opinion of a new player

[bernd]

i am new to seIV and i am still not sure if i really like the game. but i can tell you that i am positively surprised about the great complexity in a game which uses only 6 mbyte of my ram. though there are some facts i don't like.

the interface is quite good, but some graphics are just too small. does the developer assume that all players have eagle-eyes? the ships in the systemwindow could also have been a bit bigger in size.

the game could need some colour. i mean story-colour. though i set random events to medium they hardly occur. so the game becomes a bit monotonous after a while, 'cause you always fullfill the same steps. at least i do so. more events, serious and funny could add more colour to the game. i know that se4 is a highly mod-able game, though i did not change any of the settings yet. is it possible to write an own storyline for se4 and let own events happen?

but all in all i like the game. what i like the most is the fact, that there is so much game in the amount of megabytes sitting in my ram.

[Grandpa Kim]

[quote]Originally posted by bernd:
i am new to seIV and i am still not sure if i really like the game. but i can tell you that i am positively surprised about the great complexity in a game which uses only 6 mbyte of my ram. though there are some facts i don't like.

Yes there is a "H" of a lot of game there and lot of space was saved by using simple yet effective graphics. In fact I have a feeling you have only scratched the surface of how deep this game really is. (Apologies if I'm mistaken.)

the interface is quite good, but some graphics are just too small. does the developer assume that all players have eagle-eyes? the ships in the systemwindow could also have been a bit bigger in size.

I think that's just a matter of getting used to the style and look of the game. I know my old eyes need all the help they can get but I manage quite well.
I don't see how the ships can be enlarged on the system window; they pretty much fill the sector they are in as it is.

the game could need some colour. i mean story-colour. though i set random events to medium they hardly occur. so the game becomes a bit monotonous after a while, 'cause you always fullfill the same steps. at least i do so. more events, serious and funny could add more colour to the game. i know that se4 is a highly mod-able game, though i did not change any of the settings yet.

Once again, I think you need to get even deeper into the game. Try different things-- large map few opponents, small map many opponents, no warp points, excessive warp points. Things look a lot different when four enemies have entered your home system before turn 10!
IMO SEIV is designed for pro-active players who make their own "colour". To get the most color, play against other people on PBW. Even in games where role playing is not even mentioned, you still get a lot of it. We all just simply enjoy it that way. And that's where the color comes from: the players.

is it possible to write an own storyline for se4 and let own events happen?

Don't know about that. Maybe one of the mod experts can answer this one.

[Ed Kolis]

Regarding the storyline question, yes, you can create your own scenarios with predetermined events, but it's a painful and time-consuming task, since there isn't actually a scenario editor - you have to set up the initial conditions by playing out all the empires and getting them in just the right positions! So there aren't very many scenarios available for SE4.

If you're looking for storyline, though, you can always join a PBW game, lots of roleplaying there, as Grandpa Kim said - or wait till summer when Starfury is released! (Think Privateer, Freelancer, or Elite, only with SE4 ships and races! )

[bernd]

hmm, thanks for all the answers. i will try the pbw-thing after i am finished with this alien-scum in my home-system :-)

[oleg]

Originally posted by bernd:
...the interface is quite good, but some graphics are just too small. does the developer assume that all players have eagle-eyes? the ships in the systemwindow could also have been a bit bigger in size.

.

Some stock races indeed have ultra small ships. Like Praetorian or Piundon. Don't really know why it was not fixed in Gold. But there are hundreds of fun made shipsets ! Use them only.

[Aloofi]

Originally posted by oleg:
Some stock races indeed have ultra small ships. Like Praetorian or Piundon. Don't really know why it was not fixed in Gold. But there are hundreds of fun made shipsets ! Use them only.

Yeah. In some cases I have changed the original shipset of a race to have a better looking races but with a heavily developed AI.
I changed the Drushocka shipset for the UFA, but keeping Oleg's Drushocka AI for Proportions.....