See Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares FAQ, FAQ #2, FAQ #3, HEX-code, Hint, Cheat-code here!

Master of Orion II Guide/FAQ
Version 0.5 at Sunday March 25, 2001
By Boba Fett (B_Fett@angelfire.com)
...see "How to Contact Me"

Table of Contents

 1. General Strategies
 2. Stages of the Game
 3. Picks
 4. Basic Blitzing
 5. Ship Design
 6. Running Your Empire
 7. Advanced Blitzing
 8. Colonization - How To Get Started
 9. Military Tactics
10. Guardian
11. FAQ's
12. Version History
13. Credits
14. Copyright Information / Disclamer

Before we begin:

Master of Orion II was recently released by The Underdogs web-site (yes
- the one we've heard so much about lately) as an abandon-ware title.
This basically means that you can go to The Underdogs web-site and
freely download the complete version. Legality of this is a gray area so
just to be on the safe side I'm not going to post the link to it here
(which you probably had tattooed on your arm by now anyway :) ). But it
did introduced whole new generation to this brilliant game. So here it
is - New FAQ for The New Millenium (please DO tell me if it was too
cheesy...).

How to Contact Me

Use the e-mail above for large submission. For the quick question you
have better chance of finding me on Zsnes board (which I recently
colonized) at http://www.zsnes.com/board/index.htm as I don't check my
e-mail regularly.



========================================================================
=1. GENERAL STRATEGIES                                                 =
========================================================================


Against computer players, you always want to develop good relations with
that race immediately. The turn you come in contact with a race,
audience the computer race and give it several useless technologies,
such as death spores, bio-spheres, scout labs, and such. Any tech that
does not directly improve industry, food, research, or a ship's weapon,
shields, or armor should be considered when giving tech to a computer
player. I have found bribes to be effective only when a computer race is
in a bad position. When that happens, usually they become instant
butt-kissers to you. After you give the tech to the race, leave. Don't
form any treaties with that race immediately, especially if the race's
personality is xenophobic or erratic, since they tend to get
diplomatically pissed-off easily. The only time you should try to make a
treaty with a computer race the turn you meet them is if that race has a
pacifist personality. After you leave diplomatic contact with that race,
wait about ten turns, then audience them again. This time, ask for a
non-aggression pact. Almost always, except on impossible, the race
accepts the proposal. If they do not accept - wait ten more turns and
try again. After they accept, keep repeating the ten-turn wait until you
have all three treaties. NEVER get into an alliance with a computer
race, even if the race asking is big and powerful. The reason being is
that you very often are asked to declare war on a race, and only you
should make that decision. Refusal usually results in an immediate
canceling in the alliance and a big decline in race relations
(eventually leading to a contemptuous idiot that starts demanding
systems). The only time you ever want to get into an alliance with a
computer player is if you are in a war that you think you might not win.
Make sure that you get in good relations with all races that are not
repulsive. Races that are repulsive should be attacked as soon as you
have pollution processor. The reasons being is that repulsive races tend
to have killer race picks, and over time will usually become a powerful
race. And unless you're an incompetent idiot, you should have noticed by
now that a repulsive race with a big empire is usually not a Mr. Rogers
kind of neighbor.

Playing against human opponents is very tricky, considering how that
player uses that race directly corresponds to how patient and how
aggressive that player is. Against a player that tends to be reclusive,
colonize as many worlds as you can and put only the minimal industry and
defensive building on it. Your more advanced colonies should be
advancing your tech as fast as possible. When your fledgling colonies
have built all the industry modifying buildings put them into housing to
build up population. After the population has reached 1 minus the
population limit, start building ships. Playing against an aggressive
opponent, you must take in account what tech you and that player has. If
your tech and your fleet are greater than that of an aggressive player,
kill that player immediately. If the aggressive player is bigger,
stronger, and has better tech (usually the scenario if you happen to be
a reclusive type), research better armor a quickly as possible, for your
best bet in winning a war with a stronger race will be in having lots of
missile ships.



========================================================================
=2. STAGES OF THE GAME                                                 =
========================================================================


The game will have four basic parts: beginning, middle (when all races
have pollution processor), end (then all races are known, and at least
one has been eliminated), and advanced (when two or more races have
maximized out their tech in physics, fields and chemistry).

The beginning of the game is the MOST important part of the game, but
hopefully you already know that. When picking your race, keep in mind of
the game settings. For small universes, you will most likely win with a
race that has a research bonus. For huge universes, races must have a
balance in industry and tech, or the computer will run over your ass
before you have a good fleet.

Picking a race is one of the most important things that you will do in
the game, because the race picks often determine how you can play. I
often custom my race, because I have specific ways of playing the game,
depending on galaxy size and number of opponents. For small galaxies,
races with quick research are the most dangerous opponents. For larger
galaxies, your most dangerous opponent will be the 'quick build' race, a
race design specifically for having an explosion of industry when
research is lacking.



========================================================================
=3. PICKS                                                              =
========================================================================


...coming soon



========================================================================
=4. BASIC BLITZING                                                     =
========================================================================


In the beginning, you have two basic directions to go, depending on if
the game is set to advanced civilization or not. If the game is set to
pre-warp or average, you can do one of two things: try to do a research
blitz or try to do a colonizing blitz.

You will probably want to do the following in this order for a research
blitz: research e. computer, r. lab, h. farm, f. bays, a. factory,
freighters, build the factory and the farm, adjust population, build one
freighter fleet and one colony base if you can, research cloning center,
build it, research neural scanner, planetary s. computer, build the
computer, and at that point you can decide to go for autolab or either
start researching better weapons or start colonizing planets. If your
going for autolab, make sure you colonize all the planets in the
beginning system first, so that you will get extra food and research
from the h. farms and r. labs.

You will probably want to do the following in this order for a
colonizing blitz: research f. bays, a. factory, n. drive, freighters,
colony ship, standard fuel cell, then build the factory, freighter, one
scout, and all the colony ships you can. While you are building the
ships, have some of your population in research, and get the r. lab.
After you have the r. lab, get a better fuel cell.

It is also recommended to research the following tech first in order for
a successful game:

1. Research Lab - Gives you the early research you need to stay on equal
terms with you opponents (the computer usually researches this first
too)
2. Reinforced Hull - Gives extra protection for your star bases in case
of an early attack, and provided some extra insurance when attacking
planets with missile bases or fighter garrisons.
3. Automated Factories - More than doubles existing production, need I
say more?
4. Hydroponics Farm - Frees up one farmer to put to
research(recommended) or production if you prefer.
5. Neural Scanner - Gives a +10 spy bonus that makes stealing tech lot
easier if you opponent does not have this and can help defensive spies.
6. Supercomputer - This is the most important. If you assign most of
your population to research the supercomputer will help you bury your
opponents.

After you have achieved these technologies you should be ahead of or at
the very least equal to your opponents accelerated research. Now you can
quickly and easily research the following technologies that will
significantly increase the power of you ships.

1. Mass Driver - Class I Shield is so weak it is practically worthless.
2.Tritanium Armor - You can always steal the fuel cells and ships with
reinforced tritanium armor kill puny enemy ships that have only
titanium.
3. Fusion Beams - Fusion beams make much better point defense than
lasers.
4. Tachyon Communications - Gives extra command points for more ships
(has to be researched to get to neutron blasters)
5. Neutron Blasters - Kills marines and causes moderate damage making
ships easier to take over or destroy whatever your personality. I prefer
destroy.

In advanced civilizations, the first thing you want to do is the
obvious: look at what your colonies don't have, and build it. If the
systems you control have extra habitable planets that haven't been
colonized, colonize them immediately after the planet in that system has
an a. factory up. If you don't have a. factory, research it. If you
can't research it, seriously think about starting a new game. By the
time you get a. factory from any of the other races, they will have a
definite advantage over you, because I guarantee that the computer
players will trade that tech around with other computer players
immediately after the game starts.



