Reminds me of MoO2

[Kerensky]

Please dear god be like Master of Orion 2.

So many wanna be games have tried to be as fun as Master of Orion 2, and all of them just make me want to go back to Master of Orion 2. Even that new official Master of Orion.

[Martok]

Please dear god be like Master of Orion 2.

It's funny, I've never had the same nostalgia for MOO2 that so many other fans of the 4x genre do. Perhaps because I didn't play it until sometime in the last decade, by which point its flaws were apparent, and had been outshined by other games in the genre.

If anything, Astra Exodus reminds me of Stars in Shadow and (to a lesser extent) Distant Worlds. That still gives me hope, though, as SiS and DW are both very good space 4x titles in their own right.

So many wanna be games have tried to be as fun as Master of Orion 2, and all of them just make me want to go back to Master of Orion 2. Even that new official Master of Orion.

The new MOO (or MOO4 as some call it) hit just the wrong note of being too different to recapture the original fans, whilst not being interesting enough to attract new ones. It's actually not a bad 4x game, but it was too "generic" to be successful. The game's only real hook was its name recognition, and the devs squandered that by deviating the mechanics & gameplay too far from the first two entries in the series.



I have higher hopes for this one, although any actual optimism is tempered by experience; 4x games are obviously difficult to do well. Still, there does appear to be a lot to like about AE, so I will keep my fingers crossed that this one turns out like we hope!

[Kerensky]

It's funny, I've never had the same nostalgia for MOO2 that so many other fans of the 4x genre do. Perhaps because I didn't play it until sometime in the last decade, by which point its flaws were apparent, and had been outshined by other games in the genre.

If anything, Astra Exodus reminds me of Stars in Shadow...

Martok

I remember Stars in Shadow. It was interesting, but I really couldn't get into it. The battle system they came up with was just... well it made me want to go back and Play Master of Orion 2.
Which is weird, because looking at it again, it really looks like MoO2, but man did it not feel right. Been too long since I played to articulate why it bothered me exactly.

[AtomicKaiser]

Please dear god be like Master of Orion 2.

So many wanna be games have tried to be as fun as Master of Orion 2, and all of them just make me want to go back to Master of Orion 2. Even that new official Master of Orion.

Hi. I am the dev behind this game. Master of Orion 2 is certainly an inspiration for AE, but so are other classic games like Pax Imperia 2 and Star Wars Rebellion. Astra Exodus aims to pay homage to the classics, while trying out some new stuff, like a choice driven campaign, semi-random research tree and tactical ground battles. If you haven't already, check out the game's announcement for the beta opt in. Any moo fan is more than welcome.

[Kerensky]

Hi. I am the dev behind this game. Master of Orion 2 is certainly an inspiration for AE, but so are other classic games like Pax Imperia 2 and Star Wars Rebellion. Astra Exodus aims to pay homage to the classics, while trying out some new stuff, like a choice driven campaign, semi-random research tree and tactical ground battles. If you haven't already, check out the game's announcement for the beta opt in.

Oh sh*t, Star Wars Rebellion. I have ultra fond memories of that game, modded it to hell and back. Good times with Princess Zelda as the leader of the rebel Alliance and all kinds of crazy replacements for other heroes and ground forces.

Best of luck on your game, I like the dev company name and logo. You need it on the forum now too!

Any moo fan is more than welcome.

Good, because I am indeed a moo fan. But not a literal moo fan. That'd just be weird.

[AtomicKaiser]

Oh sh*t, Star Wars Rebellion. I have ultra fond memories of that game, modded it to hell and back. Good times with Princess Zelda as the leader of the rebel Alliance and all kinds of crazy replacements for other heroes and ground forces.

Best of luck on your game, I like the dev company name and logo. You need it on the forum now too!

Thanks a lot for your kind words!

Good, because I am indeed a moo fan. But not a literal moo fan. That'd just be weird.

Idea: Moopeople mod for AE?

[Kerensky]

Idea: Moopeople mod for AE?

Cyber-bovine aliens. I bet that's worth some meme points to someone somewhere.

[grenmagnet6]

The new MOO (or MOO4 as some call it) hit just the wrong note of being too different to recapture the original fans, whilst not being interesting enough to attract new ones. It's actually not a bad 4x game, but it was too "generic" to be successful. The game's only real hook was its name recognition, and the devs squandered that by deviating the mechanics & gameplay too far from the first two entries in the series.

I hope Astra Exodus turns out better than the MOO reboot. The MOO reboot had great artwork, but it also had some design decisions I did not agree with. The tactical combat was a mess. There were also lots of spurious bugs lingering throughout the game mechanics. People who liked the game anyway wrote the game was "polished". Perhaps the game looked good on the surface, but had many problems hidden underneath.

Amazingly many of those bugs have been addressed by one dedicated mod-maker named WhatIsSol, who was able to apply code changes and recompile the game's intermediate code files, which he calls his Unofficial Code Patch mod. He's made the game playable for many customers, though he does not get any compensation for the work.

