MOO2 Updated!!!

[CSS]

Looks like a nice successor to MOO2

[FAdmiral]

Yes, the MOO series and a few others. I also see some mention of the Bab5 tv show which I really liked.
One thing the space games like 4X have almost always left out was a good planet surface system where
the player could actually land and explore the planets surface running into who knows what (animal, veg.
or mineral) The old games of "Starflight" & "Starflight 2" had such a system but I have not seen anything
like it since. Sure, more coding of the different type of planets would be needed but it would make the
game really unique. It could be done with a planet surface generator something like what "civ5" does
when you start a new game there. Exploring planets & developing them would be a very big + in my
opinion.....

[Zaimat]

How would you land and explore the surface of the planet? Like the little shuttle in Star Control going down to gather resources or fine stuff? Is that what you have in mind?

[CyberMage]

Looks like a nice successor to MOO2

You can see it that way ... but MOO2 was released 18 years ago, and since then, there have been many successors to that classic game -- the most recent ones being Sword of the Stars 2 and especially Endless (excluding Star Drive because of its heavy emphasis on RTS warfighting).

I have played a lot of Endless in April and May, and was going to get back to it because of the very-recently-released expansion ... but I delayed the purchase of that expansion because Horizon succeeded in catching my eye and charm me, with its Steam early-access presentation.

I doubt that most Endless fans will follow my example : for the same price, in July, they can get an expansion to an extremely polished game -- instead of an alpha. Consequently, I hope that the developers of Horizon will not be depressed if sales of their early-access alpha, on Steam, do not match their expectations. The timing was not ideal, the Endless expansion having been released a few days before Horizon. People with limited time and budgets will probably prefer to purchase and play the Endless expansion.

May I suggest to the Horizon developers that they be patient and work hard to add fascinating features in order to build a special reputation to their unique game.

Presently, in July 2013, it would not be fair to compare an expansion to a very polished game to the alpha of an unfinished game.

To come back to this thread's OP, one aspect where Horizon "Looks [more] like a nice successor to MOO2" is the cartoonish representation of the races' beings. That style of representation is not up-to-par with the advanced 3D art of the 2010s decade. Personally, I do not mind, and I recognize that it confers to Horizon a certain MOO2-like naive charm ... but it could put off potential customers who have higher expectations in terms of the 3D-quality level of contemporary games. I suppose it is a question of budget : an indie developer who has not previously obtained $ 2 millions on Kickstarter and who is not charging $ 90 on Steam's early-access program might not have the budget to invest in sophisticated 3D art. Like I said, I personally do not mind, but I can conceive that some Space-Empire-building fans would expect more sophisticated 3D art.

[FAdmiral]

How would you land and explore the surface of the planet? Like the little shuttle in Star Control going down to gather resources or fine stuff? Is that what you have in mind?

Most large long-range starships had shuttle systems & maybe some fighter systems too. Like "Battlestar Gal" or "Star Trek" for example.
The movies have been full of that stuff for years. In some, even landing of the main ship (Forbidden Planet or Voyager) was done.
I think one of main features of these 4x games is the exploration & colonization of new planets. The fighting always took a back seat
to expanding of your empire. The real thrill of these games is the -UNKNOWN- factor. Getting to see what lies just beyond your sight !!!

In Space & On the Planets.....

PS-Another way of doing it would be like what they did in the movie "BATTLESHIP" where the alien ships landed & reconstructed into
bases that launched fighting units on land, sea & air.....These could actually be called "Advanced Colony Recon Bases" (ACRB)
pronounced "arc-rab" and be used to pre-colonized a planet that could hold resistance to your arrival....

[Lithari]

Looks like a nice successor to MOO2

You can see it that way ... but MOO2 was released 18 years ago, and since then, there have been many successors to that classic game -- the most recent ones being Sword of the Stars 2 and especially Endless (excluding Star Drive because of its heavy emphasis on RTS warfighting).

I have played a lot of Endless in April and May, and was going to get back to it because of the very-recently-released expansion ... but I delayed the purchase of that expansion because Horizon succeeded in catching my eye and charm me, with its Steam early-access presentation.

I doubt that most Endless fans will follow my example : for the same price, in July, they can get an expansion to an extremely polished game -- instead of an alpha. Consequently, I hope that the developers of Horizon will not be depressed if sales of their early-access alpha, on Steam, do not match their expectations. The timing was not ideal, the Endless expansion having been released a few days before Horizon. People with limited time and budgets will probably prefer to purchase and play the Endless expansion.

May I suggest to the Horizon developers that they be patient and work hard to add fascinating features in order to build a special reputation to their unique game.

Presently, in July 2013, it would not be fair to compare an expansion to a very polished game to the alpha of an unfinished game.