========================================================================
=5. SHIP DESIGN                                                        =
========================================================================


Such infinite possibilities... In the beginning and even in the middle
of the game, the missile ship is a formidable weapon. Cheap but
powerful, it is ideal for emergencies and support in a fleet. Basic
design is to take a destroyer with a battle pod and put 2x missile racks
of mired nuclear micelles. The miry nukes are more damaging that any
missile, up until the murculite and the nuclear missile start to cost
the same, but at that point you should have a fleet of titans or doom
stars. The missile boat becomes especially useful when you have the
following tech: zortium armor, fast missile racks, battle pods, and
structural analyzer. This is a ship that can do between 300 to 600
damage in one combat turn, and with a bunch of these, you can definitely
smack the hell out of a target.

Your basic attack ship will be of the largest size you can build, fitted
with noting but heavy beam weapons. Unless your beam weapons suck,
always fit your ship with heavy armor, battle pods, maybe an ecm jammer
or a battle scanner, and as many of the second best HV modified beam
weapon, without any bombs or missiles. Use your second best beam weapon,
because usually you can do more damage with the increased number (it
would be a good idea to put a battle scanner on the ship). That only
applies when you have graviton beam and beyond.

A defender ship is a ship that you get with more advanced tech. It is a
ship that is meant to be targeted, and it is for destroying missiles
that are targeting other ships. Usually you can build this ship if you
have the creative ability, and it is great for small fleets. You fit a
cruiser with either inertia stabilizer or nullifier, multi-phase
shields, shield capacitors, augmented engines, and a lightning field if
you have it. It is also a good idea to put a battle scanner, heavy
armor, automated repair unit, and reinforced hull if you have those too.
The rest of the space should be filled with point defense mass drivers.

A capture ship is a cruiser fitted with a battle pod and all the assault
shuttles it can carry.



========================================================================
=6. RUNNING YOUR EMPIRE                                                =
========================================================================


Try to centralize everything. Make a few planets do nothing but
research, make a few do nothing but farming, and make a few do nothing
but build ships. Even though your empire might get hit hard if it losses
its farming planet, but if you centralize everything, production and
research tend to go faster.

Hit system with monsters as soon as you have deuterium fuel cells and
battle pods, since most monsters do not survive the attack of 4 or 5
missile ships. Kill the guardian as soon as you can. If you are attack
by an antaren ship(s), try to build or refit ships with assault
shuttles. Most of the time you never capture a ship, but when you do,
you get a good ship that can be scraped for great tech.

Late in the game, if you have creative, you will have sufficient tech to
build 2 rare ship designs, the stealth ship and the drone. A drone is a
frigate fitted with a phasing cloak, a wide-area ecm jammer, and a warp
dissipitator. A stealth ship is basically an attack ship fitted with a
phasing cloak. Place several drones through out the enemy empire to
monitor their actions secretly.

THE TWO ROUTES TO SUCCESS

There are two possible routes to success in a game like MOOII -- long
term and short term. The long term almost guarantees a victory as long
as you can survive the initial onslaught offered by the short term
empires. Vice versa goes for the short term. Here's the description for
both strategies

THE LONG WAY TO VICTORY

First of all, you have to be playing a long term race. The best built in
races for this are the Meklars and the Psilons. The Psilons' Creativity
allow them to create killer fleets late in the game which no other race
can match, while the Meklars' production bonus allow them to get an
early start on colonization which allows them to offset any opponents'
advantages by sheer number of workforce

The idea is to keep your empire out of trouble until you have amassed a
big enough force to destroy everyone else. This works very well in
Pre-Warp civilizations with the largest galaxies -- this will give you
more than enough time to use your racial advantages to it's fullest.

FAST AND FURIOUS

This strategy is a good one and it allows you to play several games
within the timespan it takes to play a Long-term game. (Not as enjoyable
though, IMHO) The races best for this are the Mrrshans and the Elerians,
the warrior races. The Mrrshans have the Warlord ability, which allows
them to build more ships without experiencing maintenance problems,
plus, those ships start out one level higher than norms allowing you to
pump out Veteran crew with each ship. (Assuming you have the Space
Academy) The Elerians on the other hand, can build ships very quickly
due to their Feudalistic govt. and they don't need to bother with
Transports -- just Mind Control every colony you come across!

As you may have concluded from reading the paragraph above, the idea is
to churn out several ships, then seek and destroy everybody you come
across before the long term races can "set up". Hunting is easier on
small galaxies, and you deny the LT races the time to set up by choosing
Advanced Civilization.



========================================================================
=7. ADVANCED BLITZING                                                  =
========================================================================


Against merely impossible-level computer players, blitzing is a
virtually guaranteed win even in a huge universe.

Last weekend, I practiced blitzing in Impossible/Large/Average Age/8
Empire/Pre-warp universes with a Uni/Tel/AHW/RHW/LHW/Ship Attack +20
combo against the standard races. Until I grew very tired, I won by
conquest in every game by turn 190 to 210. Of course I refused a win by
vote at a much earlier stage.

In a huge universe, I think the most powerful combo is
Unif/Tele/Omni/AHW/RHW. Usually I don't pick Omni, but for QEC yes maybe
it's worth it. To blitz Tolerant, Lithovore, Subterranean, High
Population Growth, Creative, Science +2, Industry +2 races might be
difficult, yes. You certainly wouldn't want one of those for an initial
eighbor: I had enough trouble fending off aggro Psilons when Mentar
started off within Deuterium distance - they always seemed to have
Tritanium Heavy Armor and maybe Missile Bases by the time I reached them
(turn 60 odd), and soon they'd retaliate with a Battleship of their own.

Against humans, I KNOW that good human players can defend against
blitzing, even in small galaxies, and your best chance in blitzing
humans is to find someone who has adopted a rapid expansion strategy
(i.e. Unified/Tolerant), and eat them a bite at a time.

There seems little more to learn from the AI's strategies. Against
impossible-level computer players, here is the drill to win:

During all research, I will generally research until between 25 - 50%
chance of breakthrough, and then shift EVERYONE to production. Even if
you have NOBODY researching and 0 RP, you still get the accumulated

probability each turn.

So I keep only one person on production until the research has a decent
chance of breakthrough (25-50%), then I shift everybody to production
until the breakthrough occurs, then I shift all but one person back to
research. Anyway, with this prelude, here is the process.

1. Keep one person on production at all times, accumulating resources
for when you want them.
2. First research Computers and Research Labs, and build a lab.
3. Then research Reinforced Hull and Factories, and build a factory.
4. Then research Power and Chemistry.
5. Build a scout to poke around. The range with ext. fuel cells will be
exactly the same as you will have after researching Duet, so you can
plan your outposts. Make the scout with ext. fuel and reinforced hull,
but no weapons.
6. Research Deut. fuel.
7. Research outposts.
8. Build a string of outposts to your target race. Pick a good slave
race for your first target: tolerant, etc., and pick somone fairly
close. (I will go further for a good slave race rather than hit a closer
race that is not as good.) Sakkra, Silicoid, Klackon, Trilarian have
served well.
9, Upon building your last outpost, you will know how far it is to the
target, i.e. whether your cruiser will need

ext. fuel cellsand what technology your target has, so how much
firepower you will need to defeat him.
10. Build one or two missile cruisers as necessary, ALONG with your

weaponless scout. You will have to judge based on the technology of your

target whether you need to research level 3 chemistry in order to get
MIRV nukes (more than 2x as effective). Use hit and run. When attacking,
move your scout back to the rear corner as quickly as

possible. [Fire] both volleys of missiles from your Cruiser(s), and So
that's two salvos of as many missiles as will fit.

then retreat your Cruiser(s). Having the scout staying around will
ensure that all of your missiles hit.
11, Attack and conquer slave race. With a good slave race, you can move
nearly all manufacturing to slave race (more ships and outposts), and
shift your home world to strictly research (except one person).
12. Pick next race to conquer, and repeat.
13. Typical results: first conquest turn 40-50. Second conquest turn
60-80. Galaxy conquered turn 130 - 160.



