Master of Orion 296400 225208872 2008-07-12T13:49:23Z Gaius Cornelius 293907 Tidy, typos fixed: capabilites → capabilities using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{Infobox VG |title = Master of Orion |image = [[Image:Master of Orion cover.jpg|250px]] |developer = [[Simtex]] |publisher = [[MicroProse]] |released = [[1993 in video gaming|1993]] |genre = [[Turn-based strategy]] |modes = [[Single player]] |platforms = [[MS-DOS]], [[Apple Macintosh]] }} '''''Master of Orion''''' ('''''MoO''''' or '''''MOO''''') is a [[turn-based]], [[4X]] [[science fiction]] [[computer strategy game]] released in [[1993 in video gaming|1993]] by [[MicroProse]] on the [[MS-DOS]] and [[Mac OS]] operating systems. The purpose of the game is to lead one of ten races to dominate the galaxy through a combination of [[diplomacy]] and [[Right of conquest|conquest]] while developing technology, exploring and [[Space colonization|colonizing]] star systems. The game uses a [[point-and-click]] interface as well as [[keyboard shortcut]]s to control the management of colonies, technology, ship construction, diplomacy and combat. The name is a reference to the [[#The Orions|Orion system]], the conquerable homeworld of a mythical race that once controlled the galaxy. Two sequels were created, (''[[Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares]]'' in 1996 and ''[[Master of Orion III]]'' in 2003) as well as the [[open source]] freeware [[FreeOrion]] which is loosely based on the series. A prototype was developed under the name ''Star Lords'' though it was only released as [[freeware]] in 2001 as part of the promotion for ''MoO III''. ''Master of Orion'' was well received, and is a member of [[GameSpy]]'s Hall of Fame and [[GameSpot]] Greatest Games of All Time. ==Development== ''Master of Orion'' is a significantly expanded and refined version of the [[prototype]]/[[prequel]] program [[#Prequel|Star Lords]]. [[Steve Barcia]]'s game development company [[Simtex]] demonstrated ''Star Lords'' to [[MicroProse]] and gaming journalist [[Alan Emrich]] who, along with Tom Hughes, assisted Barcia in refining the design to produce ''Master of Orion'';<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moo3.quicksilver.com/game/history.html |title=Master of Orion: The History of a Game Series - One Man's Telling of a Cosmic Tale|last=Emrich|first=A|accessdate=2008-05-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/star-lords/|title=Star Lords|publisher= [[MobyGames]] |accessdate=2008-05-15}}</ref> in fact the game's manual thanks them for their contributions.<ref name="manual" /> Emrich and Hughes later wrote the strategy guide for the finished product. MicroProse published the final version of the game in [[1993 in video gaming|1993]]. Emrich coined the term "[[4X]] game" (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) to describe the game in a preview,<ref name="Emrich1993" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/interviews/february02/moo3/|title=Master of Orion III &ndash; Developer Chat|last=Quick|first=D|date=2002-02-01|publisher=[[GameSpy]]|accessdate=2008-05-15}}</ref> though ''Master of Orion'' was not the first in this genre - ''[[Civilization (computer game)| Civilization]]'' was published in 1991 and ''[[Reach for the Stars (computer game)|Reach for the Stars]]'' in the early 1980s. === Reception === ''Master of Orion'' was very well received upon its release, and is a member of both [[GameSpy]]'s Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/halloffame/january01/moo/|title=Gamespy: Master of Orion|last=Fudge|first=J|date=2001-01-01|publisher=[[GameSpy]]|accessdate=2008-05-15}}</ref> and [[GameSpot]]'s list of the Greatest Games of All Time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6132108/index.html|title=Ridding the Galaxy of Klackons, One Solar System at a Time - Master of Orion|last=Ocampo|first=J|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|accessdate=2008-05-15}}</ref> ==System environment== ''Master of Orion'' does not offer a multi-player mode, only contests against [[AI]] opponents on the user's computer. The game runs under [[MS-DOS]] or [[Mac OS]]. The MS-DOS version uses [[memory management]] techniques which are incompatible with [[Windows 95]], [[Windows NT]] and their descendants including [[Windows XP]] and [[Windows Vista]]. The program can be run on these operating systems by altering some software configuration parameters to create a customized MS-DOS environment, but this presents some risks if done incorrectly.<ref name="jonsullivanMooMisc">{{ cite web | url=http://www.jonsullivan.com/misc/moo.php | title=Jon's MOO I Resources }}</ref> The game can also be run via the [[DOSBox]] [[emulator]], which runs as a Windows application, avoiding the need to customize operating system parameters and allowing the use of normal Windows facilities such as [[ALT-TAB]] [[task switching]]. DOSBox uses significant amounts of [[Random access memory|RAM]] and [[Central processing unit|CPU]] power to emulate MS-DOS and may be rather slow on older computers (built much before 2004).