Re: How is the game now?
 

The buttons aren't -that- big, compared to SEIV.

SEIV construction window: 14 buttons
SEV construction window: 13 buttons (space for 14).

SEV has more buttons in sub-menus, but that's mostly because SEV has "add item", "remove item", "Amount", which are somewhat redundant. I almost never use them.

Same with the ship design screen. SEIV has space for 14 buttons, SEV has space for...14 buttons.

Re: How is the game now?
 

Yes, but it has more things with buttons, and thus not enough space to put all of them on the screen...

Just because you don't use the amount field doesn't mean other people don't as well.

Re: How is the game now?
 

How'd those people handle SEIV? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: How is the game now?
 

In SE4, it is relegated to a sub-menu button. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: How is the game now?
 

I spent about two years of my life constantly changing my desktop environment. I love changing my UI but I think SE5's interface was overall a step backwards. It did add great stuff like hexes but SE5 displays data poorly more often then not like the combat log.

Its code is closed source; what else is there to do besides test and report?

Re: How is the game now?
 

The problems at this point are just a ton of little niggling things that combine to reduce the fun of playing.

Even slight interface items like the Planet names covering up the red/green dots for habitability are annoying. Is it a big deal? Of course not, but its repeated clicks to remember which planets are where etc.

Also, its handful of clicks to be able to find out what facilities are on a planet instead of a simply r-click on a planet.

Giving orders to ships is semi-uninituitive as well. I have to pick up the sector, click the ship and then click it again to see what orders I have given already.

And for some reason, ship design which used to be a lot of fun in previous versions seems tedious in SE5. I cant place my finger on exactly why, but I all I can go on is that I used to look forward to designing new ships when I got new hulls or components but now it seems like its a bother.

Finally, the most telling thing for me is that even though I've been waiting and checking every day for the patch, when it came out I downloaded it, fired up a game, played for about a dozen turns, saved it, and havent really felt like starting it up again. That is COMPLETELY subjective, but its just a feeling that the game isnt really that fun for me unlike SE3 and SE4 where I could lose myself for hours thinking 'just one more turn...'.

Re: How is the game now?
 

Bingo.

Re: How is the game now?
 

Uncle_Joe said:
"Even slight interface items like the Planet names covering up the red/green dots for habitability are annoying."

The atmosphere glows in FQM bypass that nicely, allowing you to tell atmosphere type at a glance.

Of course, if just a little bit of care had gone into the planet textures, you would be able to recognize the atmosphere type just by the planets' colors alone, as we could in SE4... But alas, we have blue oxygen and blue methane planets that are indistinguishable from each other, and yellow CO2 and hydrogen ones...

Re: How is the game now?
 

It's a little better. For $19 you should buy it, patch it, and play it. It will take a few more patches I expect, to get the AI right, even if the other numerous niggling issues remain. As released the game entirely deserved the sharp criticism it received, but it has improved quite a bit, and will probably continue to do so. That it is near the top of the heap of 4X games (not arguing the opinion, happen to agree) is more a condemnation of 4X games, than it is praise for SEV.

Re: How is the game now?
 

So I take it the SE5 UI isn't moddable like SE4? I'm a huge fan of 3&4, but I'm also currently holding off on SE5. If it is moddable, has anyone made new skins?

*recloaks*

zen

::edit:: Thanks Fyron, when I said 'moddable' I meant skinnable. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif