I found SE2 way back when (in the days of Windows 3.1, so probably late 1995 or early 1996), and loved it. I'd played Star Fleet Battles in college, and had been looking for a computer Version of SFB. Then I switched employers in late '97, and didn't have a computer at home until late 1998. At which point I loaded SE2 on my computer (yeah, you could load SE2 on a Win95 box). Then I realized I should look to see if Malfador was around and making improvements to the game. Lo and behold, there was SE3! So I started playing SE3, and deleted SE2 (
). And, like everyone else, waited with great anticipation for SE4.
I was one of the first to send in modified files for SE3; like most of the other modders for SE3, my first mods tended to create overly powerful components at early tech levels. So I backed off, and finally settled on adding more fighters (different weapon loads, larger fighters at higher tech levels) and more variety in planetary defense facilities (I especially liked the Ion Cannon - a facility-only weapon with very long range). I have a feeling that those mods (along with everyone else's Versions of fighters & facilities) ended up as the inspiration for the fighters and weapon platforms in SE4...