Space, the Final Frontier (and all that)

malthaussen · Post by **malthaussen** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:24 am

For lovers of 4x space strategy games, may I direct your attention to Space Empires IV, created by Malfador Machinations and available through the independent software producers Shrapnel Games. This is the best of the genre I have played, with a tech tree you really won't be able to exhaust, infinite moddability (all data are embedded in text files), an active community, dedicated support, and plenty of online opposition. The graphics are not going to cause you to faint, but are sufficient to the purpose (and, like everything else in the game, modded in great quantity). There are a bunch of races supplied with the game, with sundry technological, biological, and behavioral quirks, and dozens of races have been created by the community. You won't find it in stores, so visit them at Shrapnel Games.com. SG also publishes a number of other good wargames and is worthy of the support of those who like such things.

-- Mal

anguille · Post by **anguille** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:39 am

It's still too expensive...

I rather wait for SE V which is around the corner.

efthimios · Post by **efthimios** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:47 am

I tried to like SEIV. I really did. Starting new games with different races, creating a new race, all kinds of maps and options, playing styles etc. I just find it impossible to like it enough to keep playing after a while. I guess I am getting bored playing that game.
I have spent so many more hours on other 4X games like Ascendancy, Imperium (1990 EA), Star Generals, Stars!, etc etc, but I can't even force myself to play a larger fraction of that time with SEIV.
I hope their new SEV is better/I find it better, because with GalCiv2 sticking with the "fleets" they way they are, and Stars! Supernova coming the friday after Duke Nukem Forever, I just don't have any other new space 4X to draw me to. I still play some of the above mentioned games of course, but....

Wouldn't it be great to have Slitherine develop one?

malthaussen · Post by **malthaussen** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:54 am

Yes, I imagine Slitherine could make a very fine 4x space game.

I wouldn't mind seeing them take a crack at the 15th-19th centuries, either.

But they need to develop a system to handle naval battles.

-- Mal

anguille · Post by **anguille** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:55 am

efthimios wrote:
Wouldn't it be great to have Slitherine develop one?

I more than agree with this...i really think that the strategic maps of Spartan/CoW/Legion could very well be used as space and the cities as planets. Instead of mountains you could have asteroid belts and so on.

Most difficult part would probably be the battle engine, but i am sure they could do it.

IF it could be STAR TREK....that would be a dream.

PS: there's another game in the making called: "Horizon: humans in space".
http://www.l3o.com/

"Star Wars: Empires at war" looks good too.

Ascendancy II is also supposed to be under dev. but Logic Factory is very secret and doesn't give any info.