You know, maybe 1.5X would be enough...

[Arkcon]

geoschmo said:
Exploring? Well, maybe a little. It's fun finding out where the other people are and planning your attacks and defense. But just scouting out empty systems for future colonization? Meh, not so much. Score = .5 X

I still find this fascinating. After a while, you get used to the planet images, the storm in every system, etc. But each system is different -- rich planets too close to warp point, all poor planets, planet in perfect spot for resupply base, dead end systems, double empty systems(perfect for sneak attacks from a well supplied fleet) etc. So I'm usually pretty excited.

Expanding? Am I the only one not waiting breathlessly for the log report that I've started another 5 colonies this turn? Score = 0 X

It takes a bit for the colony ship to arrive, so I have to revist my plans, see what's changed in the interim, so that's fun for me.

Exploiting? Hmmmm, let's see. Should I build four mineral miners on this 92% mineral planet, or use it for reseearch instead? Jeez, what am I an accountant? Score = 0 X

Otherwise known as the 5thX - eXcel, as in spreadsheet. I dunno, but looking at all my planets in tabular form gives me some sort of rush. Sort of a powermad pleasure at all that info at my fingertips. Ignoring this is why n00bs end up bankrupt, once you've played the game enough so it's intuitive, maybe its not so important.

Exterminating? Oh yeah! Score = 1 X

This never stops being fun. Evenly matched, some small benefit, overpowering force, its all fun. Barely surviving an outmatched force, or hey, just slowing them down -- its all good.

I dunno what to say, I wait with baited breath for SE5 -- more complexity, more micromanagment, confuse me with the rules -- Bwa-ha-ha-ha, I deserve it.

[Fyron]

Arkcon said:
Otherwise known as the 5thX - eXcel, as in spreadsheet. I dunno, but looking at all my planets in tabular form gives me some sort of rush. Sort of a powermad pleasure at all that info at my fingertips. Ignoring this is why n00bs end up bankrupt, once you've played the game enough so it's intuitive, maybe its not so important.

Interesting. I have never once calculated anything to such a degree. Never tabulated data in a spreadsheet, never calculated how many ships I could have available in 20 turns if I followed plan A as opposed to plan B, or anything else like that. I just build as much as I can each turn and try to stay as close to 0 in each resource without going under. At least in the earlier stages of the game where sudden "world wars" are not very likely to occur, so trade income is fairly stable. Later on a bit of a buffer is handy, though I am usually the one starting the wars, or at least I have a good idea of when it is going to start... . Of course, I prefer to reduce political savvy and place the points in resource aptitudes, so these losses from trade are less than they would be otherwise... Always worked out well for me.

[Arkcon]

Imperator Fyron said:
Never tabulated data in a spreadsheet, never calculated how many ships I could have available in 20 turns if I followed plan A as opposed to plan B, or anything else like that.

Umm... me either. It's just that's how some people criticize 4X games, like Civilization, or MoO. It was posted on this board years ago -- how the author thought the distribution of "points" -- be it crystals, gold, research points, etc. to achieve a goal was over-simplistic. A galactic overload should be able to demand a ship, or a technological development, or heads would roll.

When we get threads from new players who can't afford ships, or can't keep up with research, I consider the possibility that they have never checked the empire tab to see how they're growing.

I got a friend. He works in the financial markets. I gave him my SE4 Classic CD. But he can't figure the game out against the A.I. I was sure that if he monitored his growth, he'd see an improvement. But he likes twitchy, puzzle solving games better. Next year I'll loan him my Diablo disks -- they're useless to me under Linux.