Gold Version - First Look

BoomStick · #1 March 18th, 2002, 11:10 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Elmo:

It's OK for newbies but worthless for veterans which I would think are mostly the people buying Gold.

Elmo

Nah. I'm a newbie and don't find the paper manual useful. I refer to the html based manual from in game far more often, though at times I'm left wanting with that as well.

Great game though, so it makes up for it.

capnq · #2 March 18th, 2002, 11:31 PM

As a veteran, I think the new printed manual is a HUGE improvement over the original; my only complaint is a dislike for the overly "chatty" writing style in spots. [ I cut my gaming teeth on some of the most opaque wargame rules that Avalon Hill and SPI ever produced; that's probably warping my judgement.

] I don't think I've even looked at the Online manual for Gold yet.

[ Edit ] Forgot to mention the Mods; I've installed Matryx's Mod Launcher, the two I contributed, and the TDM-ModPack so far. There are several others I intend to try that I probably wouldn't have downloaded otherwise. I expect the modding tools and guides will prove quite useful when I start working on another mod.

[ 18 March 2002: Message edited by: capnq ]

Atilla the Pun · #3 May 17th, 2002, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BoomStick:
I refer to the html based manual from in game far more often, though at times I'm left wanting with that as well.

Is this HTML manual available for download somewhere? I've got the demo and I'm trying to figure out some things but the Online help is all but useless.

This looks like a fun and interesting game, the different races use different strategies in their ship design, so I can't just design a single killer ship and "whup" them. But I sure would like to know what I'm doing (other than by experimentation) as I figure this stuff out.
Thanks,

AtP

oleg · #4 May 17th, 2002, 03:07 PM

IMO, the best feature of SEIV-Gold, which alone makes it worth a price, is an added ability to
mod population growth and size. Without it Proportions mod and new Derek mod will be impossible.

PDF · #5 May 17th, 2002, 03:26 PM

I was disappointed by the manual too : I didn't play any SE before Gold, and expected a good heavy manual when I received the package ... But the manual goes up to lengthy trivial explanations of simple interface functions ("Toogle AI" button : this button will toggle AI on ...

), without sufficient info about the game's MECHANICS !
The Online help has more detailed info, but still lacks on mechanics.
The tutorial is good, but too short and doesn't cover enough of the game.

Luckily I found this board and Dubious'guide, that have a wealth of info, but with the manual and HTML help alone I surely would have been left wondering ..

What's badly needed IMO is :
- More in depth explanation of ship design, research, intel and tac combat
- Tables and charts of tech trees, facilities and components type (as we have in any Civ or MOO game)
- Some "Strategy guide" chapter, with rough guidelines on setting up an empire, managing fleets, diplomacy and so on.

This game is great but as it stands now need a high dedication to enjoy, in part due to this faulty documentation.

Tenryu · #6 May 17th, 2002, 03:50 PM

The Gold Version is a Major improvement. Make sure you have the patch installed.

I also think that the TDM mod is almost required. The guys that put this together have really done a nice job. Keep it updated, as they improve it fairly regularly. Not to take anything away from the other great Mods here, however, I've found the TDM one to be a little more stable and glitch free then some of the others. I think it's because it's a group effort and therefore gets a little more practical testing then some of the others before they go up.

Another really interseting effort you may want to look at is the Proportions mod.

All in all, personally, I don't really mind sending Malfador money regularly, if they would keep improving the game.

( Are you listening, Richard?! SUBSCRIPTIONS!!!)

[ May 17, 2002, 14:52: Message edited by: Tenryu ]

oleg · #7 May 17th, 2002, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tenryu:
The Gold Version is a Major improvement. Make sure you have the patch installed.

I also think that the TDM mod is almost required. The guys that put this together have really done a nice job. Keep it updated, as they improve it fairly regularly. Not to take anything away from the other great Mods here, however, I've found the TDM one to be a little more stable and glitch free then some of the others. I think it's because it's a group effort and therefore gets a little more practical testing then some of the others before they go up.

Another really interseting effort you may want to look at is the Proportions mod.

All in all, personally, I don't really mind sending Malfador money regularly, if they would keep improving the game.

( Are you listening, Richard?! SUBSCRIPTIONS!!!)

TDM is more stable because it keeps all SE IV data intact and change only AI files. Other mods mess up everything possible and impossible.

I agree that there is no logic whatsoever to play unmoded SE IV without TDM (if computer players participate of course).