Last week Infogrames announced that its upcoming turn-based strategy game Master of Orion III would be released in the third quarter of 2002 rather than the previously scheduled second quarter. According to a company representative, the game is undergoing some significant changes that require additional development time to implement.

　　A number of posts on the official Master of Orion III message boards by designer Alan Emrich and executive producer Bill Fisher indicate that the game's previous design was overwhelming and that it is now undergoing a process of streamlining and simplification. Two major changes made to the game include streamlining the user interface and reducing the amount of automated management in the game, since the designers found that the game was doing "too much for the players."

　　Master of Orion III is the latest game in the popular Master of Orion sci-fi turn-based strategy series. It will include a variety of improvements upon the previous games, including better graphics and a number of new gameplay options and features. For more information about Master of Orion III, take a look at our previous coverage of the game.