Universal Starbase Orion - (by Chimera Software)

I will review this. I don't believe it is an inherent limitation in GameCenter, so I should be able to improve upon it.

 

Phew. You just saved my happy-go-lucky new love affair with iOS 5 from quickly plummeting into bitter distaste and contempt Do you know if developers can choose custom sounds for their turn notifications (as is often used in custom asynchronous engines for iOS), or are you stuck with the GameCenter trumpet?

I can also confirm that when iCloud is used in the manner that Starbase Orion does, app data IS retained after deleting the app! For allt those of us who have wished that we could delete a large game to make room for more HD video when out and about, but have refrained from doing so as to not lose our game progress, this is *great* news!

I've no idea what's up with TA. I have asked them several times now to do a review on Starbase Orion, a game they wrote absolutely nothing about during the development process, in spite of having access to direct dev updates in these forums, but so far, lots about Siegecraft and Warm Gun, but no 4X love...

 

To start with I'm really enjoying the game...bringing back many good memories of MoO1/2.

Now for some questions:
I'm sure I must simply be missing it somehow, but how do you build more colony ships? I can't find one anywhere in the build menu...closest I can find is the troop transport. It also doesn't show up in the ship design screen either.

Is there anyway to retreat a ship when encountering hostiles on planet exploration? On the star map it only will let me select the star system not the ship. Once battle commences there also does not seem to be a retreat tactical option (which I think should be there as retreating is a valid tactic )

 

And to continue the happiness, I just fixed this for v1.0.3

If the app is closed and you open it with a turn notification, it will open into the match when the app opens.

If the app is already open (say, you're in the middle of another match) you will get the standard banner notification.

This is a feature which has been requested to Apple by a number of devs, but is not yet available.

 

Thanks for this; the getting for food for planets is definitely the most common question so far.

The Cyban are very green, they run on bio-fuel

 

Scroll down in the SPECIAL tab on the build screen.

 

Even a good 10-15min tutorial video explaining the basic game mechanics would do wonders for this game

 

Yes, please.

I don't want to rate the game on iTunes 'til I at least know how to play it. The in-game help doesn't help!

 

How about the ability to upgrade ships and decommission them, also need some planet buster tech. Or just plain more tech. I finished the entire tech tree in a 60ish minute game.

This is a great game. With some tweaks, it'll be absolutely awesome! As it stands, I think you guys raised the bar for iOS gaming. This app would have been worth it at twice the price.

Btw, you guys also did an amazing job making the interface work well on the iPad and iPhone screens. It's equally playable on both, which is rather impressive.

What's up next? Master of Magic? Count me in. You guys are a developer to watch!

 

You can scrap ships for credits by tapping on them in the Military view.

Feel free to post ideas for new tech here.

Thanks!

 

I seem to not be seeing the play/pause button on the battle screen. Am I missing it somehow?

Thanks And great game.

 

I'm a big fan of turn based strategy games but have never tried a 4x game in the past. Is this game somewhat friendly to genre newcomers? Is the game more or less accessible than Ascendency? I have to admit I'm very intrigued.

 

When you first engage in combat, you can go in and set your orders. Then, after you hit turn on the galaxy screen, you can come back and view what happened previously.

 

A helpful user posted this over at the SO forums. Cross-posting here cause some might appreciate it (thanks bailknight!)

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bailknight:
OK. I`m generally not writer type and my english also not very good. But I`ll write some tutorial for early expansion and management for people who not cusom with this type of game and really need some general direction. It may not perfect but will enough for survive in easy difficulty.

1. First, Start new game with default setting (Medium/Single AI/Easy) and Choose race..in this case Human.

2.

This is what game looks like at beginning. I have a home system with multiple planet inside and handful of basic ships.
You`ll notice there are 2 scout frigates in fleet orbiting your homeworld. scouts have additional fuel so they can fly further from your colony then other ships in fleet.


When select a ship(or ships) you can see some of far stars from ship is fade out. they are out of reach for now. You can research fuel tech or add some extra fuel tank in there design to make ship fly further.


