Master of Orion
1993 · Strategy · PC
Overview
Master of Orion (1993) is Steve Barcia's turn-based space strategy game for MicroProse, the first game described as "4X".
Deep Dive
The player leads one of ten races through a randomly generated galaxy, researching six independent fields of technology. Victory comes by wiping out rivals or winning a galactic vote for peaceful unification.
Developer Story
Barcia designed it at SimTex, with music by David Govett. MicroProse released it for MS-DOS in September 1993, and it sold over 100,000 copies; a Mac version followed in 1995.
Did You Know?
- Alan Emrich's preview in Computer Gaming World summed it up as "4X": explore, expand, exploit, exterminate.
- It won Computer Gaming World's Strategy Game of the Year.
Sources & further reading
- Master of Orion — Wikipedia
