SE5 What are the highlights?

[Noble713]

Raapys said:
As for the AI, I don't really have anything good to say about it thus far. In two 100-turns games I've never had a planet attacked, never had them venture into my systems, they're being really uninterested in research( which is, I'd say, more important than ever; there's so much of it now), etc.

The Amon'Krie destroyed one of my colonies, but it turns out their home system was right next door. The AI seems to research APBs, Torpedoes, and Point-Defense, but nothing really ground-breaking. How about some ground troops and transports, eh? No matter, the modders will take care of it.

[tmcc]

Exactly. Modding is the key. The SEIV AI was basically useless in the stock game but actually fun with the TDM ModPak.

TM

[Atrocities]

SE5 What are the highlights?

It preceeds Space Empires VI.

[Artaud]

tmcc said:
Exactly. Modding is the key. The SEIV AI was basically useless in the stock game but actually fun with the TDM ModPak.

TM

Thing is, though, the game SHOULD be fun out of the box. People buy a game and expect it to be playable and challenging when they get it home. If modding is the key to getting any real enjoyment out of SEV, then maybe the price should be lower.

Or maybe the talented and energetic members of the modding community should have been involved in SEV as co-developers. to take some of the pressure and workload off Aaron.

I personally had quite a lot of fun playing against the stock SEIV AI. I have been downloading new shipsets/races for some time, but only began playing mods about a year ago.

[Phoenix-D]

Its worth noting that for a new player the default AI works well enough.

The people that think the AI is a *complete* joke are generally good enough they'd thrash almost any AIs, and new ones are only a minor challenge because they behave in slightly different ways.

[Raapys]

In the demo the AI hasn't attacked me at all actually, and I'm *not* an efficient player. It's like they keep within one system of their homeworld and just fly around with some defense fleets.

In other words, I can spend forever expanding, researching and building up fleets, because the computer never bother doing anything.

[Phoenix-D]

Raapys: what empires? Keep in mind that only the Abbidon, Amon'Krie, Terrans, and Xi'ati are true empires. Everyone else is a isolationist neutral- they're supposed to behave like that.

Still, the neutrals I fought in my last game did a decent accounting of themselves. Kicked my *** a couple times, actually..(better research prioritys; they went for guns I went for other stuff).

[Noble713]

Artaud said:
Or maybe the talented and energetic members of the modding community should have been involved in SEV as co-developers. to take some of the pressure and workload off Aaron.

It was depressing when I heard the beta testers mention that the "50 beta testers" was more like "12 beta testers + deadbeats/no-shows".

I honestly haven't played much of SE5 since Sunday. I played all Friday night and Saturday, came to the conclusion that the fundamental game rocks, and have spent all of my spare time since then modding it. I didn't expect the stock SE5 game experience to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, nor would it have made much difference to me if it was.

[Phoenix-D]

Unfortunately that's..not at all uncommon. :/ Too many people sign up for testing thinking "hey, free game!"

[narf poit chez BOOM]

There are professional beta test companies. But they probably cost a lot.