{"id":4114,"date":"2011-04-19T19:38:06","date_gmt":"2011-04-19T23:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spacesector.com\/blog\/?p=4114"},"modified":"2012-11-02T07:29:02","modified_gmt":"2012-11-02T11:29:02","slug":"starbase-orion-master-of-orion-2-with-better-multiplayer-for-ios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spacesector.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/starbase-orion-master-of-orion-2-with-better-multiplayer-for-ios\/","title":{"rendered":"Starbase Orion: Master of Orion 2 with Better Multiplayer for iOS"},"content":{"rendered":"

I will never forget a sentence said by a 4x sci-fi strategy gamer one day (in the Galactic Civilizations forums, zigzag was his name) that described what he wanted to see next (and play next) in terms of 4x sci-fi gaming. He said something like this “Really, I just want Master of Orion 2 with better AI, graphics and LAN support<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

I knew what he meant by then, but I found it a bit retro to always mention MOO2, especially in terms of future games. The more time passes the more I see the truth of his sentence.<\/p>\n

I’m running a poll this month to assess if this is how people feel in general. I’m interested to know what do you guys think. I’m a MOO2 fan(natic), I would love to see a new sequel come to life. But this is a topic for another time, now it’s time to present Starbase Orion. You’ll see why I brought MOO2 up.<\/p>\n

Starbase Orion<\/h3>\n

Two days ago (17th April 2011) Chimera Software<\/a>, an independent publishing software company headquartered in Atlanta GA, announced Starbase Orion, a 4X Turn-Based Space Strategy game for the iOS device family (iPad, IPhone, iPod Touch).<\/p>\n

I knew about Starbase Orion because Chimera announced their press release on the Space Sector’s forums<\/a> (if you have your sci-fi strategy game project this is a good place to spread the word).<\/p>\n

Master of Orion 2 … With Better Multiplayer<\/h3>\n

According to Chimera’s Vision statement, Starbase Orion will “retain the classic turn-based gameplay of Master of Orion 2 while embracing the simplicity and multiplayer experience<\/em> of Warcraft III”. They explain in detail what they mean by that in their vision statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chimera’s Software says that “(their) biggest disappointment with Master of Orion II is the multiplayer support (…) the hassle and time commitment you need to share the game experience with others is substantial<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

Chimera wants to improve the multiplayer experience of 4x Sci-fi TBS games by “make it dead simple to find other people to play with, matches lasting 30-60 minutes. Long enough to have some great battles, yet short enough to get one or two in before bedtime<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

This sounds pretty good to me, let’s see how they pull it of.<\/p>\n

Starbase Orion Main Features<\/h3>\n

Taken from Chimera’s Software Press Release<\/a>.<\/p>\n