========================================================================
=8. COLONIZATION - HOW TO GET STARTED                                  =
========================================================================


One of the nice things about MOOII is that you can colonize hostile
planets immediately. Unlike the original Master of Orion, where you had
to research Controlled Tundra environment, and other Controlled
environments!

Actually, this feature offers beginners pits to fall on. Do not waste
your time (and your colony ship) colonizing the first planet you can get
your hands on - be choosy! The 2 governing features to look for in a
planet are it's mineral abundance, and size (not population capacity,
those are two different things). Next is the Gravity, and lastly the
environment. When choosing a planet, try to determine the amount of
production it can give off at full population, against the amount of
time required to get it running.

When you start a new colony, make sure you have enough freighters and
surplus food to feed the colonists. The idea is to keep all those
pioneers busy doing Industry until they can stabilize and feed
themselves. In other words, keep those colonists building Automated
Factories, Soil Enrichment, Terraforming, whatever, instead of making
them feed themselves.

Toxic planets are the worst planets in the game. You can't Terraform
them! Unlike Radiated, in which you can erect a Radiation shield which
converts it to Barren. Toxic planets are hopeless planets, so avoid
them.

When you start a new colony, you have to make the build queue count.
There are buildings which boost a colony's capabilities. The production
boosters should be the first to go for -- they allow you to bring out
the other stuff much quicker. Morale boosters are great, but only if
there is something for them to boost. They work best in a planet already
in optimum production. Cloning Centers are good starters for a colony,
that's what I build first. They boost population growth. After all, what
good are the other facilities if there's no one to use them? I follow up
with production boosters and pollution controllers. My first building
list looks like this:

Building Queue:

Cloning Center
Automated Factory
Pollution Processor
Robo Miners Plant
Atmospheric Renewer
Marine Barracks

Biospheres can also be used instead of the Cloning Center, but you'll
have to send in additional pioneers from already developed planets. As
soon as that building queue is finished, you can branch out to several
choices. Do you want to fortify it and deny the enemy the opportunity to
conquer it? Do you want to boost production some more by building Morale
boosters? Or maybe turn it into a paradise? It's up to you to judge what
to do with this colony. The initial queue is just there to prepare the
colony for whatever you want to do with it.



========================================================================
=9. MILITARY TACTICS                                                   =
========================================================================


While missiles are good early on I found that they don't do much good in
a large galaxy, therefore I need a good computer (Cybertronic) and a
good beam weapon. Lasers with all the upgrades work great until you get
the graviton beam <- disputably a better choice than planetary gravity
generators or tractor beams (depending on whether you want to stay ahead
of the opposition in weapons or just keep up. I only know what works
against a computer opponent, who you can keep of your back with
politics. This probably wouldn't keep you safe against a real human.
But, if you really want to know what I do... I don't get the EMP Cannon.
I want to make a ship that can bombard a planet, but that is only armed
with heavy mount beam weapons, an ECM Jammer, and a few Pd beams to help
against missiles and pick of fighters because the jammer won't get rid
of them. So I need the graviton beam, which is great for bombarding and
destroying ground based weapons.

In an Average Difficulty game against the computer the game is overwhen
Iget the plasma cannon. Even with the 1.31 patch the plasma cannon does
just about the most total damage except that a lot of that is lost to
shields, but Antarans don't have shields if the other guy has class X
planetary shields then you can use auto firing disrupters. I don't get
the stellar converter because the time warp facilitator and the auto
firing disrupter work so much better except possibly against the Alkari
<- is that they have inertial nullifiers on their ships.

After getting the graviton beam I usually get zortrium armor and
anti-matter drives or stock exchange and then those two. This strategy
often works better when your empire is smaller and looks too weak to
bother with, to the computer. So you only have contend with one or two
races wanting your colonies while the rest are too busy elsewhere. I,
also, always get the next best communications system because I can never
get enough command points since I get the robo-miner plant... what's the
point in having battle stations if you can't produce the industrial
points to build it in any realistic amount of time.

I like the pre-designed races because they are interestingly balanced.
They make for more interesting games. The most interesting games are
when I'm the Klackon, but I'm best with the humans (if you discount the
Alkari and the Psilon, the Psilon are too easy to play with as soon as
you get the Gravity Generator and playing the Alkari with the inertial
stabilizer is practically cheating against the computer opponents, who
seldom have very good aiming computers) because the humans are very
productive in technology, and that bonus goes to conquered colonists. Of
coarse, thediplomacy option is a waste in a game with human players
unless there are a lot of computer opponents. I also do well with the
Sakkra when there aren't any Antarans; and theDarlock are great. My only
problem is that Humans and Sakkra lose their technologies to the
opponents a lot but that isn't a problem when I can go back to an auto
saved game. Of coarse they both make a lot of money (the Sakkra get it
from population) to support (up to 63 ) spies.

Essentially what I'm saying is (even though I can beat the computer on
the average difficulty easily and on the hard and impossible difficulty
when I'm falling back on auto saved games). I'd hate to play in a game
with humans that can attack as soon as they see an advantage and know
that 2x missile-ships in conjunction with an empty frigate is an
extremely powerful combination.



========================================================================
=10. GUARDIAN                                                          =
========================================================================


The Guardian is a well-beweaponed monster that attacks any fleet
arriving at the Orion system. The player who kills it receives 4
technologies which are mostly inaccessible through conventional research
(listed at the bottom), gets first dibs at a rather nice planet, and
gets a free battleship, which if he played fast enough, should be able
to whack the other opponents' fleets handily. Under some circumstances,
a good player should be able to finish off all of the opponents before
acquiring the ability to kill the Guardian, but usually, a Guardian-kill
can be considered a win.

In the first versions of MoO2, the Gyro destabilizer was a
cost-effective weapon. Back then, the fastest way to kill the Guardian
was to use a few battleships or 30 frigates (!) filled with gyro
destabilizers to spin the Guardian to death. Then, the folks at
Microprose decided that was too easy, or that it was negating the
intended use of the destabilizer, that of turning a ship so its
forward-facing weapons couldn't shoot (at least I assume that was the
intended use), so now gyro destabilizers take up more space and do less
damage. You can still kill the Guardian with them, but there are much
better ways now. They are detailed below.

THE MINIMAL GUARDIAN FLEET

In this sense, the considerations for "minimal" are with respect to
research and production time. This allows some deviation depending on
your research/production situation. As it turns out, the Guardian can be
killed with two frigates and two cruisers, and no research beyond fast
missile racks, zortrium armor, and emissions guidance system.

First cruiser has:

1 2-shot ECCM ARM FST merculites
4 2-shot ARM merculites
6 2-shot MIRV ECCM merculites
battle pods
fast missile racks
reinforced hull

Second cruiser has:

2 2-shot ARM merculites
6 2-shot MIRV ECCM merculites
1 2-shot MIRV ECCM EMG merculite
battle pods
fast missile racks
reinforced hull

Frigates have:
1 2-shot MIRV ECCM EMG merculite
battle pods

How this works: On the first turn, the Guardian will fire on one of the
cruisers with both death rays and target it with both of its torpedoes.
Regardless of which cruiser is hit, the frigates should fire and move
forward eight to ten spaces. The EMG cruiser should move forward one

space, fire both racks of ARM missiles, then both racks of non-EMG, then

both racks of EMG, and sit still. The other cruiser should move forward

one space, fire the ARM then the MIRV missiles, move forward two more
spaces, fire the ECCM ARM FST missiles, and sit still. The Guardian will
react by moving forward, killing the wounded cruiser with one death ray,
a frigate with another, and about seven of the ARM missiles with its
Point defense particle beams. The remaining frigate should then move
about 6 more spaces toward the Guardian, and fire its remaining missile.
The Guardian will charge, trigger its spatial compressor on the ECCM ARM
FST missiles, leaving the non-fast missiles unharmed, and continue to
plow into the pile of missiles. The MIRV missiles will usually clear the
shield, and most likely, the EMG will blow the engine. If you want to be
sure about the kill, add another frigate into the mix and do the same.

