Well, I thought that you would all like to hear from the man himself, so I gathered up a bunch of questions from this forum regarding Starfury and asked Aaron if he would mind answering any..
David: Hi, Aaron, how are you?
Aaron: Doing well. Working hard on a new patch for SE4 Gold and trying to finish up Space Empires: Starfury for this summer.
David: Did you notice the action my 'StarFury Screenshot" thread generated in the forums?
Aaron: Its very heartening to know that our SE4 fans are looking forward to the new game!
David: Do you mind answering a few questions that the thread has sparked?
Aaron: Not at all, fire away.
David: Here are the main questions that your fans in the SE:IV forums have asked. Please answer as many as you can.
Q: Will StarFury simulate capital ship combat as capital ship combat, and not fighter dogfights?
Aaron: We're going for capital ship combat, but not completely. I really like the Star Fleet Command series, but its a bit too slow. Its definitely realistic. Ship to ship combat between large starships would take time and involve a lot of maneuvers. However, this game will not be mission based, it will be freeform and continuous. If a single battle took 2 hours to complete, it would really kill the fun of the game. So we're going for something a little quicker, but still with large ship combat.
Q: Will you be able to import your own ships?
Aaron: Definitely. The game will be completely customizable like SE4 and Dungeon Odyssey. Models are stored in the simple X file format with bitmap textures. Players can either modify the data that goes with an existing model, or just add new models to the game.
Q: Is this a preview of what the combat for SE:V might be?
Aaron: Yes and no. This is definitely the technology that we will use for a large portion of SE5. Both the System View and the Tactical Combat view in SE5 will be in real-time rendered 3D like Starfury. But it will not be the same game mechanics. Starfury has you only controlling your own ship in space. SE5 combat will involve you commanding multiple starships from an overhead view.
Q: When can we pre-order?
Aaron: Once we're set on a summer 2003 release date, we'll post details about ordering on our web site.
Q: Will we be able to use standard SE4 MODs with it?
Aaron: Alas no, not exactly. The data file formats are similar but different in Starfury. There were new fields we needed to add for ships and components. For example, each ship has to list where all of its hardpoints are, engines, firing points, etc. But it should be easy enough for modders to convert existing mods that have new components and ship types into Starfury. Keep in mind of course that the feature set of SE4 is different from that for Starfury. For example, SE4 has movement in squares, while Starfury has true coordinate distance, turn speed, acceleration, etc.
Q: an RPG! I wonder if its going to be like TradeWars?
Aaron: Actually, Richard was correct in his post that its going to be similar to Privateer. In addition to following the story-element missions you are given, you can also go out on your own and perform jobs as a merchant, mercenary, or criminal. As you accumulate money, you can spend it on new components for your ship, or even buy new starships (from different races).
Q: I wonder if Pirates are just another race?.. or are they something special?
Aaron: Pirates are a separate race in the game. They have their own ships, tactics, and technology.
Q: Is there a SECRET RACE?
Aaron: Of course. We've created an entirely new race for Starfury which will make its presence known.
Q: Will Starfury have multiplayer ability?
Aaron: Time Permitting.
Q: Can you command fleets, multiple ships?
Aaron: No, just your own ship, and possibly your accompanying ships.
Q: Could you build you own ships if you get a spaceyard component?
Aaron: You can purchase new ships, and you can completely configure the components they carry.
Q: Could you build/buy space stations then?
Aaron: No, space stations are way beyond your meager means.
Q: About the missions, will there be random missions?
Aaron: Definitely. All missions other than the storyline missions will be randomly generated. And of course they'll be specified in easily modifiable data files.
Q: Would it then be possible to create your own SE universe and play without the story missions?
Aaron: Sure. The game can be modded to not have any storyline if that's what you want.
Q: Are the AI empires autonomous, eg not scripted, so that you can influence their development?
Aaron: There are empires in the game, but they aren't really AI controlled. Individual ships are AI controlled and can have tactics and technology specific to each race (or even just that ship).
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Aaron:I hope these answers to help everyone get a good idea of what Starfury is all about!
David: Aaron, thank you for your time, I'm sure that the patrons of these forums will aprieciate your taking the time to shed some lite on your upcomming game Starfury.
Cheers and have a Great Day.
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Well, there you have it, a whole bunch of juicy info on Starfury. I'm sure Aaron will be lurking here in the forums so feel free to post any comments.
Cheers!
An Interview with Aaron..
Maybe I'll have to get this game. 
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