To come back to this thread's OP, one aspect where Horizon "Looks [more] like a nice successor to MOO2" is the cartoonish representation of the races' beings. That style of representation is not up-to-par with the advanced 3D art of the 2010s decade. Personally, I do not mind, and I recognize that it confers to Horizon a certain MOO2-like naive charm ... but it could put off potential customers who have higher expectations in terms of the 3D-quality level of contemporary games. I suppose it is a question of budget : an indie developer who has not previously obtained $ 2 millions on Kickstarter and who is not charging $ 90 on Steam's early-access program might not have the budget to invest in sophisticated 3D art. Like I said, I personally do not mind, but I can conceive that some Space-Empire-building fans would expect more sophisticated 3D art.

I have to disagree with you on the part of many successors to MoO2, there have been many 4X games like it, but none have ever been good enough to be the next MoO2 successor.

I mean, some games, have more then a single type of weapon, which is fine, but you need specific defences to be defended from them and I didn't like that, I liked that all weapons had to go through shields, then armour, to get to the ship itself, sure some weapons had innate shield piercing or could be updated to have shield piercing, but it cut damage done by 50%, none of the others had that, not sure if this new game does, but the currently released 4X games have come no where near MoO2.

[Slipsilk]

You are correct with the limited budget and team on art. With the heavy amount of assets I have tried to ensure that the art quality is even across the game instead of having a few really nice peices and others far lacking.

I want the art to be more interesting and contain more lore and things to discover. But I'm always looking for feedback and suggestions on what people would like to see

[StaticSins]

I want the art to be more interesting and contain more lore and things to discover. But I'm always looking for feedback and suggestions on what people would like to see

Space Sharks with Lasers!!! I kid I kid

[Precisionist]

What made the kings of the 4x genre great, like the MOO series and Civ series, was that you had multiple ways to win the game. Most of the followers of those two series, while I've enjoyed some of the games, have lacked that. A game loses replayability when there is only one path to victory (build up territory, build up military, zerg). Most 4x gamers are min/maxers, they find the most efficient way to win the game, then the game isn't replayable. IMO there hasn't been that "great" 4x game since the MOO and CIV games, but I'm intrigued by this project. Looking forward to watching this game evolve and participating here on the boards.

[CyberMage]

I have to disagree with you on the part of many successors to MoO2, there have been many 4X games like it, but none have ever been good enough to be the next MoO2 successor.

You have a right to disagree with me ... but to categorically declare that "none" of the Space-Empire-building games released during the past 18 years has "ever been good enough to be the next MoO2 successor" is merely a simple, spontaneous opinion -- not based on any substantive comparative-analysis of all the Space-4X games published for the past 18 years.

For example, to consider the excellent Endless game as "[not] good enough to be the next MoO2 successor" would be very odd -- to say the least.

[FAdmiral]

Here is the way another game called "StarForge" is doing the alien planet regeneration. This type of space & planet
cooperation is just what is needed in a turn-based 4x game that has been lacking for some time.


"The planet will procedurally generate each time you land on alien soil. The terrain would support plains, canyons, deserts, snow, mountains, caves, overhangs, rocks, and much more. The world is generated according to the type of planet it is, meaning you will be able to actually see the topography of the surface and travel
upon it with whatever vehicle you have brought. Pick your building sites according to your needs and start a second homeworld just like the first." (well almost)

[dstar]

For example, to consider the excellent Endless game as "[not] good enough to be the next MoO2 successor" would be very odd -- to say the least.

No tactical combat.

That rules it out as a MoO2 successor right there, much less a MoO successor.

[EisenHammer]

For example, to consider the excellent Endless game as "[not] good enough to be the next MoO2 successor" would be very odd -- to say the least.

No tactical combat.

That rules it out as a MoO2 successor right there, much less a MoO successor.

I Agree with this.
And I like Endless Space. But it just not a MOO or MOO2 successor.

[Delta_V]

Here is the way another game called "StarForge" is doing the alien planet regeneration. This type of space & planet
cooperation is just what is needed in a turn-based 4x game that has been lacking for some time.


"The planet will procedurally generate each time you land on alien soil. The terrain would support plains, canyons, deserts, snow, mountains, caves, overhangs, rocks, and much more. The world is generated according to the type of planet it is, meaning you will be able to actually see the topography of the surface and travel
upon it with whatever vehicle you have brought. Pick your building sites according to your needs and start a second homeworld just like the first." (well almost)

Honestly FA, I don't know why you keep going on about this...this has NO place WHATSOEVER in a 4x strategy game. Something like this would introduce a tedious time sink that most players would quickly bore of and it doesn't fit at all with the scope of the game. Also, you are talking about a HUGE investment on the side of the developer, something like this would cost more time and money to implement than the strategy layer itself (There's a reason Starforge is its own game ) If you want planet exploration it needs to be done something like Sins or maybe Eador where it essentially abstracted but can take a number of turns to complete and possibly yield tangible benefits.