Given the appropriate race and universe conditions, such a fleet can be
assembled and sent close to turn 100 in a pre-warp game. Several races
can pull this off by turn 120. When I get around to updating my races
page, I'll fill in the details. The Guardian-kill can obviously be done
more quickly in an advanced game given the proper parameters. In
particular, a subterranean creative race in a 2-player huge universe can
often finish off the Guardian before turn 20.

Other Considerations:

If you have good scanner technology (i.e. Neutron), you should be able
to clear the shields with fewer missiles, so if you're the gambling
type, you can drop the frigates from the fleet and put another EMG
missile into the second cruiser. If you have serious command point
difficulties, you can kill the Guardian with a single kamikaze
battleship with the following:

2 2-shot ECCM ARM FST merculites
4 2-shot ECCM ARM merculites
11 2-shot MIRV ECCM merculites
2 2-shot MIRV ECCM EMG merculites
battle pods
fast missile racks
reinforced hull

Unfortunately, this fleet is strictly inferior to the cruiser fleet
above in terms of probability of killing the Guardian for two reasons:
only 4 MIRV ECCM EMG missiles are fired, and at least 4 warheads need to
make it through the lightning field and ECM to blow the engine, and only
22 MIRV merculites are fired, so the shield might not be cleared.
Without neutron scanner technology, your chances are slightly less than
50%. Furthermore, if you do decide to add some frigates to the mix, the
Guardian will fire on those first, so you need at least three to make
any kind of difference in outcome. In addition, this fleet will
generally lose all of its ships, while the cruiser fleet will not. Of
course, the cruiser fleet will be relatively out of date once Orion is

taken, anyway.

Loknar's Tech:

Damper field - Really cool - Quarters all damage, but eliminates shields
(Watch for EMG)
Xentronium armor - Very cool - 10x armor and structure, resistance to
armor-piercing beams, +30 ground combat
Death ray - Very cool - Good in general, unrivaled damage in EMG time
frame
Black hole generator - Cool - Implodes ships, but takes space
Particle beam - Cool - Ignores shields, kicks butt with fighter garrison
Reflection field - Pretty cool - Random chance for a beam weapon
return-to-sender
Spatial compressor - Sort of Cool - whacks incoming missiles, fighters,
and stupid ships
Quantum detonator - Not so cool - Decent protection against capture
Neutronium bomb - Not so cool - Ground Bombardment

Players on Intel-compatible machines will receive death ray technology
every time and three random techs, while Macintosh users will receive a
random selection of four. In addition to the technology listed above,
you can get some unannounced "freebie" techs which range from useless to
insanely cool (I've received Sub Space Teleporter more than once).



========================================================================
=11. FAQ's                                                             =
========================================================================


All your questions will be answered here...

...



=========================================================================
=12. VERSION HISTORY                                                    =
=========================================================================


V 0.1- Unreleased first version.

V 0.5- The Guide/FAQ sent to the www.gamefaqs.com



==========================================================================
=13. CREDITS                                                             =
==========================================================================


I'd like to thank the following:

Microprose - For creating another great strategy game

CJayC - For putting my FAQ on GameFAQs (I hope...)

And me - for writing the bloody thing ;)



========================================================================
=14. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION / DISCLAMER                                 =
========================================================================


This FAQ is Copyright© 2000 to Boba Fett.  Please don't use it for
monetary profit or alter the FAQ in any way.  I have no problem with
anyone keeping a copy on their hard drive or with printing out a copy,
but please don't take credit for my FAQ.  Do not use info from my FAQ
that is not general knowledge without asking for permission first.  If
you wish this FAQ to be on your web-site, ask for my permission first.
I'll most likely say yes, but I'd like to keep track of where my FAQ is
posted.  If permission is granted, please promise to update the FAQ when
a new version is released.

Adios Amigos...

             Frequently Asked Questions
                   5 December 1996

============================================================

Troubleshooting
===========---=
Q: I have installed a game that has DirectX version 3.0, and Master
   of Orion II will not run.

A: First, uninstall DirectX version 3.0. Then install DirectX version
   2.0. Last, install DirectX version 3.0. Both versions of DirectX
   should work now.

Q: I have installed Master of Orion II in Windows 95. When I start
   the game, it just bounces me back to my Windows 95 desktop.

A: Contact your video card manufacturer to obtain the latest DirectX
   compatible video drivers for your video card. You will need to
   install the latest video card drivers for the game to work.

Q: I am trying to install the game in DOS, and I get a message saying
   that I do not have enough memory.

A: To free up more memory, create a boot disk without any expanded
   memory managers (such as EMM386, QEMM. NetRoom or 386Max).

Q: When running the game in Windows 95, the Autoplay screen keeps
   popping up asking me to install the game.

A: Reinstall the game and run the Windows 95 version. This problem
   happens when you install and run the DOS version in Windows 95. To
   install the Windows 95 version, either run the SETUP.EXE program
   (which is on the Master of Orion II CD-ROM) or click the Install
   button on the Autoplay screen.

Q: The program crashes in Windows 95 and/or the mouse locks up in
   Windows 95.

A: Double-click on the System in your Control Panel. Then double-click
   on the Performance tab and then the Graphics button. Reduce the
   hardware acceleration for your video card.

Q: The program crashes or will not install in DOS.

A: This problem can be caused by several things. If your video card
   does not support VESA 2.0, you will need to contact your video card

   manufacturer for a VESA driver. A third-party VESA driver, called
   Display Doctor, is also available at http://www.scitech.com. This
   problem can also be caused by not having MSCDEX version 2.23 or
   later. The latest version of MSCDEX is available from Microsoft.
   Some CD-ROM installation programs will load older versions. Check
   your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to make sure that MSCDEX is loading from the

   DOS or WINDOWS\COMMAND directory.

Q: I have an Iomega Zip or Jazz drive, and I can't start the game.

A: If you had the Iomega drive unplugged when you installed the
   game, the drive letter for your CD-ROM may have changed. You
   need to edit the ORIONCD.INI file in the \ORION2 game directory
   and change the CD-ROM path to the correct one.

Q: The game runs fine but accessing the CD-ROM is slow.

A: In Windows 95, make sure that your CD-ROM optimization is set
   correctly. Double-click on the System in your Control Panel.
   Then double-click on the Performance tab, File System button
   and CD-ROM tab. Check your supplemental cache size and access
   pattern. In DOS or Windows 95, a third-party CD-ROM caching
   program (such as Speedy-ROM) can help speed up CD-ROM access.
   A demo of Speedy-ROM is available from QuarterDeck's Web site
   at http://www.qdeck.com/products.speedy.


Video
=====
Q: I have a Matrox Millennium video card and my video settings are
   incorrect after installing the game.

A: This is a known problem with Microsoft's DirectX version 2.0
   drivers. The solution is to reinstall your video drivers from the
   Matrox CD-ROM. You may have to do this in "Safe mode."

Q: I have a computer with an STB Lightspeed 128 video card and the
   game locks up in Windows 95.

A: You will need to edit the QTW.INI file in your C:\WINDOWS
   directory. Type "ATTRIB -R C:\WINDOWS\QTW.INI" at the DOS prompt.
   Then type "EDIT C:\WINDOWS\QTW.INI." Change the line that reads
   "OPTIMIZE=DRIVER" to "OPTIMIZE=BMP." From the File menu, click
   on "Save" and then "Exit."

Q: After installing the game, I have video problems and/or I can't
   get back into Windows 95.

A: Restart your computer and press F8 to select "Safe mode." Next,
   click on "My Computer." With your Master of Orion II disc in the
   CD-ROM drive, right-click on the icon for your CD-ROM drive and
   select "Open." Double-click the DirectX folder, and then
   double-click on DXSETUP.EXE. Select "Restore Windows 95 drivers."
   Contact your video card manufacturer and obtain video drivers
   compatible with DirectX version 2.0.

Q: My video card does not support DirectX.

A: You will need to install and run the game in DOS.


Multiplayer
===========
Q: I am having trouble with a multiplayer game on an Ethernet
   network.

A: Network play works much better if the game is played when
   network traffic is low.

