I noticed you still get the copy protection questions in the GOG version, and that the pictures with the answers are gone from the PDF manual.

Is the copy protection neutered in that nothing happens if you answer incorrectly? A couple of games it seemed like my empire either went to hell through a huge bad luck steak of negative events (in last place with only 3 planets, one got hit with a nova the other got irradiated) or bizarre AI fortune like huge ships in the first 50 turns (this was on Hard mode, not impossible).


Also noticed a possible bug: the ETA will often be incorrect, most often with AI fleets but sometimes even with mine.

I don't remember getting that problem. Are you talking about MOO3?

Oh geez, I can't believe I missed the reference file.


As far as the ETA, it's not changed techs. I can have warp 3 tech and a planet 3 parsecs away and it'll tell me ETA is 3 turns o_O

If you do not use the .pdf reference file and input the correct values for the game copy protection, the original developers coded the game to screw you over in various ways (be it random events, AI ship boosts etc.), they are not actually bugs.

Yesss. Beware! They are everywhere, they screw your life up.

(There is no such thing as hidden malicious process, the game lock is simple and it was removed. AI ships are boosted, but it is the normal game behavior. Random events are biased against human player in every game, especially if he's winning. - In sum, a good show of superstition running around...)

The MOO1 reference card, the one I originally downloaded when I bought the game, and the one I just downloaded has no ship recognition on it . And of course the Manual is of no help.

Any ideas on where I can find the answers?

Never mind, found it. It is not in the Reference Card that one downloads from GOG as a separate file, it is a Reference Card in the game folder itself.

I don't remember being asked these questions. I'll have to go back and check...

It takes a while for the query to pop up. If you only play for an hour or so at a time, you might never encounter it since you're not polled for the "key" when starting the game.