MoO II (in Off-topic)

I've been playing MoO II recently and wondered if anyone had a decent strat guide for it. Basically, I can't compete at the hard level even when I choose the easier races.

Master of Orion?

Yes.

In the first one, I thought the Psilions were the easiest. In most empire-building games, as with real life, going the "superior technology" route is the shortest route to victory.

I don't think I ever got to play the second one. Maybe I'll go download it and give it a whirl.

Heya,

I have been playing this game for years. Took most of that time, but finally managed to beat it on impossible.

The main thing to remember is that as you go up in difficulty, the computer becomes more and more likely to break alliances or simple never enter them. Usually you can still get tech and trade but even then I've seen their happiness with me drop almost every turn. So do not expect the computer to let you live in peace.

The second thing, design your own race- there is a customize button. This helps a lot as you can essentially maximize the potential for your strategy. At harder levels the computer gets bonus abilities, beyond what is normal for its race, and without customization it is very hard to compete. One of my favorites was unification, creative, with a bonus to research and maybe industry. You would take penalties in spying (you get all the spy tech soon enough so it doesn't matter) and ground combat (if they land on a planet you are going to lose anyway, and you don't really want their planets) and some other things.

Depending on the size of the map, go for about 5-8 systems quickly, and then fortify. Planetary missile bases will let you win most battles, even against large fleets. I usually do not bother building a military fleet until I have mass drivers (or gauss cannons if I can hold out) or lasers (if you go energy). Even then its main job is to take out new enemy planets too near my own.

Research- planetary missile bases, research computer, automated factories. Go for these first, then I usually run up the science tree sometimes dipping into other fields as needed (e.g. for spaceport if I need money, better missiles if the AI starts getting frisky, etc.). I basically finish off the science tree- you will need that research advantage to stay ahead.

Once you survive the early game and first contact, you stand a good chance of winning. You just need to keep your planets fortified and research techs to keep up the edge. Don't bother taking another planet at this point unless you have a decent fleet to hold it from the enemy and can afford to buy its defenses for the first few turns. The AI likes sending warships whenever it sees a weak point.

Don't forget to build spies soon after you have made contact. Otherwise the AI will strip you of all tech and you will find things exploding left and right. Max out the number of spies, and you may need to research some spy bonus tech, but you need to stop them.

After the science tree, run up the other tech trees, then start building a fleet. From here on out, it is usually mop up. I tend to target the strongest empire and send several small fleets to various planets, fleeing if the opposition is too great. Usually you can find one you can destroy and as you weaken it, the other AI usually chip in to help finish the job.

A lot depends on your strategy, mine is basically to turtle and out research. Buying off the AI with gifts of tech and money, and later fear of my military to keep them at bay. This will not work with all race types. Some choices are better for a more aggressive approach- hordes of ships darting out and conquering as much as they can. Nice thing about Moo2 is you can customize your race to fit your strategy.

http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~iraqispy/moo2/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Way/4941/moo2page.html

These websites also have some decent information.

If you have any specific questions, I might be able to answer them. Good luck though, Moo2 is a great game and I still play it now and then. It feels great beating it on each difficulty level.

"In most empire-building games, as with real life, going the "superior technology" route is the shortest route to victory. "

/me has flashbacks to controlling 20 Helepolis at a time in waves while playing AoE...

Any other hints? Tips?

I'm enjoying the heck out of this game while I study ;o)