Q: I am trying to play a two-player modem game but cannot
   connect.

A: Try a lower baud rate such as 9600. Also, make sure that that
   error correction and data compression are disabled in your
   modem's initialization string. Your modem manual should tell
   you how to do this.

Q: I am trying to play a two-player game with direct connect (using
   a null-modem serial cable) but cannot connect.
                                        
A: Make sure that you have an actual null-modem cable instead of a
   straight-through serial cable. These two types of cables look the
   same but are wired differently.


Game Play
=========
Q: Why can't I design ships?

A: You need to select the "Tactical Combat" option when you
   start the game.

Q: I just discovered a new star system. Why can't I colonize the
   large planet?

A: The planet is probably a gas giant. Gas giants cannot be
   colonized.

Q: Why can't I assign a leader to a ship?

A: Colony leaders cannot be assigned to ships; only Ship Leaders can.
   Only combat ships can have ship leaders. Transport and colony
   ships cannot be assigned leaders.

Q: I am attacking a monster or the Antareans with my ship which is
   armed with ion cannons, but the ion cannons don't fire.

A: Ion cannons don't affect Antareans or monsters.

Q: I do not have nebulas showing on my star map.

A: If you are playing in DOS and have less than 8MB RAM in your
   computer, you will not have nebulas in the game due to memory
   constraints.

Q: My name does not appear in the Hall of Fame screen even after
   winning with a score that should qualify.

A: The update to version 1.2 fixes this problem.

Q: My high scores doesn't show up in the Hall of Fame.

A: The update to version 1.2 fixes this problem.

Q: The game crashes when the Antareans raid my ships.

A: The update to version 1.2 fixes this problem

Q: When I press Alt+C to clear the Hall of Fame high scores,
   nothing happens.

A: Pressing Alt+C changes the high scores back to the original
   ones. If you don't have any games that made the top 10 list,
   nothing will change.

Ultimate Ship FAQ version 3.1

Written by Andy Poon 



     - Comments were inserted here and there.
     - The configuration of my current Globe is released.


     - More explanation of the Orion Globe features


     - A new section is added. See Table of Content.

INTRO  (06/23/99)

For those of you reading my FAQ for the first time, this is a FAQ that releases
the configuration of a ship that I have created in the Masters of Orion II
universe that is virtually indestructable. It is the most powerful ship that can
be constructed at the late stage of a game. When used correctly, this ship, by
itself, is proven to be able to take on an entire fleet of enemy vessels, no
matter how big, and then some. (^^)

This ship is intended for one player gaming, because multi-player games usually
end before the necessary research can be done to build the Orion Globe.

*- It seemed to me, after reading my old FAQ over just to admire my own work,
that some of the details on my Orion Globe are not explained very clearly on my
previous FAQ, thus people were confused about why those systems that I have on
the Globe are on it, and how to use the Globe itself. This version will rewrite
parts of the old FAQ, and explain my creation in more detail and clarity.


 (11/16/99)
     - It was stressed that the Orion Globe shouldn't be used for multi-player
       games, but people are still mailing me multi-player questions about the
       Orion Globe. An added section to this FAQ will change that.

___________________________________________

ORION GLOBE

I called this ship I have built the Orion Globe because in Master of Orion II,
Orion is the symbol of power, and because I made it a DoomStar. What this ship
can do in terms of destructive force well deserves its name. The record so far
is 36 Doom Stars and 64 Titans destroyed, single-handedly.

 (07/31/99)
     - The record is now 71 Doomstars, 17 Titans, and 12 battleships!

Since the maximum ships that can go into one single battle is 100, this record
is hard to be borken. How did I managed to invoke the enemy to send me that many
ships you ask? Well, first I gave the seat of the galactic council away , then I
used a program I downloaded called Corion2, and gave the enemy 5 billion
credits, which they used to buy all the ships they could, and an all out attack
was launched against me. The rest you can figure out on your own.

-----------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. Necessary Technology

B. Explaining the Essential Special systems

	a. misc. systems

	b. movement systems

	c. defensive systems

	d. offensive systems

C. Explaining the weapon choices

D. Disecting the Orion Globe

E. Special Guest - Loknar

F. End Result

G. Working the Globe

H. The Orion Globe Antidote
_______________________________________________________________________

A. Necessary Technology
-----------------------

Here is the list of the necessary technology to have in order to construct the
'best' Orion Globe possible.  Some of the technology improve the weapon capacity
of the Orion Globe, others are essential parts of it.  Because you might have to
acquire more than one technologies from the same research field, it is strongly
recommended that the 'Creative' special race ability be selected when you begin
a game so that all the necessary technology can be gained.  But if for some
reason you chose not to be 'Creative', this list is here for reference as to
what you do need to get, if by other means than research.


  Categories		Fields				 Applications
  ----------		------				 ------------

- Construction 	- Capsule Construction 		- Battle Pods (essential)

		- Planetoid Construction	- Doom Star Construction (essential)


- Power		- Ion Fission 			- Ion Pulse Cannon (optional)

		- High Energy Distribution 	- High Energy Focus (essential)
						- Megafluxers (optional)
		- Hyper-Dimensional Fission	- Hyper-X Capacitors (essential)

		- Interphased Fission 		- Plasma Torpedo (optional)

	      *	- Drive 			- The faster the better.

- Chemistry   *	- Armor				- The stronger the better.

	      *	- Fuel Cell			- The larger the better.

- Sociology	- None are essential.


- Computers	- Cybertronics			- Structural Analyzer (essential)

		- Moleculartronic Computer	- Achilles Targeting Unit (essential)

	      *	- Computer			- The smarter the better.

- Genetics	- none are essential.


- Physics	- Multi-Phased Physics 		- Phasors (essential)

		- Multi-Dimensional Physics	- Disruptor Cannon (optional)

		- Tempral Physics		- Time Warp Facilitatir (essential)
						- Stellar Converter (optional)


- Force Fields 	- Magneto Gravitics		- Warp Dissipater (optional)

		- Transwarp Fields		- Subspace Teleporter (optional)
						- Inertial Nullifier (optional)

		- Temporal Fields		- Phasing Cloak (essential)

	      * - Shields			- The thicker the better.



_______________________________________________________________________


B. EXPLAINING THE ESSENTIAL SPECIAL SYSTEMS
-------------------------------------------

a. Miscelaneous Systems

Battle Pods

   - There's nothing special about this, just that it gives you more room
     to work with. After all the vital special systems are installed,
     there really isn't much room left for weapons. So this is quite
     important.

Time Warp Facilitators

   - Combined with other systems, this is one of the most essential
     equipments. It enables a ship to take two consecutive turns after
     the enemies have finished theirs. This system works with the Hyper-X
     Capacitor, Phasing Cloak, and other things like Plasma Torpedos that
     all take one turn to recharge or restore.

-------------------------------
b. Movement Systems

Inertial Nullifier

   - When you're only one ship, the limited weapons range requires you
     to travel near the other ships, and start shooting at close range.
     If you go up or down on the screen, you'll still need to turn
     around, and head back the other direction. If you lost movement
     points while turning, it'll lose you some time before you can
     reach the enemies again, so this is a good equipment to have.

   - Not only that, after you destroy the ships infront of you, and try
     to turn around and get the ships behind you, they will fire at you
     because their weapons are still at full. At this time, the
     nullifier will evade their shots, and you'll suffer much less
     damage because most of the shots will miss you. (optional)

Subspace Teleporter

   - This teleporter moves you further, so that most of your weapons
     can be used. Believe me, with the amount of weapons this ship
     equips, some times, you'll still have a lot of weapon shots left
     because you don't have enough movement points to get you close
     enough to the enemy. (optional)


  -  After a long time perfecting the Orion Globe (Why do I have so
     much time on my hands you ask? don't ask), I actually prefer to
     use this more than the I. Nullifier, and have some weapons at
     fx or 360. Doing this will take away some of the weapons on board
     because of decreased space, but since you won't be turning, you
     won't even be shot at. Using this will also allow you to move
     more freely than just using your movement points. Adds incredible
     mobility.

