Re: Getting Burned Out
 

i felt the same way about single player a while back and heven't played it for a few weeks now, i haven't even installed se4 since i formatted 2 weeks ago....
But with the new patch out, i'm starting to feel like playing again. Or i'll just wait for civ3....Hey, wait a minute, what a coincidence, civ3 is almost coming out, and you decide not to play SE4 SP for a while... http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon10.gif

[This message has been edited by LemmyM (edited 27 October 2001).]

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

Burned out??? Not yet, but I can see within 6 months playing less (or when I get a new computer that can handle a more complex program....Baldurs Gate II xp pack, Master Of Orion III, whenever it comes out etc.)

PBW still takes up a large part of my day (larger after the wedding!) and I try to play single player as much as possible.(AI testing, mod testing and just plain fun, I have never actually finished a game single player yet...turn 150 is about as high as I have gotten.) Heck it took 3 years for Moo2 to bore me, and over a year for Moo1! It's the 'randomness' that I really like in these type of games.

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"We are all...the sum of our scars"....(paraphrased) Matt. R. Stover-'Blade of Tyshalle'.

"Human existance is all imagination...Reality is no more than a simple agreement among its participants that this is where we shall meet, and these are the rules that we shall abide by."- Kevin McCarthy/David Silva "The Family:Special Effects"..

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

Just on a side note, some games I can't wait for are Civ3, Sims Online, and Neverwinter Nights. Maaaaan they look kicking!
SE4 is going to remain a fav of mine for a long while though... Even if i dont have enough time to play it.

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

I use single player to test stuff out like Deathstalker. I find it useful when I encounter game settings I have never used before on PBW. I fire up the machine and play 50-60 turns in that enviroment. I have found that strategy can vary considerably with different game settings and helps me to adapt my playing style.

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

I can agree with that. I don't play the single player anymore, and I havn't for a few months, at least. It almost becomes like playing Dragon's Lair, where you just have to know the right moves and the AI folds.

The thing that I always find frustrating is that the AI seems to be completely oblivious to the kind of damage he is doing to a player. He never knows when to press an attack. I once had an AI take me to the ropes, and then just walk away and he didn't return for nearly a year in any force. By then I has a huge fleet and cleaned him up. Yet I was nearly defenseless before. Alas.

To make up for it, I just play about 5 PBW games. Even the greenest of players are at least suprisingly unpredictable.

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

Hey, SE IV is unlike other 4X games in that you can mod it so easily and extensively. When playing gets boring, go back to modding. When modding gets boring, play test your mods for a while. If you get bored with both... well, there's a new patch with some new features coming out soon. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Getting Burned Out
 

It has been nearly a year since I got my full copy of SEIV, and lot has happened in that time. I have made 15 ship sets, 13 published, 4 web sites, one still up thank god, and have played countless hours of SEIV.

Today, something inside of me just said enough. I need to take a break from this game for a while. I simply am just burned out on it. I love it endearingly, and will not "stop" playing it. I just need to take sometime away from it for a while.

I will still play my PBW game, and post here, but I think I will avoid playing a single player game for a long long time. The game has many things to offer, however, one thing the game does not have is, and what I need, is game play excitement. I know how to get the AI to surrender even giving the AI the best possible advantages. Regardless, I own the game by turn 200, and the rest of the game is spend exploring and populating. Might as well all it SimSpace at that point. All I am doing is building infastructure.

I have done it all, I have hiked the cost of research to god levels, added many new classes of ships, beefed up the AI to max, and still, I always win by turn 200. Simply put, the human ability to reason and direct efforts is so far beyond any AI that by turn 200, I have simply out paced the AI in research and intel.

The rest is mopping up.

Given this, I have literally lost interest in playing Single Player. DON'T count Single player out, its just that I have played it for over a year, and know it inside and out. I just need to step away for a while and redevelop my interest. (Usually takes about a month)

I am still interested, and excited about PBW, and egarly await my Turn notice. Right now, I am dead Last. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif


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New Age Ship Yards

"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Captain Picard STNG

Borg Breen Species 8472 Cardassian Dominion STNG Ferengi Klingon Romulan
Trek Movie era TOS Illuminati Starwolf

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

Atrocities,
I have just updated my Borg variant, Romulans, Klingon and Shadows races, and have produced AI for the Praetorian, Jraenar and UkraTal.
Am doing doing a final v1.49 play test but I promise you that they are good researchers and expand like berzerko.
I recommend that you give them a go once released!

