O.R.B: Off-World Resource Base
| O.R.B: Off-World Resource Base | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Strategy First |
| Publisher(s) |
Strategy First (North America) Mindscape (Europe) |
| Platform(s) | Windows PC |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Space simulation, Strategy game |
| Mode(s) | Singleplayer and Multiplayer |
Strategy First (North America)
O.R.B: Off-World Resource Base (or simply O·R·B) is a space strategy game developed and published by Strategy First. Much like Homeworld and its sequel Homeworld 2, units can move in all three spatial dimensions.
The story of O·R·B begins with two ancient races, the Aldar and a race created by the Aldar, the Elathen, engaged in a battle for survival. The Aldar lost this conflict and their civilization was completely wiped out. However, the Aldar left behind two younger races, the Malus and the Alyssians, each guided by a document called the Torumin. This document takes on religious importance to both races, but the true purpose of it is lost to both.
The campaign story begins chronologically with the Malus, who begin a campaign to exterminate the Alyssians, whom they believe to be the "Great Betrayers" their holy documents speak of. The Alyssians use the same symbol as the Elathen to represent themselves, hence the confusion. The Malus drive the Alyssians from their homeworld, realizing after the fact that a Torumin identical to the one that guides them is also in the hands of the Alyssians.
The Alyssian campaign sees the homeless Alyssians finding a new settlement, only to be harassed by the Kyulek, servants of the Elathen. Aided by the Seekers of Ftorrek, an outcast Malus clan, the Alyssians rediscover the technology of their ancestors in order to stop the returning threat of the Elathen.
As with most strategy games, the object of O·R·B is to defeat the enemy forces by gathering resources to build an attack fleet. As the name of the game implies, this is done by locating resource-bearing asteroids which must be mined to finance construction of new units. Successfully locating and protecting these asteroids is a key point in the game, as resources are scarce and the player must compete with their enemy to tap them.
To gain new technologies and better ships, the player must research them. This is particularly important in the campaign mode, as research is accumulated over each mission: a player who neglects research in favor of force in the early levels will find themselves severely outmatched in the later levels. In contrast, unlike Homeworld, a player's fleet is usually not cumulative, and thus after finishing a specific level the player will be dependent on local sources to rebuild a new (and usually better) fleet.
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Wikipedia