"Will playing SEIV v1.49 AI ruin my interest for the game? Are the AIs much more superior in the GOLD edition?"
Not "much more challenging", but certainly a bit more challenging (esp. with some mods that are Gold-only).
"Will the older Versions of the TDM Modpack still give me a challenge?"
Certainly. Look on
SpaceEmpires.net to find the 2.00 Version of TDM mod, the Last for pre-gold.
"Is the Proportions Mod available for v1.49?"
That mod is not possible without gold, as there are a few fundamental principles that only became possible with Gold (pop mass settings, for example).
"BTW: I got a really good first impression of Shrapnel Games from the website... seems like they are interested in providing deep strategy games rather then a superficial one with flashy graphics. "
Indeed they do!