[anguille]

Looking forward to this game. Not excited yet (not a fan of all the artwork) but will get it for sure as it has my favourite aspects (space, turn-based and real-time battles). My reference is the first Master of Orion game which is imho still the best. Good luck with your endeavour...please take a look at some of the great games released by Slitherine/Matrix in the past for some more ideas: Armada 2526 (the closest to your game i would say), Distant Worlds and Reach for the Stars. I've had a lot of fun with the new MOO even though it did have some decisions i didn't like (starlanes, no fuel range etc.).

[Martok]

Anguille, you're alive! Good to see you, man.


I imagine Astra Exodus is pretty far along in development at this point (otherwise it wouldn't already be in beta). Presuming that's indeed the case, I'm guessing that -- for better or worse -- we won't see much influence from Armada 2526 or Distant Worlds (especially in terms of game design, mechanics, etc.) unless the developer has already played either/both of those games.

AtomicKaiser: Thoughts? What other 4x/strategy games have influenced you?

[anguille]

Anguille, you're alive! Good to see you, man.


I imagine Astra Exodus is pretty far along in development at this point (otherwise it wouldn't already be in beta). Presuming that's indeed the case, I'm guessing that -- for better or worse -- we won't see much influence from Armada 2526 or Distant Worlds (especially in terms of game design, mechanics, etc.) unless the developer has already played either/both of those games.

Sure i am alive. I am mostly active on the grogheads and explorminates but i am always watching what is being discussed here as Slitherine and Matrix's games are the main source for my gaming for almost 20 years. I always read what you post here and elsewhere.

I guess you are correct. The games seems almost finished...maybe some insperations for a DLC.

Cheers

[AtomicKaiser]

Looking forward to this game. Not excited yet (not a fan of all the artwork) but will get it for sure as it has my favourite aspects (space, turn-based and real-time battles). My reference is the first Master of Orion game which is imho still the best. Good luck with your endeavour...please take a look at some of the great games released by Slitherine/Matrix in the past for some more ideas: Armada 2526 (the closest to your game i would say), Distant Worlds and Reach for the Stars. I've had a lot of fun with the new MOO even though it did have some decisions i didn't like (starlanes, no fuel range etc.).

I played Armada when it came out and enjoyed it a lot, but I can't really say it influenced AE much, but it must have in some sense. I also share your reservations about the new MOO, the starlanes are too restrictive for my taste. The game is quite far ahead, so even if there is still time for changes via the beta program, they won't be fundamental gameplay changes; more like improvements and expansions to existing systems.

[AtomicKaiser]

Anguille, you're alive! Good to see you, man.


I imagine Astra Exodus is pretty far along in development at this point (otherwise it wouldn't already be in beta). Presuming that's indeed the case, I'm guessing that -- for better or worse -- we won't see much influence from Armada 2526 or Distant Worlds (especially in terms of game design, mechanics, etc.) unless the developer has already played either/both of those games.

AtomicKaiser: Thoughts? What other 4x/strategy games have influenced you?

My main inspirations for the game, besides anything moo related, are Pax Imperia 2 and Star Wars Rebellion. I have also drawn some inspiration from the civilization series in some things, specially from Civ3 which is my favourite. The idea behind the game is to be like a love letter to the genre, improving upon the best the classics have to offer, that's why it has that kind of retro vibe both visually and gameplay wise.

[Troy_Costisick]

The one thing new versions of old games will never be able to capture is just how young and naive we were back then. When we opened MoO or MoM for the first time, started exploring its worlds, and struggling to master its systems, we had no idea what we were doing. Everything was fresh and new and exciting. It's impossible for a new game to recapture that because we, the players, have all changed. We have age, experience, modern ideas, and so much more. Our younger selves had none of that. So, I don't think it's possible for any game to "truly recapture" the experiences we had when we were young. We're just not capable of having those experiences with anything that isn't completely original.

[Chris0War]

The one thing new versions of old games will never be able to capture is just how young and naive we were back then. When we opened MoO or MoM for the first time, started exploring its worlds, and struggling to master its systems, we had no idea what we were doing. Everything was fresh and new and exciting. It's impossible for a new game to recapture that because we, the players, have all changed. We have age, experience, modern ideas, and so much more. Our younger selves had none of that. So, I don't think it's possible for any game to "truly recapture" the experiences we had when we were young. We're just not capable of having those experiences with anything that isn't completely original.

Well i'm not sure i can agree with this statement.
probably you are someone who would giggle if you'd were sitting next to me while i played my first 300 turns in Interstellar space: genesis
I do have to add that currently i'm playing with a whole less agression then my younger self.. back then life was easy... If you wanted territory you just sneaked all your assault forces into place and started conquering without any prior warning.
These days its more like... yea i know i am last on the standings but.. that is a nice play too you know.