SEV Recommend?

Uncle_Joe · #1 January 12th, 2007, 05:35 PM

I truly wish I could recommend SEV. I've been trying to 'get into it' off and on for the last few months. But it just doesnt grab me. It feels glacial compared to SEIV and the interface woes dont really help. I find myself playing the first 30-40 turns and then getting bored and saving it and not coming back. Then, a few weeks later I'll fire it up again, start a new game and repeat the cycle.

I've tried the Balance Mod (which is excellent work) but there is still something missing from SE5. I shudder to think about trying to play Stock. I cant put my finger on whatever it is about SE5 that just doesnt do it for me. I played SE4 to DEATH and would still be playing it now if the later patches hadn't broken TCP/IP play. The fact that SE5 also apparently doesnt work via TCP/IP is another turn-off as that was my group's preferred way of playing SE4.

Like PvK, I'm hoping that it eventually sorts itself out. There appears to be a lot of potential here. But at the moment, playing SE5 seems more like work and less like fun. I'm hoping some enterprising modders save the game much the way mods like Devnull and whatnot did for me for SE4. The only downside here is that modding SE5 seems to be a heck of a lot more complicated so I'm unlikely to do it myself, again unlike SE4 where I worked on my custom mod for years.

I'll keep trying SE5 though. With each patch and Balance Mod revision I usually fire it up and play again. Hopefully one day it will grab me and I'll be able to recommend it whole-heartedly!

Fyron · #2 January 12th, 2007, 06:01 PM

You can play SE4 via TCP/IP if all players use Hamachi to create a virtual LAN, then run SE4 as a "LAN" game through it.

Suicide Junkie · #3 January 12th, 2007, 06:20 PM

Did you get the latest patch?
Deluxe broke it, 1.96 should have refixed it...

Wardad · #4 January 15th, 2007, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Uncle_Joe said:
I truly wish I could recommend SEV. ...
I've tried the Balance Mod (which is excellent work) but there is still something missing from SE5 ... I cant put my finger on whatever it is about SE5 that just doesnt do it for me. ...

I have played it 8 hours now. What's wrong is the speed at which it can be played. The UI programmers need to take some Time & Motion classes. The Gilbreths (cheaper by the dozen) would roll over in their grave if they saw this.

It's not just time-motion it is time-information. Quick overviews are needed, that can be drilled down to details. Also as an old guy I find some of the eye-candy distracting or obscuring.

Some of it is just frustrating. tkae the star-Fury like design screen with it's compnant placement and decks. Just how does any of that effect combat/game-play? If not, then why bother?

Right now I rate it D for DOG.
It is so similar to SEIV, why bother playin it at all.

Uncle_Joe · #5 January 16th, 2007, 05:28 PM

Quote:

You can play SE4 via TCP/IP if all players use Hamachi to create a virtual LAN, then run SE4 as a "LAN" game through it.

Good suggestion. I've looked into it myself, but getting my group to do it would be like pulling teeth. If the game doesnt simply 'work', they wont be interested in workarounds, unfortunately.

Quote:

Did you get the latest patch?
Deluxe broke it, 1.96 should have refixed it...

No, we were never able to get it working right with more than 2 players after the SF acquisition.

Quote:

Some of it is just frustrating. tkae the star-Fury like design screen with it's compnant placement and decks. Just how does any of that effect combat/game-play? If not, then why bother?

Right now I rate it D for DOG.
It is so similar to SEIV, why bother playin it at all.

I concur with it seeming frustrating and with features that seem underdeveloped. I dont like the multiple decks thing either and the fact that weapons have no arcs leads to 'gamey' placement (ie, put them in the back of the ship to protect them etc).

I dont know that I'd call it a 'dog' at this point, but its just not my cup of tea. Part of that might just be me trying to give the benefit of the doubt to the game, buts its amazing that someone like me who was so absorbed by SE4 cant even sit through a few hours of SE5 and enjoy it...

Suicide Junkie · #6 January 16th, 2007, 09:40 PM

Just ignore "TCP" then, and use PBW.
No need to all be together at once, autohosting, and you can have PBW send you emails with the turn and/or reminders.

Phoenix-D · #7 January 16th, 2007, 10:40 PM

The decks are just for extra layout space, but the component position does matter; it determines what gets hit when in combat.

Suicide Junkie · #8 January 16th, 2007, 11:26 PM

There are four directions damage can come from, front, back, left,right, and internals will be damaged in that order.

In stock, placement is really irrelevant, since the shields and armor are not leaky, and once they fail the guts of the ship are all vaporized almost instantly.

President_Elect_Shang · #9 January 17th, 2007, 12:08 AM

Directional damage but not directional weapons. (Sigh...where is the sad Graemlin when you need it?)