Just returned to the game, dumb question...
 

I bought SEIV a while back and I haven't played in over a year. I ended up being distracted by other things, and was recently dragged back into 4X games by MOO3, which turned out to be a waste of money and a HUGE disappointment.

I still have SEIV Version 1.02 and was looking to play (SP) again but I've only found mods for Gold. Is there any way to upgrade to Gold so I can use some of the cool-looking mods like StarTrek and such? Or do I have to buy the Gold Version flat-out?

(I think I even have a shipset I designed and archived somewhere on a CD, too. Woowoo! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif )

TIA

Re: Just returned to the game, dumb question...
 

Wellcome Back.

Sorry, but there is no way to upgrade from standard SEIV to Gold. Highest Version of old SEIV is 1.49, so there should be some improvements over your current Version.

In addition to the cool features on Gold, there are also vastly improved AI's (TDM) for SP, and a much wider choice of games for multiplayer on PBW.

If you are into 4X games, gold is well worth the extra money.

Re: Just returned to the game, dumb question...
 

Even if you decide to skip Gold (I _strongly_ recommned to buy it), 1.49 is a vast improvement over 1.02. You can still find a TDM pack for 1.49 in download forum and few other non-Gold mods. TDM is a must for single player of course.

Re: Just returned to the game, dumb question...
 

Pirates & Nomads has a fairly up to date SE4 Classic Version available.
v2.x are for SE4 classic
v3.x are for Gold.

If there is a PBW tag on the mod, then it has extra features impossible for the AI to handle, and is thus Humans-only

v2.4d is the one you probably want.

You may also want to try my scenario (download v2.3c R2 to run it).
In that one, you are a neutral race (living in one starsystem), and your binary stars are about to go nova. You have three years to pack up, move out, and carve out a new home for yourself in a hostile universe full of enormous AI empires.
You eventual goal is to return home and rebuild your homeworld.