-------------------------------
c. Defensive Systems

Damper Field

   - This cuts your damage by 3/4 if you are taking accidental damage
     such as warp core breaches. Very useful in some cases, because if
     the enemies equip Plasma Webs on their ships, which always hits,
     you'll suffer quite a bit if you get caught uncloaked and without
     the Damper field.
     (optional)

Phasing Cloak

   - Combined with the Time Warp Facilitators, it allows the ship 10
     cloaked turns to not be attacked at all. If you can't be attacked,
     you can't be destroyed. It's so simple yet effective. However, all
     weapons must be turned off in order to re-cloak. (essential)

-------------------------------
d. Offensive Systems

Achilles Targeting System

   - If you look at the descriptions for this system, you'll know that
     the system allows you to completely ignores armors, and go for the
     hull. What does this do? obviously cuts down the weapon use to
     nearly half the neccessary amount!
   - Not only that, at times, it hits the systems of the enemy ship,
     causing warp core breaches that damage other enemy ships, and when
     this happens, your weapon usage is even less. (essential)

High Energy Focus

   - This increases the damage each of your weapons can do by 50%, and
     decrease the weapon usage to destroy a ship. I think it's worth
     it. (essential)

Hyper-X Capacitors

   - If you want even more weapon shots, you gotta have this. Combined
     with the time-warp facilitators and the phasing cloak, this thing
     will pump out twice your equipped weapons every time you decloak.
     Because the combination of the Time-warper and the Phase cloak
     requires you to not fire for one round to recloak again, it is the
     perfect time to recharge the Capacitor. What a combination, eh? :)
     (essential)

Structural Analyzer

   - It Doubles the damage of each weapon that penetrates the shield,
     it is just like another Hyper-X, except it works in a different
     way. You've gotta have this to do more damage. Although this
     system only works when the enemy shield is down, there is a way to
     bypass the enemy shields which will be explained later, if you
     don't already know it. (essential)


_______________________________________________________________________

C. EXPLAINING THE WEAPON CHOICES
--------------------------------

Stellar Converter

   - The Stellar converter is, of course, the most powerful weapon to
     use against anything; ships, space stations, planets. But the
     problem with using it against ships is that it is too powerful,
     like killing a fly with a smart missile. Another flaw is the space
     that it takes up. Although you can still get it miniturized to 200
     space per, it is still too much for one weapon, although they ARE
     cool to have on board. (Not Recommended for efficiency/ Recommended
     for coolness)

 * - The Stellar Converter is not compatible with other systems, but IS
     compatible with the Structural Analyzer and the Achilles Targeting
     Unit !! Smart people will know what that means.

Ion Pulse Cannon

   - This gun is recommended for minimum use, and only over short
     distance. Obviously with the system config on the Globe, the power
     of the Ion Pulse Cannon will sky rocket, but the result is still
     too unstable to be effective. (Not recommended for efficiency/
     Recommended for coolness)

Mauler Devices

   - People also think that maulers are the best weapons because it
     always hits. I can give you many reasons right now why NOT to use
     it.

	1. Double range dissipation
	2. No Autofire, point defense, and other mod's.
	3. takes up still too much space for a weapon that can't use
           autofire.

     There's so much that this weapon can't do that others can, and the
     100% hit is not exactly necessary, as long as you have near 99%
     hit. (Not Recommended)

Death Rays

   - Same with the Mauler Device, It has no mods available. Sure it
     kills marines, fine! But if you're eliminating a ship anyways, do
     the marines even matter?? (Not Recommended)

Phasors

   - As far as I can see, the two best weapons to use are phasors and
     disruptors. Surprised? Yes! Phasors and Disruptors are the best
     weapons by far!! (Recommended)
   - The reason for this is that Phasors have the Shield Piercing mod
     and the AutoFire mod.

     a. Shield piercing

        - This IGNORES the shields completely!

*-----
     At this point I'd like to make a concept clear. A ship has 4 levels
     of defense: Shield, Armor, Structure, and System. But when the
     structure is destroyed, then the enemy ship  is destroyed. So all
     we want to target is just the structure!

	Lvl1:	Shield		Bypassed by the shield piercing ability
	Lvl2:   Armor		Bypassed by the Achilles system
	Lvl3: 	Structure	Nothing left to protect it

     Understand now? Shield piercing allows your weapons to completely
     go through the shield, unless they got hard shield, then there's
     nothing we can do about it. Combined with the Achilles system, all
     that's left of the enemy that's worth a darn is the structure.

     So the lesson for today is that with the modifications that you've
     see so far, all you are shooting at, IS the structure!!
*-----

     b. Auto fire

        - This enable you to shoot a single weapon three times!
          tripling the damage each weapon can do!

	Below is a theoretical calculation of the total increase in
	weapon power after all the modifications have been done to the
	Orion Globe.

Let's see now:  Normal weapon: 		x1
		High energy focus:      x1.5	(50% power up)
		Achilles system:	x2	(skipping the armor)
		Structural analyzer:	x2	(double structure damage)
		Autofire:		x3	(triple weapon fire)
		Hyper-X Capacitor:	x2	(double weapon fire)
				---------------
					x36

     The systems here enhance one single weapon by 3600%, meaning that
     with 1 of the modified weapons, you can do the damage that's
     needed by 36 of the non-modified weapons! Don't tell me You're
     not impressed.

     When the ship you've just made becomes a veteran, each of the
     modified phasors will do 180 damage to the enemy ship structure.
     That's a lot for a phasor considering the max damage the
     descriptions gave was only 20 points. Wait 'til it becomes an
     ultra-elite, then they'll REALLY hurt them.

Disruptors

   - This gun certainly is more powerful than the phasor, but it also
     takes up more space, and unlike the phasor, cannot have the shield
     piercing ability. But if you're going to fighting on a planet in a
     nebula, or if the enemies have weak shields that can be penetrated
     easily, it is definitely the optimal weapon to have. (Recommended)

----------------
 (11/16/99)

- I received an e-mail suggesting this weapon. At first I was skeptical,
  but I came to realize the advantage of this weapon. Thanks, if you're
  still reading my updates.

Plasma Cannon

   - Although this weapon can't pearce shields or AutoFire, it does have
     a lot of power thanks to it's inherent Enveloping Mod. And after
     minaturization, it'll use just about the same space as Phasors.
     Because this weapon has Double Dissipation, it is recommended to
     use this without the Heavy Mounted Mod. Good against close by
     enemies and stationary targets such as space stations. (Recommened)

-----------------

Particle beams


   - Obviously, the particle beam has more force than the phasors, and
     itself is always shield piercing. If only there's a method to
     miniturize the particle beams, then this would be the better
     weapon. (Not Recommended)


Other weapons aren't really worth mentioning, such as missiles that get
shot down too easily, so I won't mention them.

You can try and fit as many weapons as you can onto this ship after you
equip the necessary special systems. I can tell you right now, if
you're only going for phasors you'll be able to fit 198 SP, Af Phasors
onboard, that's 2 whole slots of 99 phasors. However, It's also a good
idea to have some Heavy Mounted phasors. Because if you have 198 regular
phasors, you're definitely not going to be able to use them all because
all other ships will be out of range of your weapons, so put some heavy
mounted phasors on for a farther reach.

_______________________________________________________________________

D. DISECTING THE ORION GLOBE
----------------------------

This is the basic layout of the Orion Globe:
                                        
(***) phasors (shield Piercing, Autofire)   Shields
(**)  Other Weapons (Optional)		    Computer
		  			    Armor

Achilles Targeting Unit
Battle pod
High Enegy Focus
Hyper-X Capacitor
Phasing Cloak
Structural Analyzer
Time Warp Facilitator
* One optional System


The Orion Globe is created by combining the technologies listed above together,
and all of them work together with one another. The Orion Globe :

- Has increased weapon capacity using the Battle Pod. Without it, the firepower
is too little.

