy on Ebay, postage is higher than the game itself. Postage always gets me, but given the shortage of bargain bin games shops around here, I have to live with it.

[Xrati]

I bought MOO3 ATP (after the patch). Downloaded a few mods and found the game to be more enjoyable. Here's some links for you Saxon:

http://www.moo3.at/mods/
http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums...s=&forumid=285

Enjoy!!!

[Fyron]

MOO3 is still terrible even with the mods though (some of them actually make it worse)..

[Atrocities]

narf poit chez BOOM said:
...At, that's way overdramatic.

Ya don't say.

[Suicide Junkie]

To be fair, some mods for SE make it worse, too. They're quickly drowned in obscurity tho