Regards,
GE

[This message has been edited by God Emperor (edited 28 October 2001).]

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

Thank you all, your comments are right on the money. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Thanks GE, I look forward to it. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

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New Age Ship Yards

"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Captain Picard STNG

Borg Breen Species 8472 Cardassian Dominion STNG Ferengi Klingon Romulan
Trek Movie era TOS Illuminati Starwolf

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

I go through phases. There are certain times where I'm more into playing the game, other times where I'm into modding or building bits and pieces of shipsets that I never finish. Every once in a while I lose interest for a few weeks - but that is usually because I don't have a lot of time to be as involved as I would to be.

Captain Kwok = Captain Spoogy

Just thought I would mention that. I'm working on a new project (race) for Space Empires IV. It's a bit more time consuming since I decided to model my own image map textures for my shipset. Who knows when or if it will ever get done!

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"Reality is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there..."

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

If you want to make a single player game a real challenge and mentally challenging - try playing it with your race being completely controlled by the AI, and only making directions by making changes to your AI files.

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

Atrocities, how about getting your brother involved in a hot-seat game? pick and tweak say 6-7 AI's, then have computer pick again on high level, aggresiveness then the two of you go at it??? Hot seat w/friends (maybe before the game) is even better then PBW. I play hotseat every Sunday with 3 friends, excellent way to play this game.

just some ideas mac

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

I don't know if I'll get 'burned out' on SE4 anytime soon, but something tells me I'll suffer a slight lapse in playing after Civ3 comes out. I can't play two games at once, alas.

http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

If MOO 3 comes out on schedule it will be well before the novelty of Civ 3 has worn out. Some people will go into over-load trying to play both (or all three if they know SE IV... ) and experience their new worlds. There are going to be news stories about 'computer addiction' again... http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

I don't care about those upcoming releases or really any other computer games. I used to buy several titles a year - but I haven't bought any since getting SEIV Last January. I just feel that there's no point since I can manipulate SEIV into any (space 4x) game I want...

I think the only way I get something else is if they build a super Sim City 4000? or SEV is finally released!

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Captain Kwok = Captain Spoogy

"Reality is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there..."

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

yeah, but they are planning on making moo3 customizeable via text files as well...

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"...the green, sticky spawn of the stars"
(with apologies to H.P.L.)

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

Generally speaking, I think I am getting burned out on the whole 4 x gaming thing.

I have a deep love for SEIV, and will continue to play. There are currently only three 4 x games that I like:

SEIV
Rebellion
Birth Of The Federation

Each game is unique and brilliant in their own rights, but with each of them, I reached a point where I just wanted something new to play. Mods help, but once you know how to beat the AI, you know how to beat the AI period.

I hope the the new games coming out will live up to the standard that SEIV has set, for if they do not, they will not grace my PC.

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Puke:
yeah, but they are planning on making moo3 customizeable via text files as well...
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

drool

Well, I did get Civ3. It has a learning curve since it's changed quite a few things. Alas, I cannot play that game while surfing the net since it tends to freeze if you have other apps running. Ooops.

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

I know what you mean, though I am far from that point with SE IV right now. No matter how good the game, there comes a time when you have to move on, in fact I tend to take breaks fairly often - increasing the games longevity. I have stopped playing SE IV several times already and come back to it later, a testiment to its' quality. I did the same with MOO II for quite a while. These breaks can refresh your interest for quite some time, but again, one ultimately reaches a point where there is nothing further to be learned and thus no more fun to be had...

The big games I will play next:

Turn Based Strategy:
- MOO III (a no brainer there)
- Age of Wonders II (this should be a no brainer for anyone interested in turn based strategy, fantasy or not.)
- CIV III

RTS:
- Kohan Immortal Sovereigns (already out playable for free on Gamespy)
- Warcraft III

RPG:
- Morrowind

That should keep me covered for another year or two... http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

[This message has been edited by Magus38 (edited 02 November 2001).]

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

You should go sit on a beach somewhere for a week. That's what I am doing. But I am just burned out from daily routine. Just a little change up before the end of the year rush.

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Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant!

Re: Getting Burned Out
 

I agree, I took break from Se4 and played Shogun for awhile, still played SE4 hotseat on Sundays, and just now came back to SE4 again. With all the new games coming out over the next several months a break just makes SE4 better when you come back.

Sinapus, you have civ3, how is it? better then 2?

just some ideas mac