Let`s start with scouting surround systems to find some good planet for expand. select each scout ship from fleet and order to move nearest stars.

3. Now select a research project for scientist.

I choose hydroponics for gain extra food that make me convert surplus famers to worker or scientist for greater good

4. Let`s see Empire section.

It seems like I have 2 surplus food right now. What I need right now is more research power to make hydroponics research breakthrough quickly.

So I convert every worker to scientist on my home planet and trasfer 1 farmer to Rigel III as worker so It can build Research Center I(that improve my research rate) more fast.

About food...If a colony harvest more food then it needs surplus food will automatically transfer to other colonies that make less food then it`s demand. You can see this transfered food as darker food icon. Red food icon means shortage of food supply of course.
[hr]
5. Time to end my first turn! After a moment, turns are pass automatically untill something important happen. In this case my scout reach her destination.


A wormhole! You can move your ship through wormhole to it`s other end with single turn regardless how far it is.

Now time to scan some planet for colonize.

looks like this desert ball is suitable for my first colonization. It`s large size can hold multiple strutures for various improvement and populations(but it`s desert condition prevent maxium pop cap by 5 now) and have ok mineral capacity for start. Normal gravity means I`ll have no gravitiy penalty that reduce colony`s production capability.


Let`s send a Colony ship to colonize and wait some turns pass.


6.

While waiting one of my scout reach her destination and found some precious technology! I feel lucky from start.

7.

This system looks no use for me..Only two gas giants in orbit and they can`t colonized...at least now.

8

OK. Finally my colony ship enter Leo system. Let`s colonize Leo Prime now.

I have 1 surplus food and need some industrial boost for my new colony.

So I convert a farmer to a worker on my new colony for get some industrial output. There are no food produce in this colony now but surplus food from my homeplanet will transfer automatically.

9.

Thanks to my new colony, my ships can reach more stars from it`s vicinity now. Lets expand out scout range further.
[hr]
10. Turns passed and...WOW.

I got FREE COLONY! Now I feel I`m extreamly lucky.

But this happy event make my empire shortage of food thanks to huge number of people join us without prepare..

Let`s manage this food crisis by convert 1 scientist to worker in home planet Rigel Prime.

Now my empire have enough food for live. Thanks god.

11.

After Hydroponics researched, my nexy choice is Factories that will lead my empire to industrial revolution.
See the color button in tech list. When you research a tech from certain field, techs in that field lose some..interest point. When you lost all interest in certain tech they will disapear and replace by other tech. Green means you have fully interested in this tech. Yellow means moderate, and Red means you`ll lost this tech when you finish your next tech of that field.
In my case I`ll lose Advanced City Planning tech when I finish my factory project. I`m OK with that however.

12. Let`s build hydroponics on my worlds.

To accel build process I change a scientist to a worker.

13.

Another turns passed...WTH SPACE MONSTER! They`ll attack anything and mostly orbiting some valuable things..

in this time Precious metals.
Let`s look pre-battle preparation.

Looks like there are 4 dark matters exist and have some serious short range firepower.

There is no chance my scout ship survive this but at least I can try to set my ship evasive for some miracle happen. Poor soul. Go back and end turn.

14.

I lost my scout. I`ll revenge later.
[hr]
15.

To accelrate progress I spend some money on my hydroponics projects to make it build instantly. Usually you don`t need money for build something. That`s why industrial output is so important. More industrial output colony have it can make buildings and ships faster(and FREE or charge). But when you need something very fast you can put some money on it to build instantly.

16.

May be more money is better. After finishing research factories I choose Tax Collectors tech.

17.

Transfer some colonist from Rigel Prime to Leo Prime for accelerate building factory. It take some turns to transfer because they are not in same system.

Also set a colony to Economic fundings so it can produce extra money for use later.

18

Now time for more expand. Let`s start research Improved Fuel Cells for my ships!


That all for now. To be continued...may be when I have some serious free time to spend.

 

well, that is the nice info, bought the game.

 

It is VERY much like moo, although not as in-depth as moo2. It's a superb game. Well worth twice the cash.

 

Btw, I really like the time compression, and the stockpile build features...