SE5 What are the highlights?

[tmcc]

Exactly. Modding is the key. The SEIV AI was basically useless in the stock game but actually fun with the TDM ModPak.

TM

[Atrocities]

SE5 What are the highlights?

It preceeds Space Empires VI.

[Artaud]

tmcc said:
Exactly. Modding is the key. The SEIV AI was basically useless in the stock game but actually fun with the TDM ModPak.

TM

Thing is, though, the game SHOULD be fun out of the box. People buy a game and expect it to be playable and challenging when they get it home. If modding is the key to getting any real enjoyment out of SEV, then maybe the price should be lower.

Or maybe the talented and energetic members of the modding community should have been involved in SEV as co-developers. to take some of the pressure and workload off Aaron.

I personally had quite a lot of fun playing against the stock SEIV AI. I have been downloading new shipsets/races for some time, but only began playing mods about a year ago.

[Phoenix-D]

Its worth noting that for a new player the default AI works well enough.

The people that think the AI is a *complete* joke are generally good enough they'd thrash almost any AIs, and new ones are only a minor challenge because they behave in slightly different ways.

[Raapys]

In the demo the AI hasn't attacked me at all actually, and I'm *not* an efficient player. It's like they keep within one system of their homeworld and just fly around with some defense fleets.

In other words, I can spend forever expanding, researching and building up fleets, because the computer never bother doing anything.

[Phoenix-D]

Raapys: what empires? Keep in mind that only the Abbidon, Amon'Krie, Terrans, and Xi'ati are true empires. Everyone else is a isolationist neutral- they're supposed to behave like that.

Still, the neutrals I fought in my last game did a decent accounting of themselves. Kicked my *** a couple times, actually..(better research prioritys; they went for guns I went for other stuff).

[Noble713]

Artaud said:
Or maybe the talented and energetic members of the modding community should have been involved in SEV as co-developers. to take some of the pressure and workload off Aaron.

It was depressing when I heard the beta testers mention that the "50 beta testers" was more like "12 beta testers + deadbeats/no-shows".

I honestly haven't played much of SE5 since Sunday. I played all Friday night and Saturday, came to the conclusion that the fundamental game rocks, and have spent all of my spare time since then modding it. I didn't expect the stock SE5 game experience to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, nor would it have made much difference to me if it was.

[Phoenix-D]

Unfortunately that's..not at all uncommon. :/ Too many people sign up for testing thinking "hey, free game!"

[narf poit chez BOOM]

There are professional beta test companies. But they probably cost a lot.

[Barnacle Bill]

Noble713 said:
It was depressing when I heard the beta testers mention that the "50 beta testers" was more like "12 beta testers + deadbeats/no-shows".

I resemble that remark...

Seriously, I was a beta for EU2. As it turned out, when that oh-so-exciting package with the Swedish postage on it arrived, I had recently seen the birth of my first child and my wife was in rage-against-the-machine (i.e. my computer) mode. So, I had maybe an hour or two to play daily, and that starting roughly 9PM EST. A good half (or more) of the betas were in Europe, and new beta patches came out (darn near daily) during Euro working hours. By the time I installed a new patch, any bug I found had already been reported. I could kibitz on gameplay stuff, but that was pretty much the limit of my influence. I'm sure Paradox considered me a lame beta (and justifiable so).

I've never even applied to be a beta again. Back in my college days, oh baby I coulda been the betamax. Being a beta is a MAJOR commitment, and if you haven't been there don't be too rough on them what has

edited for spelling