<ref name=SirianMOODOSbox>{{ cite web | url=http://www.warpcore.org/~sirian/moo1/dosbox.html | title = Sirian's Master of Orion Page - About DOSbox | accessdate=2008-06-04 }}</ref> [[Linux]] users can also use DOSBox to run MS-DOS programs.<ref>{{ cite web | url=http://www.happypenguin.org/show?DOSbox | title=The Linux Game Tome: DOSbox | accessdate=2008-06-04 }}</ref> The game was distributed on 4 [[floppy disk]]s and uses a 320x200 [[pixel]], [[8-bit color|256 color]] screen; sound is limited to weapons effects and a small number of [[Musical Instrument Digital Interface|MIDI]] tunes. ==Gameplay== [[Image:orion 000.png|200px|thumb|right|The main screen showing star names (color-coded by empire) and ship movement (red lines indicate enemy fleets, blue indicate friendly). Planetary management controls are displayed on the right.]] ''Master of Orion'' is a [[turn-based game]] in which players alternate actions and decisions with computer-controlled opponents. Control is primarily [[point-and-click]]; the original version was exclusively mouse-drive but a [[Patch (computing)|patch]] later allowed the use of [[hot keys]] to access many functions.<ref name="jonsullivanMooResources">{{ cite web | url=http://www.jonsullivan.com/misc/moo.php | title=Jon's MOO I Resources | accessdate=2008-05-21}}</ref> The main screen is a scrollable map of the galaxy; clicking on a system makes the rightmost part of the main screen displays information about the planet there: if the player has a colony there, controls to allocate its output; if another empire owns it, its current and maximum population; if the player has not explored the system, the word "unexplored" appears. Buttons lining the bottom of the screen access controls for other aspects of the game.<ref name="manual" /> There is a separate space combat map, and additional screens for managing research, diplomacy and espionage. The diplomacy and espionage screen acts partly as a menu that provides access to screens about specific aspects. There is also a Planets List screen that can be used in managing an empires's economy.<ref name="manual" /> Lockable sliders are used to allocate a colony's output between ship construction, planetary defenses, factory construction, ecology or research. The technology screen uses a similar set of lockable sliders to allocate research spending between the 6 technology areas.<ref name="manual" /> ===Overview=== {{cquote|The loremasters call it Orion and it is written in legend that he who masters Orion masters the universe.}} The game begins with a single colonized home world and two scout ships that can be used to explore nearby stars. As the game progresses, new worlds are discovered, other races encountered, worlds colonized and wars fought. Despite their different backgrounds and homeworlds, all races possess legends of the ''Orions'', a master race that once controlled the galaxy, and their protected homeworld containing powerful secrets and technology. The homeworld is found in the Orion star system and is defended by a powerful robotic starship, the Guardian. ===Victory conditions=== Victory is gained either by eliminating all opponents or by being elected supreme leader of the galaxy at a meeting of the High Council. Elections are held every 25 turns after two-thirds of the planets in the galaxy have been colonized, and each empire's voting strength depends on its population. To be elected High Master, an empire's leader must gain at least two-thirds of all available votes, with [[abstention]]s counting as a vote against both [[candidate]]s. Some combination of conquest and diplomacy is necessary in order to gain such a large majority. Once a High Master is elected the other races can accept the result or challenge it; the latter results in a "Final War" that is fought to the death between the High Master's supporters and the dissidents.<ref name="manual">{{cite book |url=http://www.jonsullivan.com/misc/moo.pdf| title=Master of Orion - Game manual|last=Barcia|first=S|date=1993|publisher=[[MicroProse]]|language=English| accessdate=2008-05-21}}</ref> Despite the game's name, conquering the Orion star system is neither necessary nor sufficient on its own to win the game. The planet in the Orion system is unusually large and extremely valuable, since [[Cultural artifact|artifacts]] left by its former inhabitants give its conqueror some very advanced military technologies, one of which players cannot research for themselves, and a colony there will be four times more productive in research than on most other planets. Other races are also more likely to support the empire that holds Orion during High Council elections. In order to colonize Orion or capture its technology one must destroy the Guardian, a far more powerful warship than any that players can build.<ref name="manual" /><ref>{{ cite web | url=http://www.warpcore.org/~sirian/moo1/tutorial/tut-14.html | title=Sirian's Tutorial - Orion | accessdate=2008-05-21}}</ref> ===Economics=== All of a colony's outputs are based on its industrial [[production]], including research. All citizens are capable of industrial production, but are significantly more productive when assisted by factories.<ref name="MOOColonistsAndFactories">Each colonist produces 0.5 unit of production per turn without the assistance of factories; except that Klackons produce 1 unit of production per turn without factories. As a result the Klackons can make new colonies productive much faster than other races, and also have some advantage at highly-industrialized colonies. Each factory produces 2 units of production per turn.{{cite web | url = http://www.warpcore.org/~sirian/moo1/strong-races.html | title = Master of Orion: The Strong Races | publisher = sirian.com | accessdate = 2008-05-15}}</ref> There is a limit on the number of factories a unit of population (notionally 1M individuals) can operate, but players can increase this by researching and building upgrades. The cost of upgrades rises rapidly unless the player first researches technologies that reduce factory costs.<ref name="manual" /> Players can allocate a planet's industrial output for several purposes - building or upgrading factories, building or upgrading a planet's shields and missile bases, research, spaceship construction and [[ecology]] (pollution control, terraforming, increasing population growth). A planet's output can also be directed (with a 50% penalty) to the planetary reserve ([[treasury]]), which can be used to boost the output of other planets.<ref name="manual" /> Production also creates pollution, which must be cleaned up by diverting resources from other purposes and acts as a serious constraint on economic growth in the early game. Various technologies reduce the cost of clean up to the point that pollution may not a significant factor in later stages. Players must also pay maintenance costs for ships, missile bases and spies, which is a percentage tax that is applied to production at all colonies; players cannot control how this burden is allocated between colonies.<ref name="manual" /> ===Planets=== The software generates a map randomly at the start of each game; the player's only influence over the map generator is the ability to choose the size of the galaxy and the number of AI opponents. Star systems have at most one colonizable planet and a few have none. Planets vary by size, type, habitability, mineral wealth and the presence of artifacts: {| align="right" border="1" | cellspacing="0" | cellpadding="5" | width="200" | style="margin-left:5px" | ''Mineral wealth'' || ''Productivity in factory, defense and ship construction''<ref name="manual" /> |- | Ultra-poor || align="center" | 33% |- | Poor || align="center" | 50% |- | Normal || align="center" | 100% |- | Rich || align="center" | 200% |- | Ultra-rich || align="center" | 300% |} *Mineral wealth dramatically influences a colony's industrial productivity ''when building or upgrading factories, building or upgrading defenses and building ships''; mineral wealth has no impact on the productivity of research nor of ecological improvements ([[pollution]] control, [[terraforming]], etc.).<ref name="manual" /> *Size, which determines the planet's initial population capacity. This can be more than doubled by various kinds of terraforming.<ref name="manual" /><ref name="MooTerraforming">Planets can be upgraded in three ways: * [[Terraforming]] increases population capacity by a fixed amount for each tech level achieved, up to a maximum of 120 extra units. * Soil enrichment increases a planet's population capacity and growth rate but can not be used on hostile planets. The advanced version increases capacity by up to 50% of its initial value and doubles the rate of population growth. * Atmospheric terraforming converts hostile planets to normal ones, making soil enrichment possible there. Planet type does not affect the costs and benefits of terraforming and soil enrichment.</ref> * Habitability influences population growth rates: ''[[Fertility (soil)|fertile]]'' planets increase growth rates by 50% and ''[[Gaia]]'' planets by 100%, while ''hostile'' planets halve them. There are seven "normal" and six hostile planet types; the hostile types require increasingly advanced and technology to colonize,<ref name = manual/> which extends the exploration and colonization phases of ''MoO'' for much longer than in most [[4X]] games.<ref name="SirianMOOPlayer">{{ cite web | url = http://sirian.warpcore.org/moo1/player.html | title = Master of Orion - Sirian's Perspective: The Player | accessdate = 2008-05-21 | last = Thomas | first = B }}</ref> All planets can be upgraded to Gaia class with the appropriate technologies.