Since
Homeworld made its way into the interstellar strategy genre, not many games have cloned it, probably due to the fact that it was so damn good. But competition brings out the best in games, and thankfully,
ORB puts up a good fight.
Instead of fighting on traditional battlefields a la Command and Conquer, ORB takes the conflict to outer space. Battles now take place in true 3D, where there isn't any real 'up' or 'down'. Obstacles are limited mainly to asteroids, which at times can get slightly redundant, but they do offer some substance to the gameplay.
The same RTS principles are still in effect here. You have bases and capital ships, which in turn produce other units. There are various fighter class ships to build, along with logistical units such as mining and repair ships. The game could have benefited from a little more diversity with the fighters, but what it lacks in tangible units it makes up for with researchable enhancements. Allocating resources to scientific improvement is as important as maintaining a large fleet.