Posted March 29, 2013
It's kind of strange. There's something really charming and epic about MoO2. The trick is, I wish I was good at playing it. I'm afraid I bump into some issues that turn me off to the game at a certain point.
First of all, I've never really been good at these types of games. Maybe that's where the problem begins and ends! But I've always thought these types simulations are neat conceptually. What's not to like about controlling a genocidal empire? But when I sit down and play... it just doesn't seem to click.
Here's the major points I'm missing, as I see it:
I seem to spend 90% of my time on the Colony screen, essentially making it "The Colony Screen Game". It's the shuffling of people around and choosing new building projects that keep me there. I get brain strain trying to manage 4 colonies. I can't imagine managing 50 or however many is typical.
Science seems to move at a snail pace, even when I spam scientists. Even with science upgrades. The same with colony buildings. Clicking End Turn 10 times in a row just feels wrong. In other games like Risk, 1 turn is tremendously significant (which I know this isn't much like). Do you really just pass that much time.. well.. basically waiting for stuff to happen?
Food seems tricky to manage. It seems like when I have a large food surplus, sometimes I just have to leave it that way, because moving any farmer seems to randomly shift some things around, even when you'd think it shouldn't. For example, sudden extreme freighter usage. And no, I don't run out of freighters. I could run out easy enough, but I keep it from happening. Namely: not moving farmers. I thought I knew how it works, but I'm scratching my head.
Choosing buildings to construct is fun at first, but eventually becomes severely boring, probably due to the fact that you have a lot of colonies to manage. Especially new colonies that have NOTHING on them. Then if a colony takes a beating or gets destroyed, I shed a tear. Not because I feel bad for the millions who died, (those lazy roustabouts!) But just because all that effort went out the door!
As neat as it sounds, I heard that the auto-build feature is crap. Indeed the computer makes confounding choices when left on its own.
Anyway, I am enjoying MoO2 to a fault. I usually abandon a game at a certain point, either from boredom, or being steamrolled by another empire. Any thoughts?
First of all, I've never really been good at these types of games. Maybe that's where the problem begins and ends! But I've always thought these types simulations are neat conceptually. What's not to like about controlling a genocidal empire? But when I sit down and play... it just doesn't seem to click.
Here's the major points I'm missing, as I see it:
I seem to spend 90% of my time on the Colony screen, essentially making it "The Colony Screen Game". It's the shuffling of people around and choosing new building projects that keep me there. I get brain strain trying to manage 4 colonies. I can't imagine managing 50 or however many is typical.
Science seems to move at a snail pace, even when I spam scientists. Even with science upgrades. The same with colony buildings. Clicking End Turn 10 times in a row just feels wrong. In other games like Risk, 1 turn is tremendously significant (which I know this isn't much like). Do you really just pass that much time.. well.. basically waiting for stuff to happen?
Food seems tricky to manage. It seems like when I have a large food surplus, sometimes I just have to leave it that way, because moving any farmer seems to randomly shift some things around, even when you'd think it shouldn't. For example, sudden extreme freighter usage. And no, I don't run out of freighters. I could run out easy enough, but I keep it from happening. Namely: not moving farmers. I thought I knew how it works, but I'm scratching my head.
Choosing buildings to construct is fun at first, but eventually becomes severely boring, probably due to the fact that you have a lot of colonies to manage. Especially new colonies that have NOTHING on them. Then if a colony takes a beating or gets destroyed, I shed a tear. Not because I feel bad for the millions who died, (those lazy roustabouts!) But just because all that effort went out the door!
As neat as it sounds, I heard that the auto-build feature is crap. Indeed the computer makes confounding choices when left on its own.
Anyway, I am enjoying MoO2 to a fault. I usually abandon a game at a certain point, either from boredom, or being steamrolled by another empire. Any thoughts?