Platform: Pc

Genre: Strategy

Publisher: Infogrames

Developer: Quicksilver Software

ETA: Q1 2003 

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Master of Orion 3

Strategy games these days are almost always all about the battles. Not to say that this is a bad thing, flanking infantry, or nailing an opposing force with a gigantic rush is often quite fun, but sometimes it's nice to have a game that also recognizes the importance of diplomacy, and the other clever subtleties of running an empire. The recent release of Civilization 3 has brought us this to some degree, but it's got a friend coming to help now as Master of Orion 3 is not far from release on the PC, allowing gamers to once again go forth into the cosmos in the name of conquest to carve out their intergalactic empire.

One of the biggest problems that can bog down any strategy game is micro management. Players are supposed to be keeping their eyes on the prize, but are stuck worrying about miniscule things like ore mining or the population of a city in the middle of nowhere being unhappy with their parks service. Master of Orion 3 will be limiting this by only allowing so many specific action that could be construed as micro management per turn. In order for these more mundane tasks to be completed players will need to assign leaders to handle them and report back to you. But these people aren't your lackeys, simply put in place to do exactly what you say. They have their own interests and specialties, some are interested in scientific research, others are career soldiers, and they all have their own agendas, so assigning them to sectors that they have an interest and aptitude in is a must. They're also open to the world of espionage as enemies can bribe them, resulting in bureaucratic 

nightmares for your empire. With this, diplomacy and politics will play a prominent role in this game. No more waging war, then only needing to make sure the economy recovers and the military is repopulated. Players will have to deal with how their own empire's civilization feels about a war, and how neighboring factions react.

But for those who are looking forward to battle the map this time out is displayed in 3D, but the action still takes place on a 2D plane allowing novices to dive right in without feeling overwhelmed. When sending a group of ships in players won't 

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control the nitty-gritty details but will instead give general commands and the captains of the task force will act on their own from there. Much like the bureaucratic aspects of running an empire, players will not have control of the specific actions, but will have to trust in their leaders to get the job done. You'll also be able to customize how your ships and weapons are built, giving some flexibility in how your fleet can be setup.

For those who don't like playing by themselves MOO3 will have a multiplayer mode that supports up to 8 players. The game will also include something called Dynamic Galaxy Generation which will allow for some added randomness and a good deal of replay value as it gives players fresh territories whenever they start up a new game.

It's nice to see a game that makes players have to consider the style of their rule, their people's theology, economics, political climates, and such, not just the destroying and conquering. Master of Orion 3 will have gamers worrying just as much about what's going on at the negotiating table as what's going on in the  battlefield, and with 16 different races in the game, each with their own agenda, players will have their hands full, indeed.

- Mr. Nash