Make sure to note the date on the bad reviews, the game does not seem to be unfinished at all to me. Maybe 4 years ago it was, I don't know. I never played the earlier versions of the game, so I chose to get this one, and I think it is pretty fun. It is similar to HOMM, but different enough that I think it stands on it's own. The turn based combat is similar to other games, but there are no mines or resources on the map, you must take territory to gain the resources in that region. Thanks GOG for all the great games. I would not have been aware of this one if it were not for you.
I almost passed on this title due to the other reviews. I'm so glad I decided to get it though, I can't stop playing it now. I bought every MoO game 2x in the past, even the admittedly bad MoO 3, and I feel this one is the best. It is not a pretty version of MoO 2, if that's what you like. There are those dang star lanes between planets, and your ship can travel across the entire map without a single engine upgrade. The star lanes don't bother me too much, they do add to the strategy in the game, but I generally do not like them. This version of MoO has the definite feel of a Master of Orion game, with modern graphics and a wonderful new interface. The new UI is really one of this games strong points, and you can manage a huge empire very easily with just one button basically. There are not as many races, but they are very well done, with great voice acting and animated sequences. It does get repetitive though, to be expected. The diplomacy in this game is as good as the older titles, and you will be put in difficult positions trying to keep your trading partners happy enough to do business with you. They will constantly expect you to wage war on your other allies, so you will have to choose which "friends" to please at the moment. The one thing I do not like about this game are the victory conditions. After a couple of disappointing games where I either won or lost very unexpectedly, out of the blue, I had to disable several victory conditions in the game options. This always happens just when it is getting interesting. You can choose to play on if you wish, but the game is really over at that point, so it is not as much fun. This is a fine strategy game with many factors to consider. You will have to balance planet upgrades, ship building, research, espionage, (and counter espionage) and your relations with the other races. The games UI makes it easy to manage but it is still up to you to decide how to run your empire.
Not much fun so far. Maybe I'm just not getting it. I've played just about every TBS/RTS out there, this is my favorite genre. I will play it some more and update my review when this thing clicks into place.
I like the atmosphere in ORB. To me the ships move like real space ships. The game is just a little bit too small. The resources will be depleated by the time you research the really cool ship designs. I play a game every so ofton all the same. I don't take it too seriously, just kick back and enjoy the show.
I'm not big on RPG's to begin with, sticking to the RTS side of things usualy. This is one of the exceptions, along with BauldIr's Gate & the Icewind Dale titles. I remember wandering around in this huge world, fighting monsters, and just feeling free to do whatever I wanted. Sometimes I would run from a fight, other times I would let them have it. I never got to finish the game, if that's possable, due to DRM issues. I bought it as a download and apparently installed my quota of times. Direct 2 Drive sold out to somebody that I didnt really want to deal with, etc. So even though I had it on my hard drive, I could not use it. GOG is heaven, you know.
This is the only Settlers game I ever played, and I did not enjoy it much. I have avoided the franchise ever since, for the past several years. Reading the reviews here on GOG clues me in. I ended up not playing it or installing it. I will try Settlers II, since I love RTS games. Thanks GOG coumunity!
