[wingte]

I also doubt the final release date so I downloaded SE III and then registered it so I can practice on it just to get the "feel" of the game.

I hope SE IV cures what seems to be a problem in SE III where the Colonization and Population Ministers stop working when the game is saved and then later reloaded.
There also appears to be a limit to how far the Colonization minister will try to move a Colony ship in SE III and the Population Minister doesn't seem to have any qualms about completely depleting one planets population in it's zeal to populate another planet.
The Resupply Minister is also kind'a clunky. What good is it to creat a fleet if the Resupply Minister is going to slowly dismantle it by sending individual ships off to get supplies instead of sending the whole fleet. It is also disconcerting to set a fleet to guard a warp point and next thing you know,, all the ships are sitting at a resupply station two systems away. There also needs to be a Targeting Minister that becomes available when a specific level of technology is reached that would let me send a fleet after an enemy fleet without having to constantly monitor every move.
I didn't get the opportunity to really try the ministers out in the Demo but the little that I read in the SE IV help file makes it appear to me that the Ministers in SE IV are simply a direct import from SE III.

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Wingte