- Has 900% increase in weapon power by using the AutoFire mod, the High Energy
Focus, and the Structural Analyzer! Allows less weapon usage to destroy an enemy
vessel.

- Allows 100% effectiveness of the Structural Analyzer (except against hard
shields) by adding the Shield Piercing mod to the Phasor weapons to bypass the
shields. Allows even less weapon usage to destroy an enemy vessel.

- Cuts weapon usage to destroying enemy ships in HALF by using the Achilles
Targeting Unit to completely bypass their armor. This effect is accumulative
with other systems!!

- Has double the weapon shots by using the Hyper-X Capacitor and Time Warp
Facilitator Combination! If the Orion Globe has 200 weapons, that's 400 shots
every turn an enemy takes! No ship can fit that many weapons! This effect is
accumulative with other systems!!

- only shoots at the enemy's vulnerable spot - the structure - by bypassing both
the shields AND the armor using the Shield Piercing weapon mod and the Achilles
Targetting Unit!!

- Avoids enemy fires by using the combined effect of the Time Warp Facilitator
and the Phasing Cloak. Decloak, fire weapons, next turn, take weapons offline,
recloak. A more detailed explanation of this feature will be posted later.

- Actuates total harmony between the Hyper-X, Phasing Cloak, and the Time Warp
Facilitator, the heart of the Orion Globe!

- Has room for an extra System for increased mobility or defense! Recommend
Subspace Teleporter for Maximum added mobility.

- Doesn't require any unresearchable technology!!!

____________________________________________________________________

E. SPECIAL GUEST - LOKNAR
-------------------------

There's one thing I'd like to add here now. I mentioned before that
people might be concerned with the side-effects of Auto-fire, because
it _does_ decrease the accuracy rate. It is why so people want to put
the Rangemaster on, or have the Continuous modification to the weapons
to compensate.

Loknar is one of the reasons why I called the Orion Globe the Orion
Globe. With Loknar on your ship, his extraordinary abilities enhance
every feature of the ship, including his super Weaponry skill which
gives you extreme accuracy, and his Ordnance skill that increases the
weapon damage by even more. I've always had loknar onboard the Orion
Globe (It's just cool to assign the legendary captaion to the
legendary ship), but if you have a hero that also has a high Weaponry
skill, that hero can be used as well.

_______________________________________________________________________

F. END RESULT
-------------

The result is a ship that is so deadly, one of its kind can take on the
entire universe, no matter how big, and it won't suffer any direct
damage.

----------------------------
 (11/12/98)

Almost a year later after I finished the game(many many times) and the
original FAQ, I got bored, and went back to the game. At this time I
still was victorious and had nothing better to do than design a
better Orion Globe.

After many other trial designs, I have refitted a new Orion Globe. It
now contains many other new options. See for yourself. This is now the
official Orion Globe configuration.

(01) Stellar Coverter
(**) Phasors 	( f ) 	 sp,af
(**) Phasors 	(360)  	 sp,af
(**) Phasors 	(fx ) 	hv,sp,af
(01) Plasma Torp.    NR,env,eccm,ovr
(01) Disruptor 	(360)    hv,af
(01) Ion Pulse 	(360)     af

Achilles Targetting Unit 	Battle Pods
High Energy Focus		Hyper-X Capacitor
Phasing Cloak			Structural Analyzer
Subspace Teleporter		Time Warp Facilitator

My very last version, after many, of Orion Globes, Has a Stellar
Converter on Board. I know I said that it takes up too much room, but
it still kicks ass. Besides, It's awesome for planetary sieges. If
the Enemy has Barrier Shields on their planet, none of the phasors
on-board will work, even if you fire all of them at once (yes, even
the heavy mounted Phasors can't penetrate a Barrier Shield). The
Converter can take out 2 of the planetary defenses every time you fire
it.

Although the Converter took space, I still had room for lots of
regular Phasors and ones with 360 degree span. I was able to get a
clean number of phasors and save enough room to put a Plasma Torpedo
on-board.

But why would you want a Torpedo' you ask? 'cause it's FUN! The old
ship had power, but it's no fun just making enemies disappear. Target
little ships with the Torpedo, and watch it do it's job; you can even
savor the moment as the shields disappear on Starfortresses and raid
them. It's not very powerful at all, it wastes space, but it's fun.

For fun, I also added a Hv. Disruptor and an Ion Cannon on the Globe.
Ion Cannons disable ship drives, and causes immobility in enemy ships
or even Warp Core Breaches. But in order for it to work on the enemy,
their shield has to be down first, and that's where the disruptor comes
in handy. Watch them as they can't handle being disabled and chooses
the honorable death of committing suicide and self-distructs the ship
instead of being captured. It's just fun to watch.

The Subspace Teleporter is there to increase mobility. There's no need
for an Inertial Stablizer because the phasors are already 360' capable.

Although a lot of space is used for 'fun' equipments, The original
Globe had too much power itself, and lots of phasors were wasted
anyways. Having the extra stuff there means that I won't be bored
with the Globe and just press Auto and let it do it's job, but rather
take some time to torture the enemy ships.

 (07/31/99)

- A good ratio of Phasors, Phasors(360') and Hv Phasors(fx) is 8-5-2,
  for a good and even coverage of areas. I used to have a 1-1-1 ratio,
  but that wasted room on heavy phasors that did the job a regular
  phasor could have done. So here's a new ratio to fit the max amount
  of weapons, and being efficient at the same time.

________________________________________________________________________

G. WORKING THE ORION GLOBE
--------------------------

*- Some people still don't understand how the Time Warp Facilitator &
   Phasing Cloak combo works, so this section will be a little more
   detailed.

The Orion Globe, as explained before, is awesome because it has a Time
Warp Facilitator and a Phasing cloak onboard. What this does is allow
you to de-cloak and unleash your firepower on your enemy during your
first turn, save your ammo (AND recharge the Hyper-X Capacitor) and
re-cloak on your second turn. And when the enemies attack you with
what's left of their forces from your attack, they can't hit you
because you've already recloaked. When they have no target and no
choice but to pass their turn, your turn comes up once again, and you
wipe out the rest of their forces just like the way you do it on Your
first two turns. There, that just about explain the whole Orion
Globe 'Elimination' process.

The hard part is explaining the workings of the T.W.F. because in
MOO2 Ver1.31, it is pretty tricky.

In MOO2 Versions before 1.31, the T.W.F is simple; after you take your
turn, you get another go, then the enemy goes if they survived. However,
MOO2 creators made things in Ver1.31 a little different, in my opinion,
a little more logical. Thus, The workings of the T.W.F changed, and here
is how to work the T.W.F & P.Cloak combo in version 1.31.

The time warp facilitator turns(version 1.31) works like this:

In each round,
_________________________________________
You start 		enemy start

Turn 1: you		Turn 1: enemy
Turn 2: enemy		Turn 2: you
----                    ----
Turn 3: you		Turn 3: you
----
go back to turn 1	go back to turn 1
_________________________________________

After both sides have taken a turn, the final turn (3rd turn) goes to
the ships that have a time warp facilitator on. Know your turns so that
you can shut off all your un-used weapons and allow the ship to
recloak.

Therefore, if you are using the Orion Globe, and you are attacking
first, SKIP THE TURN!!! Let the enemy go first. If the Orion Globe is
the only ship standing up against the enemy (highly recommended), then
when you skip your turn, the enemy will have nothing to shoot at because
you have NOT decloaked yet. THEN you attack, and the Phasing Cloak and
T.W.F combo will work. And if the enemy attacks first, the all is well,
as long as your ships in that fight are cloaked.

If you do it right, you can sustain up to 10 rounds undiscovered, 10
turns to do whatever you want. Unless the enemy runs before they're all
destroyed, but through my experiences, I doubt that they'll run before
you finish mowing them down. Besides, you'll only have like 20-30 ships
to worry about if they launch an attack anyways. There's PLEANTY of
firepower for that.

* It is recommended that the Orion Globe go into battle alone, because
  the Orion Globe itself can already take care of a whole fleet of
  enemies. But if you have ships that also have the Time Warper and
  Phase Cloaker combo, you can send them in with the Globe, and they
  would compliment eachother.

