As for me, I was a big Master of Orion fan. I played MOO for hours (still remember the day I bought it) and MOO2 ruled my life for years.
Eventually, I think this was back in 97, I read about the SE series in articles comparing MOO2 to other games. At the time, SE3 was the most recent one, but SE4 was already 'in preparation'. I downloaded my copy of SE3, but I kept on coming back to MOO2 because of the graphics (at the time) and the amazing gameplay experience it offered. Something I hate is what I call 'unnecessary micromanagement', and I must say that I have yet to encounter a better balanced game than MOO2 in this aspect.
I guess I never grew into SE3 because SE4 was announced and I said to myself "why bother learning this game when SE4 is coming and promises to be a killer?". Plus, in the meantime, I had MOO2...
I remember I also tried Imperium Galactica (1 & 2 & 3 or was it just 1 & 2?), which are real-time and not turn-based. The Last two IGs (this would be 2 and 3 I think) were cool because of the storyline and I just loved the way the tutorial was built into IG2. But it had a very limited replay value. I'm not a fan of real-time strategy games but the IG series was very well made in this aspect as you could pause the game and still issue orders.
Then there was Star Wars Rebellion (as many here, I am a SW fan). Interesting because of the SW universe, but what a nightmare in micromanagement! It was a real time game but would have been much better if it were turn-based. In fact the game is built like a turn-based game but the turns just drift by automatically. I think LucasArts made it real-time just because real-time was "in" at the time. Kind of stupid.
But back to SE4. I am European, and I am currently studying for an MBA in the US. Unluckily, SE4 (finally) came out during my 1st year in MBA so I don't have a lot of time to play it. But it certainly fulfills its promises, and is easily the best 4X type of game on the market. It is the first game of the genre that made me uninstall MOO2 from my hard disk. Mind you, I still think MOO2 is one of the greatest games ever, but I have beaten MOO2's AI to death soooo many times that I'm almost sick of it.
So how does SE4 score in micromanagement? Well, not bad after all. It doesn't beat MOO2, but that is understandable because it is richer. And it is 'manageable enough'. I love the game.
I think 'user modpacks' became a reality with Civilization 2, and I am glad SE4 was conceived with this aspect in mind. It is hard to find a good mod though: one that has a balanced feel to it.
A funny thing is that I have played maybe 15-20 games of SE4 but never finished a single one. I tend to pick a favorite race to play (currently: propulsion experts/psychic/religious) and develop a 'perfect strategy' with this race, and then I just can't let go of it. As a result, I struggle A LOT in the beginning of each game (I put AI settings on the hardest possible; I used to play on the "impossible" level in MOO2), but I invariable reach a point where I know I have won the game and it is just not challenging to keep on. So I start a new one...
However, I am very, very excited about MOO3 which will soon hit the market
Re: Your History With SEIV
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