Gold Version - First Look
 

All,

The good:

The new sound effects are great. The first time my planet opened up on an enemy ship with Quantum Torpedoes at range 10 it was really cool. NEVER underestimate the value of "suspension of disbelief"

The new "systems" are vaguely interesting. The organic infestation was kind of cool. I'd rather have had a useful planet, or something to deal with the infestation (maybe there is something in the long run?)

Jury still out:

Drones - I launch in combat and don't seem to have ANY ability to give them a target. Maybe I'm missing something?

Seems like they are pretty good for planetary defense, but not so good for ships to carry (think Andromeda). Either allow recovery/refuel, or allow construction without a space yard (to allow replenishment without returning to base).

Of course, if the computer makes them as fast as they make fighters, the computer will certainly like them. Haven't seen them used yet...

The not so good:

Game speed: I'm running XP and the problem with SE IV with ship animations is mostly gone. I'd still like to see this (without having to turn the animations off) be adjustable. I'd also like ship speed on the screen to be indicative of the ship's game speed.

Bottom line - I really don't see anything that warrants paying for the game again. I expected major improvements in the graphics OR something to make this more than just the next patch. I realize they have to make money to keep improving the game, but this WAS NOT worth even the rebated price.

Still love the game though.

GB

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by GhostBear:
All,

&lt;snip&gt;

Still love the game though.

GB<hr></blockquote>

Unfortunately I have to add the manual to the "not so good" Category. It's OK for newbies but worthless for veterans which I would think are mostly the people buying Gold. The Index is full of references to pages that don't exist. Must be the manual was shortened at the Last minute to cut costs.

Elmo

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

Hey,

I finally opened the manual and found the REBATE COUPON!!!
I guess it's good for something.

I'm having a bLast playing gold. Has anyone looked at the MODS yet?


UPGRADES HAPPEN!

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Wardad:
Hey,

I finally opened the manual and found the REBATE COUPON!!!
I guess it's good for something.

<hr></blockquote>

Just if you are owner of SE4 (non-Gold).

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

I'm tempted by the mods. I figure I'll play unmodded for awhile, let the novelty wear off and thens start adding the mods to reintroduce some newness into the game. I couldn't wait to add the ST races. I copied the Klingon logo from BOTF though and updated the system name text file to include names from the series. Maybe I'll update the screen bitmaps to be more TNG-ish? Qa'plaH!

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

No the manual was not cut down, in fact we inflated it with several things to reach the 120 page margin. The index appears to have some incorrect info in it however.

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Richard:
No the manual was not cut down, in fact we inflated it with several things to reach the 120 page margin. The index appears to have some incorrect info in it however.<hr></blockquote>

Richard

Fair enough. I stand corrected. Sorry for the negative comments on the manual but as a long time player of SE IV it was a disappointment to me. However many other aspects of the package, such as the additional bug fixes and Mods were welcome.

Elmo

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

I found the manual to be satisfactory. But having already played the Gold demo, and done the tutorial there, I really didn't need the manual for much of anything. But I do know what you mean: some things weren't covered in the paper manual, but are covered in the Online game manual, which I am finding more useful.

I think I will learn a lot more about the game just reading through the .txt files than from any manual anyhow.

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Elmo:


It's OK for newbies but worthless for veterans which I would think are mostly the people buying Gold.

Elmo<hr></blockquote>

Nah. I'm a newbie and don't find the paper manual useful. I refer to the html based manual from in game far more often, though at times I'm left wanting with that as well.

Great game though, so it makes up for it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

As a veteran, I think the new printed manual is a HUGE improvement over the original; my only complaint is a dislike for the overly "chatty" writing style in spots. [ I cut my gaming teeth on some of the most opaque wargame rules that Avalon Hill and SPI ever produced; that's probably warping my judgement. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif ] I don't think I've even looked at the Online manual for Gold yet.

[ Edit ] Forgot to mention the Mods; I've installed Matryx's Mod Launcher, the two I contributed, and the TDM-ModPack so far. There are several others I intend to try that I probably wouldn't have downloaded otherwise. I expect the modding tools and guides will prove quite useful when I start working on another mod.

[ 18 March 2002: Message edited by: capnq ]</p>

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Is this HTML manual available for download somewhere? I've got the demo and I'm trying to figure out some things but the Online help is all but useless. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

This looks like a fun and interesting game, the different races use different strategies in their ship design, so I can't just design a single killer ship and "whup" them. But I sure would like to know what I'm doing (other than by experimentation) as I figure this stuff out.
Thanks,

AtP

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

IMO, the best feature of SEIV-Gold, which alone makes it worth a price, is an added ability to
mod population growth and size. Without it Proportions mod and new Derek mod will be impossible.

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

I was disappointed by the manual too : I didn't play any SE before Gold, and expected a good heavy manual when I received the package ... But the manual goes up to lengthy trivial explanations of simple interface functions ("Toogle AI" button : this button will toggle AI on ... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif ), without sufficient info about the game's MECHANICS !
The Online help has more detailed info, but still lacks on mechanics.
The tutorial is good, but too short and doesn't cover enough of the game.

Luckily I found this board and Dubious'guide, that have a wealth of info, but with the manual and HTML help alone I surely would have been left wondering ..

What's badly needed IMO is :
- More in depth explanation of ship design, research, intel and tac combat
- Tables and charts of tech trees, facilities and components type (as we have in any Civ or MOO game)
- Some "Strategy guide" chapter, with rough guidelines on setting up an empire, managing fleets, diplomacy and so on.

This game is great but as it stands now need a high dedication to enjoy, in part due to this faulty documentation.

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

The Gold Version is a Major improvement. Make sure you have the patch installed.

I also think that the TDM mod is almost required. The guys that put this together have really done a nice job. Keep it updated, as they improve it fairly regularly. Not to take anything away from the other great Mods here, however, I've found the TDM one to be a little more stable and glitch free then some of the others. I think it's because it's a group effort and therefore gets a little more practical testing then some of the others before they go up.

Another really interseting effort you may want to look at is the Proportions mod.

All in all, personally, I don't really mind sending Malfador money regularly, if they would keep improving the game.

( Are you listening, Richard?! SUBSCRIPTIONS!!!)

[ May 17, 2002, 14:52: Message edited by: Tenryu ]

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">TDM is more stable because it keeps all SE IV data intact and change only AI files. Other mods mess up everything possible and impossible.

I agree that there is no logic whatsoever to play unmoded SE IV without TDM (if computer players participate of course).

Re: Gold Version - First Look
 

I really like Gold, its an improvement for sure but not neccesarily a be all end all to the line (obviously).

I was also hoping for a Civ/Civ2 esque 300+ manual wiht technical descriptions you could fall asleep reading (cause they're so long, not boring).

I WANT NUMBERS! haha. Also, tech tree, a la civ, would be nice

[ May 20, 2002, 05:25: Message edited by: Skulky ]