GalCiv vs. Space Empires IV vs. Stars vs. MOO3

[kserra]

I ask on this forum because I like the type of gamer that hangs around here...

I've been playing GalCiv since the hurricane gave me a week off...

Decent game...but I feel like Stars! had more depth, albeit not very pretty...the variety of opponents and the research paths were great...

GalCiv and the expansions give you some different races, but they are static, predictable, and there are some annoying aspects (like when a ship arrives at a planet, it does not ask for new orders...can't turn unused research or production at a particular planet into other resources, very limited combat, etc...)

Stars! was great...have the damn CD but it keeps asking me for the code from the old book...which I've lost for about 5 years, and two computers ago...so firing that up isn't likely...

I've got Space Empires IV...played it a bit when it first came out, but for some reason I gave it up and I can't remember why...

Never played MOO3 because it got blasted so much...

For someone looking for this type of game, what do you like and why?

Kevin

[judicial clerk]

Did anyone ever try imperium galactica?

[kserra]

man...that game "looked" great...but everything I read said it was a galactic mess...

Never bought it...can't really give my take...

I'm sitting here debating about booting up Civ 3 and all its expansions...but I just can't stand the RAILROADS in the game and how it changes the game once they come to be...

Kevin

[judicial clerk]

I am a huge Civ fan, but for some reason CIV III just wasnt very "fun". Every game seems to unfold te same or something.

what about Alpha Centauri?

[Glengoyne]

I can't really recomend MOO3 because eventhough I enjoyed the game, It just wasn't a challenge. In my opinion it is a case of So close yet so far. I liked what they did with a lot of things. I couldn't keep up with Stars!, too much micromanagement. The thing that MOO almost did very well was provide a way to Macromanage things. When I want to play this style of game I still load up the good old original MOO. It is still challenging and I think the most compelling game in the genre.

[kserra]

Stars! is quite a bit of work...but you at least are rewarded with challenging gameplay and some interesting events...

I agree about Civ 3...just frustrated me...for the YEARS I spent playing Civ 2, I never understood why Civ 3 just couldn't enhance the experience???

I guess I feel that way about XCOM too...why no one with half-a-brain doesn't just reproduce the damn game with a new story and update it a bit...man...BOOM, instant best seller...

I really think Alpha Centauri was the best post Civ 2 game produced in that genre...

I know it turned a lot of people off because of the different enviroment, but with the different AI personalities, new gameplay experiences, and "decent" AI...it hasn't been matched yet...

Why can't a game like this create some sort of randomly generated AI opponents so that you never know what you are getting??? That's a different topic...

What I'd love to see...an X-COM game with Civ 2 strategies...something with a "global" feel but based in a smaller venue with multiple enemies/allies...like a battle for a city (gang war, or suspend reality and have "global" conflicts resolved through turn based squad warfare...man...sorry, rambling...)

Kevin

[Peregrine]

I'm a big fan of SEIV. I like the vast amount of customization you can do, the different experiences you get depending on your type of race/culture and what kind of special abilities you may have, etc. I really get immersed into the game and have a lot of fun with it. The mods that are available make it even better.

Never got into the other games much.

[WSUCougar]

FYI, MOO3 is available for only $3.90 from GoGamer (http://www.gogamer.com) right now if you want to try it cheap.

[sachmo71]

I haven't played any of the others games, so i can't comment. SEIV, modded properly, is always a challenge, and is great for multiplayer. Unless you don't like losing.

[Blackadar]

I really never "liked" any of them...they all left me flat.

In order:

1. Gal Civ - It's a good game with decent strategy and production values. I just never got any "feel" of running a huge empire without having to be on a huge and annyoing 2-D map. Overall, the best of the bunch in my opinion but I never felt like an Emperor while playing the game.

2 (tied) - Stars! - A deep game but lacking production values. I played this some time ago so my memory is hazy.

2 (tied) - SEIV - Extremely deep and complicated. There's a good game there somewhere, but I never could find it. It was simply too complicated and there wasn't enough "help" within the game to get me over the hump so I could fully understand what was going on.

4. MOO3 - Simply dull.


Really, MOO2 is the best of the bunch IMHO. Simple enough to learn but complex enough to take a while to master, it had a great interface. It had it all and still plays well today.

[Swaggs]

I played MOO3 shortly after release. It was the worst game I have bought in the "00's." When I was in college and had a little better of a game budget, I made many mistakes buying games w/o checking on their reviews first. Since then, I'm a little more careful since I don't buy a game a month anymore, and I took a chance on MOO3 because it looked great. I was so pissed at myself that I traded it back in to EB (which I have done maybe 2-3 times since they began giving credits for trade ins) like a week later.

[kserra]

For SE IV...what mods/patches/files do you think are essential for the game?

I've reinstalled it and have been tinkering around, but I'm stunned at the amount of mods available...

What do you recommend? Thanks.

Oh yeah, I rebooted Civ3 last night and learned why the game bugged me so much...RAILROADS are just so dominant and take all tactical strategy out of the game...

Kevin

[Franklinnoble]

For SE IV...what mods/patches/files do you think are essential for the game?

I've reinstalled it and have been tinkering around, but I'm stunned at the amount of mods available...

What do you recommend? Thanks.

Oh yeah, I rebooted Civ3 last night and learned why the game bugged me so much...RAILROADS are just so dominant and take all tactical strategy out of the game...

Kevin
Civ2 had the same problem.

[sachmo71]

For SE IV...what mods/patches/files do you think are essential for the game?

I've reinstalled it and have been tinkering around, but I'm stunned at the amount of mods available...

What do you recommend? Thanks.

Oh yeah, I rebooted Civ3 last night and learned why the game bugged me so much...RAILROADS are just so dominant and take all tactical strategy out of the game...

Kevin

TDM Mod. MAJOR upgrade for the AI.
Also, I've heard Pirates and Nomads mod is fun, as you start out without a 2 billion pop home planet. Colonize the nearest world, and start from scratch. Also, there be space beasties to fight... :P

[Peregrine]

I recommend the TDM, Proportions, and Pirates and Nomads mods for SEIV.