<ref name = manual/><ref name="MooTerraforming" /> *Artifact worlds contain relics of a now-vanished advanced civilization. These double research productivity and usually provide a free technology advance to the first empire that discovers the planet, and double the research productivity of a colony there. On Orion the conquering race receives four technology advances and the research productivity of a colony there is quadrupled. ===Technology=== [[Technology]] can be acquired through research, trading, spying or conquest. There are six technology areas that can be researched to produce new advances:<ref name = manual/> #[[Computer]]s: spaceship systems that improve combat effectiveness; factory controls that increase the number of factories each colonist can operate; scanners that monitor the movements of other empires' ships and eventually can even "explore" planets remotely; and a weapon that can destroy other ships' computer systems. Computer technology advances also improve the effectiveness of spies in both offensive and defensive operations. #[[Construction]]: reductions in the cost of building and upgrading factories; reductions in pollution; improved spaceship [[armor]]; and self-repair systems for ships. #[[Force field (science fiction)|Force fields]]: [[Energy shield|protective shields]] for ships, planets and ground troops; devices that make it harder to hit the players' ships; and some special weapons. #[[Planetary science|Planetology]]: reductions in the cost of pollution control; colonization of hostile planets; [[terraforming]], which increases the maximum population of a planet; the ability to increase populations more efficiently; [[Biological warfare|biological weapon]]s and defenses against such weapons. #[[Vehicle propulsion|Propulsion]]: increases in the range and speed of starships; some special weapons and combat systems. Range increases are particularly important in the beginning of the game<ref>Game manual, p. 25.</ref> #[[Weapon]]s for use by ships, missile bases and ground troops. If a ship uses a component from a particular technology area, further advances in that area reduce the cost and size of the component; this effect is called "miniaturization". When one has researched all of the technologies in an area of the tech tree, further research can discover "advanced technologies" in that area, which do not provide specific new capabilities but increase the miniaturization of ship components.<ref name = manual/> Players can research several technologies at the same time, controlling the allocation of research resources by means of lockable sliders on the Technology screen. One will generally obtain more advances for a given expenditure by researching a few technologies at the same time than by spending all available resources on one technology at a time; except that in the very early stages splitting one's limited resources in this way would make achieving the first few advances a very slow process. There is a small random element in the number of turns required to achieve an advance; it may take one or two more or less than one would predict on the basis of simple arithmetic.<ref name = manual/> In each game each player is allowed to see a different random subset of the technologies at each level.<ref name = manual/> On the other hand there are often alternative technologies that provide similar benefits. These features force players to adapt rather than follow the same favorite research strategy in each game.<ref name="SirianMOOPlayer"/> One can also make up for any important gaps by spying, technology trading or conquest.<ref name = manual/> ===Spaceship design=== [[Image:orion 006.png|320px|thumb|right|The ship design screen showing the selection of hull sizes and components.]] Ships can be used to colonize planets, scout for planets worth colonizing, attack other races and defend against attacks. Only six ship designs can be used at a time; a previous slot must be emptied (and all ships of that class scrapped) before a new class can be designed. Ships cannot be upgraded or refitted with new technology; the exceptions are discoveries that increase travel or scanning range, which automatically affect all ships.<ref name="manual" /> There are four hull sizes; smaller sizes are harder to hit while larger ships can survive more damage and hold more components. There are eight types of components, each with different effects:<ref name="manual" /> #Battle computers increase the chance of a beam weapon hitting and damaging a target #[[Energy shield|Shields]] reduce the damage done by opponents' weapons #[[Electronic countermeasures]] reduce the risk of being hit by [[missile]]s #[[Armor]] determines the amount of damage a ship of a given hull size can withstand before being destroyed #Engines power on-board systems, determine the speed of interstellar travel and a ship's maximum maneuverability during combat #Combat maneuverability determines how fast a ship can move during battle and how hard it is to hit; maximum maneuverability is determined by the engine type used #Weapons, being missiles, beams, bombs and biological weapons (biological weapons reduce a colony's population without damaging buildings) #Special systems which have varying effects: improve a ship's range or maneuverability; improve weapon accuracy or range; provide defensive, offensive, repair or sensing advantages; a few "special" weapons, some of which affect whole stacks of enemy ships; colony bases are also considered special systems ===Space combat and invasions === [[Image:orion 001.png|320px|thumb|right|Space combat screen. The numbers beside the ship icons show how many ships are in each stack.]] Ships can travel to any star system within their range and combat always occurs in [[orbit]] over a planet - it is impossible to intercept enemy ships in deep space. All ships of the same class form a single stack, moving and firing as a unit. Players can control space combat manually or ask the software to resolve combat automatically.