# Master of Orion 2 - Custom Races **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2000, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-of-orion-2-custom-races/38031 "2000-10-23T22:18:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-of-orion-2-custom-races/38031/1 "2000-10-23T22:18:22Z")
Does anyone out there play MoO2? It’s one of the most addictive games I own, I keep going back to it because no two games are alike…anyway, I was playing with different designs for custom races and came up with a few that work well for me, was wondering if anybody else had any favorites? I currently have been doing well with omniscient uncreative subterranean feudal telepaths with a low-g homeworld. ---
**Author:** ![Scupper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Scupper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scupper)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-of-orion-2-custom-races/38031/2 "2000-10-23T22:51:56Z")
Telepathic is definitely the way to go. It’s great to stop by somebody’s home planet when they’ve sent all their ships away and just say “Hi, you’ve just been assimilated,” without firing a shot. The “Silicoid” advantage (whichever one lets you ignore atmospheres) is good, too, because it lets you go crazy colonizing worlds early in the game. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-of-orion-2-custom-races/38031/3 "2000-10-23T23:10:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \* > Does anyone out there play MoO2? It’s one of the most addictive games I own, I keep going back to it because no two games are alike…anyway, I was playing with different designs for custom races and came up with a few that work well for me, was wondering if anybody else had any favorites? > > I currently have been doing well with omniscient uncreative subterranean feudal telepaths with a low-g homeworld. \*\* The only advantages I need are Democratic and Creative; I give up ground combat and espionage disadvantages, and I guarantee it’s an unbeatable combo. I find you can just crush your opponents under the weight of technologically advanced fleets and bases. ---
**Author:** ![ren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@ren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ren)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-of-orion-2-custom-races/38031/4 "2000-10-23T23:20:55Z")
> [@](#): > > The “Silicoid” advantage (whichever one lets you ignore atmospheres) is good, too, because it lets you go crazy colonizing worlds early in the game. In a small galaxy this is a nearly unbeatable advantage. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2000, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-of-orion-2-custom-races/38031/5 "2000-10-24T00:36:32Z")
Well, there are two that make the Silicoids so cool. There is ‘Tolerant’, which allows you to ignore penalties from inhospitable planets, and ‘Lithovore’, which makes it so you don’t need food. The two together are so expensive you have to take some serious penalties to manage it, but Lithovore alone is enough. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2000, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-of-orion-2-custom-races/38031/6 "2000-10-24T00:54:09Z")
BTW, I hear that Subterranean and Creative are often not allowed in multiplayer games because they are so unbalancing. I tend to agree, even though they increased the cost for Creative from 6 to 8 with v1.31. I know I always choose the Psilon portrait for my custom races to avoid having to face the Psilons in the game. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2000, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/master-of-orion-2-custom-races/38031/7 "2000-10-24T00:57:23Z")
Sorry for so many posts, I keep remembering things after I hit submit. The Silicoids had a MUCH larger advantage in Master of Orion, because you could not colonize hostile environments until you developed higher technologies unless you were Silicoid - you could pretty much snatch up all those planets early in the game before the other races could land on them. In Master of Orion 2 you can always colonize any planet, there are just production penalties and upkeep penalties.