Wargaming.net, under its publisher umbrella brand WG Labs, has finally announced the release date for the Early Access of Master of Orion, which is being developed by NGD Studios. The date is set for February 26, 2016. Early access comes with the purchase of the Collector’s Edition which is set for the price of $49.99 USD. There are no news on what the price of the standard edition will be on release.
The Collector’s Edition will come with the following perks along with the game itself (from the official site):
- Early Access
- The original three games
- Retro Pixel ship skins
- Digital Art Book
- Orchestral Soundtrack
- The Human variant race: the Terran Khanate
Further details of what will be included in this 1st phase are (from the official site):
- Six playable races: Alkari, Bulrathi, Human, Mrrshan, Psilon and Sakkra
- Three victory conditions: Conquest, Diplomatic, and Excellence (score victory)
- Tactical battles
- Multiplayer
- Ship designer
- English and Russian localization and voice overs, with additional language support arriving later in Early Access
- Playable on 64-bit Windows
Here is a cinematic trailer for the E.A. announcement which showcases small glimpses of tactical space combat:
Here is the write-up from WG Labs as to why they decided to take part of the E.A. program on Steam (from the Steam Store Page):
Why Early Access?
“Master of Orion is first and foremost a passion project for us, so it’s very important that we create a worthy successor. We feel Early Access is a critical step in engaging the Master of Orion fan base that will allow them to contribute to the continued development of this iconic 4X franchise.”
Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?
“We are anticipating Early Access to last a minimum of three months, with at least three phases that release additional races and features over time.”
How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?
“The Early Access version of Master of Orion will initially only include six races, fewer victory conditions and some features will be disabled as we continue to polish them.
We will initially only support English and Russian text and voiceover, but will release additional language support as we progress through Early Access. Windows 64bit will be the only initial operating system supported, though we will be rolling out support for Mac OS, Linux and Steam OS over time.
Outside of that, the core gameplay experience will be available, allowing for a full playthrough of the game.”
What is the current state of the Early Access version?
“Currently Master of Orion is in the last stages of Alpha. Once Alpha is complete we will transition to Early Access.”
Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?
“No, pricing will remain consistent during Early Access and after. There might be times where we participate in Steam sales, but the base price of the Collector’s Edition will remain at $49.99. Pricing and availability for the Standard Edition will be shared at a later date.”
How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?
“We plan to create dedicated forum sections for Early Access to gather feedback from the community. We will be participating in the forum discussions and following impressions very closely. This feedback will be incredibly valuable to us as we fine-tune the gameplay experience and balance, and consider changes to features.”
That’s not all. The announcement also came with a video that showcases the voice actors in the game, many of which have popularity in ‘geek’ culture. Though this may just be PR hype for many, there are small bits of gameplay mixed into the video. You can watch the video for yourself:
The developers have hinted they will be releasing a stream of updates to the build-up of the release of E.A. This includes more details on ship customisation along with many other reveals. For those dying to know more about space combat, information is being released by small snip-bits scattered across in the official forums. Hopefully, there will be a concrete presentation soon.
As per usual, SpaceSector will keep you informed about the game and we will have a First Impressions of the E.A. version of the game shortly after its release. Master of Orion will be available on Steam Early Access on February 26, 2016 for $49.99 USD (which is the price of the Collector’s Edition;.the Standard Edition price is still to be revealed). The game and the Collector’s Edition will also be sold on GOG.
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The voice acting cast had me hyped. But why do I have a bad feeling about it? Perhaps it is the Mrrshan Empress yelling “You will regret this!” during the trailer.
Oh yeah! I am on this like Kirk on a new alien female!
Dark Elves lol.
Well, it’s definitely a “modern remake,” like XCOM. Bling graphics, bling voice actors… in a strategy game…
On the one hand, I have a hard time believing that anyone in that voice actor video actually played the original Master of Orion. On the other hand, the essence of what they are doing is putting a more “mainstream” twist on what used to be (I think) a pretty niche fantasy, back when (I think) computer games were still pretty niche and there was no mainstream. Now compter games are not quite so niche, so the fantasy is going to be remade to less niche tastes. But one fantasy versus another… is it really that different? It’s fantasy. Are you going to complain that the substance is different? It doesn’t have any real substance. The game you played existed primarily in your head. They are making the game that exists in their head. Maybe they never even played the original. Does it really make a difference? Even if they did, they weren’t playing the same game that you were playing, and it meant something different to them than it does to you. They are doing an updated version of whatever exists in *their* head. *That’s* what they are “remaking.”
