Master of Orion IV

[Anguille]

Who the F??  Are those the Antarans?

yes ... ;)

[Martok]

I think it may have just become my holy duty to eradicate them from the galaxy. 

[Anguille]

Some more info on the update and dlc.

https://explorminate.net/2016/11/28/breaking-news-antarans-get-revenge/

[Martok]

Incidentally, I ended up playing this all afternoon yesterday before going to bed.  I meant to only play a few turns of a new campaign, save, and then come back to it today.  Instead, it was suddenly, "Holy crap, it's bedtime already?!" 

While I still think nuMOO is a little too light to ever be make it into my personal list of top five 4x titles, it definitely has its charms. 

[FarAway Sooner]

What are the charms?  Looking at the rule book, I don't see any features that aren't already included in other space 4x titles out there?

I know that's been a recurring thread, but in my read of the whole thread since it started, I don't recall any meaty answers to that question.

[JudgeDredd]

What are the charms?  Looking at the rule book, I don't see any features that aren't already included in other space 4x titles out there?

I know that's been a recurring thread, but in my read of the whole thread since it started, I don't recall any meaty answers to that question.

I don't think I could answer that. I haven't played a lot of 4x games though I've dipped into a few

I know it was fairly easy to pick up and play - so maybe it was that. Or the fact I didn't feel overwhelmed with decisions or any particular aspect.

Whatever the reason, it was the only 4x game that I've ever played an actual game to completion.

[Martok]

What are the charms?  Looking at the rule book, I don't see any features that aren't already included in other space 4x titles out there?

I know that's been a recurring thread, but in my read of the whole thread since it started, I don't recall any meaty answers to that question.

Well JD already mentioned one of them -- an easy learning curve.  There aren't many 4x games where you can just jump in and intuitively figure out how to play almost immediately, but MOO4 is one of them.  Whether it's managing colonies, conducting research, or engaging in diplomacy, just about everything is easy to understand and the UI is user-friendly. 

Another point is high production values.  From the voice talent to the visuals, MOO4 definitely comes off as the AAA title it is; this game was clearly a labor of love for the devs.  Also, while the game is undeniably little light on features compared to most 4x titles, it means that what features the game does boast have been polished to a high mirror shine.  (Which isn't to say that MOO4 is bug-free, obviously, but I've definitely run into far fewer issues than I would with most games by now.) 

I never thought I'd say this, but I've found the AI to be surprisingly decent thus far.  The other races seem to be fairly good at making deals, exploiting weaknesses, and suing for peace if a war isn't going well for them.  It's not brilliant by any means, but neither have I seen much "Black Knight" behavior, which is encouraging. 

Atmosphere/immersion:  For me, it's nearly always the biggest litmus test of how much I'll enjoy a game, and I find the game does pretty well in this regard.  Not great -- Stellaris and Distant Worlds both do a far better job in this area (to name just a couple examples) -- but I'd say MOO4 has nothing to be ashamed of.  From the races, to the voicework, to the artwork/visuals, to the soundtrack, they all come together to deliver a solid experience feeling like you're in the MOO universe.  It does feel a bit "light and fluffy" for my tastes (I like my serious sci-fi!), but overall I really can't complain. 



Anyway, those are what I'd consider to be the main bullet points of why I like MOO4; take them with as many grains of salt as you're comfortable with.  It's by no means my favorite 4x game, or even a great 4x game, but I'm discovering it can be a pretty fun game.  :) 

[mikeck]

I agree. At this point, there is something for everyone. I don't care for stellaris all that much but I DO see why others like it. I love Polaris sector but others don't. So I really like MOo4 and find a lot of why it does "redeeming" or better than others. Something like combat may be something one person might say "others do the same or better" but I enjoy more.

My favorite is endless space 2 right now. Some hate the combat but I love it

[Shelldrake]

New content is now up on GOG.  O0

[mikeck]

Here you go. Out yesterday:

"Revenge of Antares Race Pack" DLC
We are bringing back the three iconic races that were first introduced with Master of Orion II: the elegant yet xenophobic Elerian, the peaceful aquatic Trilarian and the skilled traders Gnolam join the fight for Orion!

The new content can be divided in two parts:
"Revenge of Antares Race Pack" DLC
We are bringing back the three iconic races that were first introduced with Master of Orion II: the elegant yet xenophobic Elerian, the peaceful aquatic Trilarian and the skilled traders Gnolam join the fight for Orion!

