Race Mod Reviews
by Poptoad

This is a review of all the race mods I could get my hands on. I also want this to be a good comparative reference, so I'll try to keep the data and the opinions separate. I'm not a modder myself. Mostly I'm writing for players who might want to try a race mod, and don't know which one. I've also noticed that a lot of modders build packages and borrow someone else's race mod, and this can help them pick.

I'll give an overview first, then go into more detail. One to five thumbs, five being best.

Bard of Prey's Race Balance Mod v. 1.2 Balance: 1/2 Creativity & Race Differentiation: 1/2 Notes: The earliest of these race mods and the standard. Used by a lot of other mods, like Megamod and Primepic. It's a very thorough, ground-up change of all the races. Would I play this mod? It's not for me, just because there's nothing in it that I found enticing.

Tehom's Epic Mod v. 102b Balance: 1/2 Creativity & Race Differentiation: Notes: Tehom has the most flexibility with the Race Picks, featuring three extra pages of specials. It's like he looked up half the cool race modifiers that aren't used by the current game and threw them on the screen. Would I play this mod? Yes. I particularly want to see what I can build with all those specials.

Archonon's Race Mod v. 002 Balance: Creativity & Race Differentiation: Notes: The most adventuresome mod. It removes ALL hard-wiring differences between the races, and introduces specials based on MoO2 specials. Would I play this mod? No. Personally, I like the MoO3 mix of hard-wiring that gives races some character, and race picks that allow customizing. Instead of this mod, I'd rather just play MoO2. But this one is so different it might appeal to you.

Budmod v. 1.2 Balance: 1/2 Creativity & Race Differentiation: Notes: Received extensive testing on GameSpy. Has the best balance of all the race mods. Would I play this mod? You bet. It's the one I'll be installing on my machine. In addition to the balance, I'm attracted by the super-spy Sakkra, the ultra-rich Humans, and the Grendarl's jaw-dropping unrest reduction.

Invader Mod v. 4.4.5 Balance: Creativity & Race Differentiation: Notes: You'll like this if you appreciate the atmosphere and role-playing provided by complicated pick-packages. You don't really analyze these; you take what feels right for the race conception. This mod goes further into the race variables than any other. Would I play this mod? No. I resent big, directive pick packages. I want to make my own races and my own archetypes. Other people will love it.

Sabin's Race Mod Balance: Creativity & Race Differentiation: Notes: Sabin's is a good mod if you want to be Human and dominate. Otherwise, the emphasis in this mod is correcting errors in un-modded MoO3. Would I play this mod? No. I don't play Humans, and I want game balance more than I want accuracy to the designer's original race conception.

Planet Buster's Race Mod ( 1 2 ) Balance: Creativity & Race Differentiation: Notes: Planet Buster has the most race variety. Every single race has its own character. Would I play this mod? Yes. I could see living with these races for a long time, particularly if I could adjust his point totals.

As complete packages, Bard of Prey's and Budee's stand out. Tehom's mod has the best race picks, and Planet Buster's mod the most interesting hard-wiring.