To answer your Q:
1)
Your test game is a turn-based-movement game?
That is nice because you play in the same way that in single player or hot-seat, but it's too slow.
File name doesn't change in simultaneous turn games.
Most players use simultaneous movements and most multiplayer options are thinked for that kind of game.
There are a couple of player made programs that may help you:
Fuerte's PBeM helper (although you'd be forced to use email that is of course slower than ICQ)
and Matryx SE4 Launcher
I don't recall links to those programs. You'll find them searching in the forum.
Also setting a game in PBW makes it easier.
1.a) Yeah that would be cool. Maybe a future patch?
2) Yes, it seems that feature doesn't work as expected.
3)
4) Never seen that problem. I always seems to close correctly for me.
5) I agree. UI is still a mess. SE3 used windows GUI and right click menus, and most players that played it agree it was much better than se4. After playing a little you get used to it, but it still many buttons that you're forced to click with the mouse and have no workaround with the keyboard.
6) Hit Esc first and then F11.
I don't think that's one of the major problems in the UI
7) Cliking in show desktop works for me.
8) Yep, I've seen the game crash that way too.
9) You can turn all names on in the popup map, it makes it too confusing.
10) Don't worry, IIRC there are scrolling arrows if all comps cannot be displayed. A condensed view would be nice thoug.
11) You're taking about planetary systems, not galaxies. That's how you can order a ship to move from one system to another.
12) Yep, the manual is nearly useless. There are a few player written documents, and there was the idea of compiling a new manual, but never got to be done.
13) Return and Esc support was added in a patch, and it's a miracle they even work in some windows.
And even in those where it works, you still need to use the mouse to click in the options. How about a mimic of windows GUI that allows navigating through the menus using arrow keys, tab and enter/space?
14) Why send things to Srapnel support when you can and have already sent it directly to Malfador Machinations? And got an answer from Aaron Hall himself. That is the support email listed in MM's site.