[brianeyci]

My two cents, for what they're worth.

Gandalf :
A game is not worth playing unless it has a multiplayer aspect. The only point to playing single player is to get better at the game so that you can kick other people's butts in multiplayer. The only exception are open-ended roleplaying games like Fallout and the occassional gem like Dues Ex. Maybe I'm from a different generation, but I play games to master them, and once I get good enough I throw it away and move on. Probably won't happen with Space Empires, given the level of skill and the mods. I'll get bored of it eventually =D

A strategy game can't be massively-multiplayer, without making some sort of hybrid game. The game would turn into more of an RPG game, with your empire being the persona you are trying to improve with "experience points" of some sort. Massively multiplayer with a consistent universe is a lot different than some sort of ranking system. There are balance issues mostly, and the game usually degenerates into WHO CAN PLAY THE GAME MORE.

Did I mention balance issues. There would be endless patches and fixes to balance everything. Exploits would have to be found, and undone.

A game that can't even have a persistent Online real-time server thingy like battle.net is a long way away from a massively multiplayer experience. Stick to what you know Malfador, turn-based strategy and not a persistent universe...

If we are simply talking about a persistent game... well gosh, we have that already. Start a PBW game, make some house rules like "if you take over a percentage of an empire, you have to do a subjugation treaty and let them live", and a few others, and viola, you have a persistent universe. Also slow the game down with something like Proportions, along with the "house rules", and the game could Last years lol.

Maybe in-house rules could be developed that let you purchase better traits/species specific enhancements given the ranking/experience points your empire manages to accumulate in the Last game. Something like that would let your empire carry on in a fashion, with the experience of the Last game to give it a minor boost. I'm surprised there isn't some kind of league like this already, an "experience points" based league where your empire gets more formidable the more games you play/win... heh heh.

Brian