<ref name="manual" /> Battles are almost always decided by numbers and technology rather than by clever tactics.<ref name="SirianMOOPlayer" /> If the attacking player wins the space combat, the attacker may bomb the colony and, if invasion ships are present, they will try to invade it. Invading without destroying all defending ships and missile bases will result in the loss of some or all the invading ground forces and hostile planets can not be invaded unless attackers have the level of technology that allows them to colonize the same type of planet.<ref name="manual" /> There are no specialist invasion ships, invading forces are drawn from the population of one or more colonies, which reduces the population of the planet(s) from which they are sent.<ref name="manual" /> Invasions are depicted in [[Real-time computing|real-time]] but players cannot control combat. Results depend on numbers, technology and (if one of the races involved is Bulrathi) racial ground combat bonus.<ref name="manual" /> Invasion is expensive,<ref name="Emrich1993">{{cite news | last = Emrich | first = Alan | title = MicroProse' Strategic Space Opera is Rated XXXX | language = English | publisher = Computer Gaming World (Issue #110) | date = 1993-09 | accessdate = 2008-05-21 }}</ref> but usually provides worthwhile advantages if successful: the production capacity of any remaining factories, [[Looting| plundering]] of technologies if enough factories survived the attack, and control over a new system that extends the range of the invader's ships. A successful invasion exterminates the previous inhabitants and the surviving troops form the planet's new population.<ref name="manual" /> ===Races and diplomacy=== ''Master of Orion'' has ten playable, pre-defined races that can not be customized (a feature available in sequels). Each race has a leader that players interact with and a default relationship with the other races that they will drift towards if not prompted by the actions of other leaders. Leaders each have a [[personality]] and determines interactions during diplomatic situations and objectives that influences their allocation of resources. Personality types include ruthless, aggressive, [[Xenophobia|xenophobic]], [[honour]]able, [[Pacifism|pacifist]] and erratic and objectives include diplomacy, military, technology, ecology, industry and expansion. Though each game will vary, race tends towards specific combinations of personality and objective and tendencies will rarely be diametrically opposed to a natural inclination. Leaders also adjust their behavior according to past actions taken by other leaders, even if they are towards another race ([[genocide]], for example, causes all leaders to react negatively). A wide variety of [[Diplomacy|diplomatic actions]] can occur between races including giving gifts, trading, paying tribute, spying, sabotage, alliances and wars. Finally, races possess an advantage in one area of the game mechanics and technology and some possess disadvantages.<ref>Table information from: * {{cite web | url = http://www.moo3.at/moo1/races.php | accessdate = 2008-05-15 | title = Master of Orion I - Races | publisher = [[Quicksilver (software)|Quicksilver software]] }} *{{cite web | url = http://www.warpcore.org/~sirian/moo1/weak-races.html | title = Master of Orion: The Weak Races | publisher = sirian.com | accessdate = 2008-05-15}} *{{cite web | url = http://www.warpcore.org/~sirian/moo1/strong-races.html | title = Master of Orion: The Strong Races | publisher = sirian.com | accessdate = 2008-05-15}} *{{cite web | url = http://www.warpcore.org/~sirian/moo1/average-races.html | title = Master of Orion: The Average Races | publisher = sirian.com | accessdate = 2008-05-15}} * ''Master of Orion'' [http://www.jonsullivan.com/misc/moo.pdf game manual], p. 43</ref> {| class="wikitable" border="1" class="sortable" !width="5%" bgcolor="silver" | Race !width="8%" bgcolor="silver" | Species type !width="10%" bgcolor="silver" | Advantage !width="10%" bgcolor="silver" | Technological advantage !width="8%" bgcolor="silver" | Technological disadvantage !width="14%" bgcolor="silver" | Diplomatic tendency |-style="height:50px" align = "left" | Klackon || [[Insect]]oid || Superior worker production || Construction (excellent) || Propulsion (poor) || Xenophobic industrialists |-style="height:50px" align="left" | Meklar || [[Robot|Mechanoid]] || Superior factory production || Computers (excellent) || Planetology (poor) || Erratic industrialists |-style="height:50px" align="left" | Sakkra || [[Sauria]]n || High population growth || Planetology (excellent) || None || Aggressive expansionists |-style="height:50px" align="left" | Psilon || [[Humanoid]] || Superior research techniques || All (good) || None || Pacifistic technologists |-style="height:50px" align="left" | Mrrshans || [[Feline]] || Hit/damage bonus in space combat || Weapons (excellent) || Construction (poor) || Ruthless militarists |-style="height:50px" align="left" | Alkari || [[Avians|Avian]] || Superior space pilots || Propulsion (excellent) || Force fields (poor) || Honorable militarists |-style="height:50px" align="left" | Bulrathi || [[Bear|Ursoid]] || Superior ground combat || Construction (good), weapons (good) || Computers (poor) || Aggressive ecologists |-style="height:50px" align="left" | Humans || [[Human]] || Superior diplomats and traders || Force fields (excellent), planetology (good), propulsion (good) || None || Honorable diplomacy |-style="height:50px" align="left" | Silicoid || [[Alternative_biochemistry#Silicon_biochemistry|Geodic]] || Ignore pollution and planet hostility* || Computers (good) || All other areas (poor) || Xenophobic expansionists |-style="height:50px" align="left" | Darlock || [[Humanoid]] || Superior [[Spy|spies]] and [[Sabotage|saboteurs]] || Computers (good) || None || Aggressive diplomats |} <nowiki>*</nowiki> <small>Silicoids population growth is 50% slower than most races and 25% that of the Sakkra.</small> ===Random events=== ''Master of Orion'' will sometimes produce random events which can be harmful or advantageous. Random events include discovery of ancient ships and technology, changes to planetary conditions that alter the planet's population or mineral richness, diplomatic blunders, changes to research, industry or treasury production, planetary rebellion, space [[piracy]] and attacks by space monsters that can destroy colonies. Random events can be disabled by means of a [[cheat code]].<ref name="jonsullivanMooMisc" /> ==Prequel== ''Master of Orion'' is based on its prequel game ''Star Lords'', often called ''Master of Orion 0'' by fans.<ref name = QS>{{cite web | url = http://moo3.quicksilver.com/game/starlords.html | title = Master of Orion: The History of a Game Series — Star Lords | accessdate = 2008-05-15 | publisher = [[Quicksilver (software)|Quicksilver software]] | year = 2001}}</ref> ''Star Lords'' was a prototype and never commercially released (its intro opens with "SimTex Software and Your Company present"). The crude but fully-playable prototype was made available as [[freeware]] in 2001, stripped of all documentation and [[copy protection]], in anticipation of the launch of ''Master of Orion 3''.<ref name = QS/> Major differences between ''Star Lords'' and ''Master of Orion I'' include inferior graphics and interface, simpler trade and diplomacy, undirected research, a lack of safeguards to prevent players from building more factories than are usable and the use of transports rather than colony ships to colonize new planets. One feature of ''Star Lords'' that ''Master of Orion'' lacks is a table of relations between the computer-controlled races. The game is available for download on [[FilePlanet]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.fileplanet.com/44749/40000/fileinfo/Star-Lords | title = Star Lords Info | publisher = fileplanet.com | accessdate = 2008-05-15 | date = 2002-06-06}}</ref> and the home page for ''Master of Orion III''.<ref name = QS/> ==Sequels== Two commercial sequels to ''Master of Orion'' have been released, ''[[Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares]]'' and ''[[Master of Orion III]]''. The sequels are significantly more advanced in graphics and sound but feature large differences in gameplay, with some players claiming the original game remains the best version of the three.<ref name="SirianMOO">{{cite web | url = http://sirian.warpcore.org/moo1/index.html | title = Sirian's ''Master of Orion'' Page | accessdate = 2008-05-15 }}</ref><ref name="jonsullivanMooMisc" /> ''[[FreeOrion]]'' is an [[open source]], [[freeware]] game inspired by ''Master of Orion'' that has numerous similarities to games in the ''Master of Orion'' series. == References == {{reflist}} == External links == * [http://sirian.warpcore.org/moo1/index.html Sirian's ''Master of Orion'' Page] includes resources and full game narrations for the first Master of Orion * [http://www.jonsullivan.com/misc/moo.php Jon Sullivan's MOO I Resources page] hosts information and downloads for this game including the game {{PDF|[http://www.jonsullivan.com/misc/moo.pdf manual]|962&nbsp;KB}} {{Master of Orion series}} [[Category:1993 video games]] [[Category:4X video games]] [[Category:MicroProse games]] [[Category:DOS games]] [[Category:Science fiction video games]] [[Category:Turn-based strategy video games]] [[Category:Games about extraterrestrial life]] [[Category:Space operas]] [[de:Master of Orion]] [[es:Master of Orion]] [[ko:마스터 오브 오리온]] [[he:Master of Orion]] [[pl:Master of Orion]] [[ru:Master of Orion]] [[fi:Master of Orion]] [[tr:Master of Orion]]