Space Empires

Space Empires has been around at least 10 years. From what I can garnish from the screenshots that are availible, it's going to be an update of Space Empires IV with better graphics, some kind of 3d planet building interface. Space Empires is more of a spreadsheet game, very bearbones, easy to mod, easy to add a lot of content. It plays very differently. The best thing it has going for it is content (see below) which gives you a lot of strategic options but the AI is weak (remember: one guy with volunteers helping on the artwork). Lots of mods that tweak AI though, still nothing close to what we're being promised here. If you have somebody to play with, as I fortunately did, Space Empires provides a very epic multiplayer experience (a game will take at least a few days). Lots of people play by email. It doesen't have the production values that Galciv 2 seems to but it gives you a lot of freedom. It does break down into number crunching though (who can produce the most). In short it's worth a look but it's a kinda different way of treating the same subject.

content:

Space Empires has {tactical combat you can control} laser weapons, pulse cannons, missles, torpedoes, point defence, psi-attack, organic weapons, kamakazi warheads, boarding parties, defence marines, shield skipping weapons, shields to block them, another generation of weapons to skip those shields, and another generation of shields etc... wormhole generating weapons, cloak, tractor beams, repulser beams, computer virus's, armor skipping weapons, severall types of armor, fighters, fighter bays, religious talismans, planetary napalm, different sized weapon mounts, and a variety of ratial traits that make a huge difference. You can build ringworlds around a sun, send one into nova and create a black hole, basically anything you've ever seen in Sci Fi is there. There's a lot of stuff I left out too!!!

If Space Empires V's AI and Diplomacy are updated to be equal to Galciv 2's it would be at least on par and much deeper in regards to combat.

Those are some neat features indeed.... But i don't think that it will surpass Galactic Civs 2.

Nice post well written. However I am inclined to disagree with you totally. Both games are like apples and oranges. Comparing them is not a good way too promote SE series here. One game is simplistic very easy too dive into without any huge learning curves. (GC series) The other is super complex with a huge learning curve and has quite a few different ways to play it.

SEV will be a good game but there are many aspects of it that turns me off especially hex style map that is old school.

hex style map that is old school

Is that why the game's graphics look a bit outdated compared to GC?

I tried the demo of SE4 and found it to be one of the driest, 'unfun' games I have ever experienced. If 5 is anything like it, I wont be going near it!

For a game in the same vein, I would suggest the X series. X2 was a lot of fun, letting you dip into combat, run stations, set up trading empires. Unfortunately, even though I bought the new X game, I can't play it due to their stupid disk protection!!

I,ve played space empires 4 and ive liked it , it works different but is the same genre as gal civ and space empires empires 5 promises very much it,s a cheap game but its made by people who love what they do and sometimes thats enought to make a great game!
THe more there are the better it is !!!

Here is the oficial site if you are interested::http://www.malfador.com/

SEV will be a good multiplayer game if you have the time.The A.I will never be any good with all those features,so it doesn't interest me at all.I only play singleplayer in strategy games.

There is another game coming out sometime in May.. Sword of the Stars. http://www.kerberos-productions.com/sots.shtml It is more along the lines of a Total War game style.. Space: Total War It has a simplified strategy game interface (like Rome: Total War) but a fairly complex 3D tactical battle interface. (also similar to Rome: Total War)

Rob

"hex style map that is old school"

There's a reason that hex maps are used - the hexagon just happens to be the best 2D figure for approximating linear movement in any direction without having to resort to actual calculation/measurement.

This Sword of the Stars does look very interesting i must say. Strange that i've never heard of it before. Judging from the screenshots the combat part looks awsome but the strategy map seems a bit strange to me.

I am playing Rome: Total War these days and if it's anything like that, the strategy interface will probably just be an excuse for the strategic battles wich as i understand will be the main attraction of the game. But R:TW is an icredibly addictive game so SotS might also be a very good game in this regard.

Both SEV and SotS seem nice and promising games. Who knows, i may even buy them along with GC2 if the reviews are favourable. And i though GC2 would be my only space strategy game.

But still, GC2 will be the king... as soon as they add the terror star! (sorry but icouldn't help it)

I have been playing Space Empires since 2000. I was one of the first people to buy Gal Civ. I played Gal Civ for about a year before loosing interest. I have not lost interest in Space Empires IV and that can say a lot about the game. Sure it is basic, but for a game, especially a garage style game made buy basically one guy, to do so well over so many years, says more about the over all qaulity of the game than any post by any person who has never played the game could say.

People who judge games based mainly upon graphics and out dated reviews by people who only played the demo for abotu 20 minutes or so, shouldn't be reviewing games. Games are about game play and Space Empires IV, and soon to be V, have heart where heart counts, in game play, replayability, and long term enjoyment.

Space Empires is one of the most successful 4x games of this century. It has been King Of The Hill since 2000, and looks to be holding that title for many more years to come.