Not really a surprise that it’s going to have about as much in common with a random contemporary game as with the original. I guess there are a lot of other factors that push in that direction too though.
Maybe someone will do a remake that is to MOO what Devil Daggers is to Quake. I would be more interested in that. On the other hand, I kind of hope such a thing is never made. I might actually play a video game again…
I have no doubt that Mark Hamill played the game back in the days, he has been a voice-actor in the game industry for very long and I doubt he isn’t an avid gamer considering his field. For the rest however I don’t know them enough to make any assertion (except for Alan Tudyk whom I’m sure is a gamer, I mean look at the man, he totally seems in his element).
I’m reluctant to commit to any Early Access these days. I’ve been burned too many times by poorly made games I am afraid.
This looks promising, but we will have to wait for the reviews to see if this is a truly worthy successor.
Up until now they’ve been distressingly tight-lipped on the way tactical combat will work. All they’ve said (reluctantly) is that its “Hybrid-real-time” whatever that means. You’d think they’d be excited to talk if they were proud of it but apparently not.
Its a bit of a worry because MOO 4 will stand or fall on its tactical combat, it will be the only thing that might possibly distinguish it from a million other starlane-infested mediocre space 4x games out there.
The EA will be out very soon so I’m looking forward to hearing all about tactical combat via word of mouth. Then I might finally be able to make an informed purchasing decision. Something that has been impossible thus far due to the intense secrecy.
There is another explanation, considering how much of an important feature it is it can be understandable if they want to keep it under wraps till they feel it’s 100% ready to showcase.
Imagine for a moment, they said it will be real-time. With no details or video to show it off, people who were expecting pure turn-base will flip the tables everywhere. Then you have months of people screaming NOOOOOO! in the forums. All that negative feedback based on something no one has seen.
As bad as it may sound, people being curious, wondering, or even worried is a better alternative. There is also the PR angle, you need cookies close to major events (like say the release of E.A.) to reveal “anticipated” knowledge. I get the feeling tactical combat was “anticipated” knowledge.
Another consideration, I heard they were experimenting with different models and methods. So there was nothing to show because it was still in a state of quantum flux. Once they settled, they had to make sure they had enough to show before they reveal it. So it’s probably something that got finalised pretty late and only recently are they ready to show it.
There is old Hungarian saying, there is no need to paint the devil on the wall, for images can come to life. In short, one doesn’t need to jump the worst possible conclusion until you have some evidence that may be the case.
Yes, I am Hungarian. My middle name is Attila too. :P
Either case, answers are coming, and we’re going to have details on it very soon. VERY soon. :)
Yes, that’s definitely a possible explanation and I’m certainly hoping that it ends up being the case. As you say, we’ll soon find out. :)
Further it goes – worse I feel about it. Well, not worse indeed but more and more indifferent. It’s time to realize that NO modern game can ever surpass or even match the Ancient Ones like Master of Magic or Master of Orion.
The same mistakes again and again, modern graphics, community-implemented features, focus on multiplayer. No way, guys. You lose just right when you start. No successors nowadays, just epigones.
Master of Magic is very overrated. Endless Legend or Age of Wonders 3 are far superior fantasy 4X experiences than that broken mess.
I grant you that MOO 1/2 are still the gold standard for space 4X (although I’d personally rate Stars! as superior). However, Stellaris is looking fantastic. We will have to wait an see how it turns out, of course.
Well I’m certainly looking forward to reading Space Sector’s Early Access Review. Who gets to be the guinea pig, Edward or Keith? :)
I get to be the crash-test dummy for this one. :)
Yup, I’m along for the ride with the rest of you on this one. Looking forward to hearing Edward’s thoughts.
Lucky you. Hey but if you don’t want to do it… you know… we can come to an agreement:)
All those time i though 4x in space needs no good graphics but it Always hurted my eyes a little bit. With this game i know why, it nicer to play if the eyes sees some good laserfire!