Hi all I just have the demo right now but...

[Starhawk]

Well I downloaded the Space Empires Demo a little while back and I must say...this is the most epic and in depth strategy game I've ever played, cept for the 100 turns drawback I think this game is really worth getting.

I have a few questions about some stuff though:

1.How good is the AI in the full Version?

2. How easy is it to put in one of those cool new shipsets I downloaded?

3. What is "play by mail" and how does it work?

4. What is "play by web" and how does that work?

6. Does this game have a cut off year like say Starships Unlimited or Civ 2?

7. How many ships and troops can you have as a max in the full game?

8. Just how big ARE the largest galactic maps in terms of system numbers?

[DavidG]

lot of questions. I'd be happy to answer when I get home from work but I know as a type this there are probably 2 or 3 people typing long answers.

[Loser]

Originally posted by Starhawk:
1.How good is the AI in the full Version?

Good enough to cut your teeth on. Then get the TDM AI mod, they'll keep you busy. Humans are best, though.

Originally posted by Starhawk:
2. How easy is it to put in one of those cool new shipsets I downloaded?

It is pie.

Originally posted by Starhawk:
3. What is "play by mail" and how does it work?

One person hosts the games, send turns out, you work them, send them back, wait for next turn.

Originally posted by Starhawk:
4. What is "play by web" and how does that work?

One site hosts the games, send turns out, you work them, send them back, wait for next turn.

Originally posted by Starhawk:
6. Does this game have a cut off year like say Starships Unlimited or Civ 2?

Only if you wnat it to.

Originally posted by Starhawk:
7. How many ships and troops can you have as a max in the full game?

20,000? 200,000? Enough, that's for sure.

Originally posted by Starhawk:
8. Just how big ARE the largest galactic maps in terms of system numbers?

255 systems is the game max. These can have many, many planets. FQM mod does wonders for the map.

[Starhawk]

"One person hosts the games, send turns out, you work them, send them back, wait for next turn."

So one player sends out the information on turns and the others type their response and let the host play it for them?

Or do they get to actually PLAY the turn as if they were playing a hotseat game?

Sorry for what no doubt sound like dumb questions but I just want to learn everything I can before I get a game.

[ October 06, 2003, 19:56: Message edited by: Starhawk ]

[Phoenix-D]

"So one player sends out the information on turns and the others type their response and let the host play it for them?

Or do they get to actually PLAY the turn as if they were playing a hotseat game?"

They play it in Simultanous mode, send the turn file to the host, the host runs the turns and SE4 calculates the results.

Simulanious mode just means you input orders only, then at the end of the turn everyone's orders are run at the same time.

[DavidG]

Originally posted by Starhawk:
"One person hosts the games, send turns out, you work them, send them back, wait for next turn."

So one player sends out the information on turns and the others type their response and let the host play it for them?

Or do they get to actually PLAY the turn as if they were playing a hotseat game?

Sorry for what no doubt sound like dumb questions but I just want to learn everything I can before I get a game.

the load the game up, play the game and when you hit end turn it creates a .plr file that you send to the host. (note this is one of 2 ways to play by e-mail, the other u just send the turn back and forth)

[Starhawk]

Hmm sounds like it would take away from the experience of playing SEIV.

Here's another big question...Should I bother getting SEIV or is SEV coming out soon enough to make getting IV a bad idea?

[Arkcon]

Hey Starhawk. Welcome to the forum. Just a heads up, there is no hotseat play over multiple computers - PBW, PBEM, or TCP/IP are all strategic combat.

[Starhawk]

Yeah I knew that...but I was kinda figuring the play by mail game would work in a similar fashion. I wouldn't want to play a game where i can't even see if I'm gonna win till the next turn :-).

Play by mail sounds as if it takes away some of the enjoyability of the game.

[Puke]

Originally posted by Starhawk:
[QB]Hmm sounds like it would take away from the experience of playing SEIV.[QB]

no, the answer was not clear. in a simultanious play by email or play by web game, you PLAY YOUR TURN. each player plays his/her own game turn, on their own computer, in their own copy of SE4. then when they are done with the turn, their computer saves it as a ".PLR" file and you send it to the hosts, whom compiles it all and sends out a ".TRN" file for the next game turn. the difference between simultanious and sequential (you can play a simultanious game in hotseat mode, to see what im talking about) is that in a simultanious game the ships dont move when you order them to - they record a list of orders and everyones ships move together when the turn is processed.

simultanious is a much better way of playing, IMO (although slower for single player games) since it forces you to use more tactics and you cant be as reactionary.

As to ETA on se5, i would guess next xmas at the soonest. maybe 2005. I got an email from AH once that said he was shooting for xmas this year, but i doubt its going to happen. we all would have heard something by now.

EDIT: Oh, maybe you did understand. but the combat simulator can give you a general idea if you are going to win a combat or not, and almost all but the most important battles are won by overwhelming force. thats largely the difference between strategic and tactical games. in strategy games like SE4 and CIV, the goal is to make sure the fight is as unfair as possible.

[ October 06, 2003, 21:15: Message edited by: Puke ]