Update v54.6 highlights
The Antarans are back!
Leaders and Governors
Minor Civilizations
Ship profiles for Tactical Battles
A complete revamp to Espionage
Support for Mods in Multiplayer
 

Detailed Changes v54.6

AI
Improved evaluation of planet rating for better deal evaluation
Improved invasion analysis and execution
Improved Opportunity Rating and Opportunity Threshold analysis
The AI is now better at handling its Command Points at an Empire level
The AI is now better at organizing its defenses
Decreased colony ship output
Improved war possibility factor analysis regarding economic considerations
Balance
Pollution:
Pollution Processor cleaning effect increased from 10 to 15
Core Waste Dump cleaning effect increased from 100 to 150
Pollution absorption for Barren biomes increased to 60 (previous 30)
Rebalanced Peaceful and Militaristic traits.
Rebalanced Research speeds:
Research cell output increased from 2 to 3.
Techtree nodes cost increased by 33%.
Rebalanced share charts costs.
Creative perk research bonus increased to +50%
Pollution Processor moved to Molecular Compression Technode. Core Waste dump cleaning value increased
General
Technologies that do not belong to a race's techtree or are void because of Victory Conditions selection no longer appear in the techtree
Recyclotron structure added
Tactical
Added Ramming
Improved AIs selection of opening moves when entering combat
Improved battlefield hazard generations better selection algorithm plus more quantity and diversity
SFX
Added new charging sound
Added notification sounds
Intro sounds added for: Amoeba, Eel, Squid and Dragon.
Updated Warp sound
UX
Economic Victory conditions graph improvements
The production queue is now fully functional
Added info during Cinematic battles for easier reference
Improved selection and formations visuals and feedback
New battle log with more information
Added Range Day indicator
Added "requires" field to Tech Applications
Added scientific victory requirement to scientific victory tech apps
Added and revised several tooltips
Use full empire name instead of race name in the title of espionage attack report
Hide view planet button in mission debriefing for empire missions
Integrated agent captured popup
Bug Fixes
Blanding error at the end of "new tech added"
Fixed inconsistencies between a monster destruction event and text
Fix for bombing flow AI attacks player's colony
Fix for Escape button sometimes not responding
Fix for the game locking up/infinite processing turn after encountering the first race
Fix for an unusual softlock in strategy mode
Fix for Blueprint changes not being saved
Localization fix for: Key for 'Toggle Auto-turn' not ticking Auto-turn checkbox
Localization fix for old Pollution Immunity perk description in custom races
Fix for Missing key at Empire selection pop-up
Fix for a grammatical error in notifications appearing after annual payment agreement ends
Fix for negotiate button taking the player to a normal audience
Fix for upgrade button disappearing when editing a blueprint name after unlocking an upgrade
Fix for the Upgrade blueprints button appearing even when there's is nothing to upgrade
Added Imminent biome degradation notification
Biome degradation now happens at the correct time
Colony production grid distribution fixed
Fix for incorrect food delta in colonies when polluted
Pollution Cleaning structures now are shown in pollution tooltip
Fix for subterranean farms not updating tile value in food line
Fix for incorrect production values showing after building the neutron collider
Fix for production speed, now it affects production costs instead of productive output
Difficulty level (production bonus for AI) is now calculated properly. Added additional cleanup per AI difficulty
Fix for weapons not being selectable after selecting an enemy
Fixes for some issues on specials and squadrons info update
Fixed several issues related to selecting multiple ships and giving them orders
Fixed automatic toggle on weapons when receiving a general/weapon focus order
Fixed tooltips for modules that don't have a weapon type
Fix for hotkeys being enabled in the tutorial that could guide the player into an incorrect flow
Autorepair achievement icon art fixed
Fix for tooltip displaying incorrect security level information
Fixed a bug that prevented the Amoeba from attacking in tactical battles
Fix for inconsistency in a tech bonus in two different languages

[Greybriar]

Revenge of Antares on Steam
Revenge of Antares on GoG

[W8taminute]

Is combat still pretty much an engage and watch hands off affair?

[Freyland]

The manual implies you can have more control than that but I haven't had time to play.

[mikeck]

You do. Much more control than originally. I mean, in reality it's the same amount as a basic turn based. "Move here" "fire at this guy", etc

[BanzaiCat]

I haven't really paid attention to this game since it was so expensive, but I just saw GOG is selling it for under $15. But because I am ignorant, is "Master of Orion" the same IV you're all referring to? Stupid question but I just want to make sure.

It looks good but the reviews aren't all that stunning. I have the original MOO and MOO2 on GOG which I haven't touched yet. :(