State of the game?

[AMF]

Hello after a long absence, I hope everyone has been well.

I haven't been here for many months, but it's time once again for me to post to ask about the state of SEV - I'd like to try it out again, but I'm wondering if still suffers from all the various problems that turned me off it before. I assume I'll need to use the Balance Mod with it, but aside from that, are people more happy with the UI, game mechanics, balance issues, and all the other issues that existed six months or so ago?

Also, does PBW work with it now, and are there a number of SEV games on PBW? Is the community strong, lots of games happening, or moribund?

I'll try it all out on my own and come to my own conclusions, of course, but I was hoping to get a sense from the SE community as well.

Thanks,

AMF

[Ed Kolis]

If the UI turned you off before, you probably won't be very happy with the game as it stands, regardless of the bugfixes - of which there haven't been many in the past six months; I think Aaron has basically given up on supporting SE5

Yes, PBW does work with SE5, but later in the game the turns do tend to time out so you'll have to run them manually at some point.

I wouldn't say the community is moribund, but it's not as strong as the SE4 community was at the equivalent point in SE4's lifecycle... there is however a PBC (Play By Committee) game starting up in SE5! http://z10.invisionfree.com/PBC_SEV/index.php?

[AgentZero]

I'd say the state of it lies somewhere in between. It's better than it was, but there's still some work needed to get it polished and shiney. And yes, SEV is working with PBW, and there seems to be more than a few games going at the moment.

[Randallw]

I've never been one to complain, and wonder exactly why people seem to think the game is buggy. I can't see a problem with the UI and there are the occasional bugs, like the game will crash if you play for too long, but I've never really let it bother me. I only get angry when I have a lot to do for a turn, and just as I'm about to end my turn after doing it all the game crashes

Recently I started looking for some new games after my long term ones wound up and I was astonished that when I checked PBW for SE5 games there really weren't as many as I would expect. It really started to worry me that games could become nonexistant.

[Ed Kolis]

Randallw, you can always start your own game on PBW and invite people to join!

[Gandalf Parker]

Every so often I try to make SEV interest me. But so far it just isnt what SEIV is. However, since I own it, I will continue to give it a try with new patches and mods.

[Randallw]

Originally Posted by Ed Kolis

Randallw, you can always start your own game on PBW and invite people to join!

Well not to sound selfish or anything but I'm not the sort of person who feels like having to manage a bunch of other people. Still if games dry up I guess I can't complain.

[Captain Kwok]

There's a bit more forum action for SE5 at Spaceempires.net and Spaceempires5.com these days.

Unfortunately, the SE forums at Shrapnel have gone fairly quiet.

[Azselendor]

The UI is still offensive to my accountant and I. Looks like quickbooks in space.

I'm also wondering why Aaron hasn't thought of porting Starfury over to Xboxlive. Throw in some achievements and multiplayer and have a load of fun.

[Gandalf Parker]

Or even better, make it a flash game for cell phones and mp3 players.