Well, here it is. Use the ship wisely. If you're not careful, and it's
exposed to the enemy range, it is quite possible that they will shoot
you down. But otherwise, this ship cannot be beaten.

________________________________________________________________________

H. The Orion Globe Neutralizer
------------------------------

This section of the FAQ will give you a ship configuration that is
capable of destroying the Orion Globe 100% of the time. This is the
one and only weapon against my deadly Orion Globe.

A while back when I was driving home from a music rehersal (I'm a
musician too, if you didn't notice from my e-mail address (^^)), I ran
the Orion Globe through my mind, and wondered if there's anything that
can defeat it. And sadly, I figured out how to destroy my proudest
creation in the world of Master of Orion II, right there in the car.
I was going to call this section the Orion Globe Killer, but that
didn't sound good, so I used "Neutralizer" instead. I suppose the Orion
Globe Buster works as well, or the Orion Globe Antidote. =)

I'm putting this section in the FAQ just as an amusing section. This
ship should never exist because the computer is not smart enough to
build it, and since the Globe should not show up in a multi-player
game, players should never have to build it as a counter-measure.

So if there ARE players out there trying to build my Globe in a multi-
player game, watch out, 'cause this ship will kick Orion Globe's ass.
>From now on, I will refer to this ship as the O.G.N. Here goes:

- The only way to attack the Orion Globe is to wait until it is
  decloaked. The only way to do that is if the O.G.N. is phase-cloaked
  as well, so as to wait it out with the Orion Globe and not get attacked
  at the same time. So a Phasing Cloak is necessary.

- Now, if the Orion Globe can't target the O.G.N., it can simply
  retreat to avoid a fight. To prevent it from running away, the O.G.N.
  also needs a Warp Dissipater. Now the Globe is trapped.

- If the Orion Globe Can't run, and can't decloak to fire, it's cloaked
  turns will go by in 5 of O.G.N.'s turns, because the Time Warp
  Facilitator doubles time flow for the Globe.

- So, in 5 turns, the Globe will have to decload, but it's not a
  complete decloak, because a Phase-cloak will turn into a regular cloak
  that has 80% evasion, so the O.G.N. also needs a 100% sure hit weapon,
  namely the Stellar Converter, because it can fire anywhere in the
  battle field. now the Orion Globe can't run, can't hide, and can't
  evade.

- It's best for the O.G.N. to ready at least 2 Stellar Converters,
  because if the Orion Globe has been equiped with shields, it'll probably
  withstand 1 S.C. blast with a strong Armor. But an Achilles Targetting
  Unit and a Structural Analyzer can be fitted onboard to increase weapon
  power because the Stellar Converter is compatible with both Units, as
  mentioned earlier in the FAQ.

To summerize it, here is the necessary configuration:

(01) Stellar Converter
(01) Stellar Converter (If there is space)
(**) Anything

Achilles Targeting Unit		Battle Pods
Phasing Cloak			Structural Analyzer
Warp Dissipater			Anything
Anything				Anything

Notice that the O.G.N. does not have a Time Warp Facilitator onboard, because
that will just make it a 50/50 chance out of who will decloak first and get
killed first. The O.G.N. is still a normal ship if it is decloaked too early,
and will get pounded by the Orion Globe if it decloaks before the Orion Globe
does.

There you have it. The for sure way to defeat the Orion Globe. If some people
does try to use my Globe in a Multi-player game, kick their ass with this. Since
it does not require much onboard, it is not necessary for the O.G.N. to be a
Doom Star; a Titan O.G.N. will do nicely.

*- Actually, I haven't tested the O.G.N., because I can't pit my own ships
against    eachother. But the theory works.

___________________________

 (11/12/98)

- Thank you all for reading my work. Since I'm satisfied with the
  current Globe, I won't be improving on it, meaning there won't be
  another FAQ on the Globe.

 (07/31/99)

- I guess I lied. This should be the last version of this FAQ. I put
  in as much detail as I could, I think that's enough. Questions? you
  know what to do.

 (11/11/99)

- Guess what? I lied again! I've corrected spellings, added a brand
  new section, and changed my e-mail address.
___________________________

Like any FAQ, many thanks to Microprose for making such a wonderful
game. There, I said it.

If there's any questions, or anything that I might have left out,
please feel free to e-mail me at the address on the top of this FAQ.

I don't need any money from any of you (like I can get any), but a
little thank you note in my e-mailbox would be much appreciated.

Игра Master of Orion 2

Файл для патча:
ORION2.EXE

Возможность выбирать Custom Расу в режиме
Easy - это единственный честный режим игры
в остальных Normal, Hard, Imposible компьютерным игрокам даются халявные
бонусы
на еду, промышленность и науку :(
000E13C4: 72 90
000E13C5: 1A 90

Отключение диалога с вопросом
"Вы действительно хотите ускорить это производство?"
Если у вас куча денег, много планет и надо провести глобальную закупку этот
диалог изрядно достанет :)
00140A8A: 50 EB
00140A8B: 68 23
00140A8C: E4 90
00140A8D: 54 90
00140A8E: 00 90
00140A8F: 00 90

Возможность заходить во вражеские базы на планетах так как будто это ваши.
Можно будет распределять людей, изменять и ускорять производство и т.д.
0010627E: 75 90
0010627F: 72 90
001099FD: 75 90
001099FE: 08 90

Возможность всегда видеть самые свежие сведения о Расах в меню Report
даже если вы не вступали с ними в контакт
0017FE62: 74 90
0017FE63: 07 90
0017FEBD: 74 90
0017FEBE: 07 90

1) Перед тем как основать колонию в новой звездной системе, постройте
аутпост на той планете, которую хотите колонизировать. Тогда при образовании
колонии там уже будут бараки. Это особенно полезно при строе, отличном от
демократии, т.к. не будет снижения морали.
2) Если нужно разбить флот, многократно превышающий ваш, то стройте
корабли с Phazing Cloack. В начале боя даете команду ждать, потом атакуете и
бежите. 3-4 таких боя и можно атаковать дольше.

Hint: Most races primarily examine ship quantity, not quality, in determining
your fleet strength during negotiation. So build plenty of small ships at
first.
                                        
Hint: Certain researches, like Advanced City Planning, are labeled
"Achievements." They will affect all your colonies with no further building
needed. Choose to study these whenever possible.

Defeat Guardian of Orion
Here is a really simple and very lo-tech method of defeating the Guardian of
Orion:

1- Design a ship with very little defence and lots of offence. The weapon in the
first weapon slot must be able to bring down shields quickly, I usually use
Heavy
Graviton Beams. The second weapon must be Ion Cannons (Heavy mount if you still
don't have version 1.31). Add as many of these as possible (focus more on
Graviton beams)

2- Build as many of these as time and resources allow.

3- Go to Orion and kick some butt. Fire all your graviton beams first then use
Ion pulse to disable the Guardian, the ideal end result is that you destroy it
on
your first turn.

Приведенные ниже коды работают для версии игры
под DOS и Windows95, вводятся при нажатой клавише ALT:

MOOLA     - 1000 BC
MENLO     - завершение текущего исследования.
CRUNCH    - завершение строительства в текущей колонии.
EINSTEIN  - получаете все технологии.
ISEEALL   - изменение статистики вашей расы.
CANBONLYL - все расы объявляют вав войну.
ALLAI     - вхождение в контакт со всеми комп. игроками.
                                     

Hold [Alt] and enter one of the following codes to activate the corresponding
cheat function. Note: Enabling the "Full galaxy map" code may alter your race
statistics. The "Build instantly" code should be entered after selecting to
build on any planetary screen.



Effect                                         Code

1000 BC                                        moola
Faster research                                menlo
All tech                                       einstein
Full galaxy map                                iseeall
Build instantly                                crunch
CPU players all against you                    canbonly1
View player's current score                    score
No random events                               events
Random character personalities; increased AI   allai
Unknown                                        ldr
Unknown                                        snd