Gal Civ I and II are tbased more on the Civ franchise and in that regard rule the roast. Space Empires IV is not an RTS, it is a 4x (eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate, and eXplore) game that provides long and addictive, deeply rich games. SE IV and soon SE V, is the undisputed King of 4 x Gaming.

I've played the demos of Space Empires III and IV. I liked the deep complex tech tree. I did not like the 2D graphics and weak AI. Based on screen shots Space Empires V has good graphics. If the AI has also been improved then I may buy it.

I will buy both GalCiv 2 and SE V. They will scratch different itches, all within the 4x turn based space strategy genre. Loved MOO 2; too bad MOO3 turned out sooo bad. I've played and loved SE IV. I bought X3 and Nexus, and although their three-dimensional modeling is absolutely beautiful to behold, they aren't really what I wanted. I stopped playing each of those early on.

In reference to the original poster...how could SE5 be a copy cat of GalCiv? The SE series has been around commercially for 10 years now. Unless I'm badly mistaken, GalCiv hasn't been around nearly so long. Copy cat...yeah. Uh huh.

As other's have said, you can't really compare Space Empires and Galactic Civilization. The games may be in the same genre, but they're totally different in all ways that matter.

GalCiv has a tough AI, much tougher than that of unmodded SEIV (modded SEIV is a different matter...much tougher AI !). However, there's a reason for it. The GalCiv tech tree is rather simplistic, comparatively. Thus, the AI has less to cope with, less to compute, to decide. If you don't mind a simplistic tech tree, that's great. If you do mind a tech tree like that and want something much deeper, you go with Space Empires, since that's one of the area's it shines. Everything's a trade-off.

The above is just one example of the differences. To be honest, I played GalCiv for a while, but got bored. Very bored. Why? The AI cheats, and that's something that irks me immensely. They know where all the class 15 and above planets are! How do I know this? I started a new game, immediately saved. Then I went around and found all the habitable planets. Then, I loaded the old game, and sent ships to the closest of those habitable planets. AI ships were either already there, or almost there, obviously ignoring stars that were closer. They knew.

I'll be buying both GalCiv 2 and SE5 (I'm a beta tester). Both have their place, both have their qualities. Combine them both into one and you'd have a truely epic game.

Unless I'm badly mistaken, GalCiv hasn't been around nearly so long.

Well, it is the case for Galciv on Windows platform. But originally, Galciv was an OS/2 game in 1994.

And if I have correctly understood the differences between Space Empire 5 and GC II, it boils down to:
SEV : big multiplayer experience
GCII : big single player experience.

Since the focus ins't on the same thing, it is very difficult to compare them.

In reference to the original poster...how could SE5 be a copy cat of GalCiv? The SE series has been around commercially for 10 years now. Unless I'm badly mistaken, GalCiv hasn't been around nearly so long. Copy cat...yeah. Uh huh.

I didn't mean it that way. I know SE is a totally different game but as i said i couldn't find much information about so i didn't know which game was released first.

*double post*

I will buy both as they are a terrific job by two small companies. Each game has qualities and can very well exist on the same computer for a different experience. (also the fact that SE V has starlanes while GC II hasn't imply very different strategies).

So my word: support indie developpers like Stardock, Malfador and Slitherine...they give us the best games.

PS: it's been explained in the backstory why the alien races knew where the planets were. As far as i know, it's the only aspect where the AI as a definite advantage.

I too will buy both games as both games are worth my attention.

I may buy SE V if funds permit, but GC2 is already pre-ordered.

My concerns for SE V is the AI. I don't want retarded AI. If it's halfway decent I may give it a shot. I don't expect it to be like GC2 or another MOO, I have SE IV. My only disgust was the AI. We know from GC2 dev journals, GC2 AI are going to be the AI that other little AI want to be when they grow up.

GalCiv has a tough AI, much tougher than that of unmodded SEIV (modded SEIV is a different matter...much tougher AI !). However, there's a reason for it. The GalCiv tech tree is rather simplistic, comparatively. Thus, the AI has less to cope with, less to compute, to decide. If you don't mind a simplistic tech tree, that's great. If you do mind a tech tree like that and want something much deeper, you go with Space Empires, since that's one of the area's it shines. Everything's a trade-off.

I liked the deep complex tech tree of Space Empires III & IV. However, I found in the demos I could design ships with normal shields and weapons that skip normal shields and easily take out enemy fleets. They never changed their designs to replace normal shields with armor or more advanced shields plus this weapons to skip my normal shields! The AI needs to be able to adapt to my actions! SEIV had 2D graphics and SEV has 3D graphics. I hope the AI has also been upgraded! How do the mods improve the AI?

To be honest, I played GalCiv for a while, but got bored. Very bored. Why? The AI cheats, and that's something that irks me immensely. They know where all the class 15 and above planets are!

This is because they have had space travel much longer and have already explored much of the galaxy. In GalCiv2 you are not restricted to playing as a human. If you play as an alien, the human AI must explore and search for the best planets.

So my word: support indie developers like Stardock, Malfador and Slitherine...they give us the best games.

I agree! Microsoft does not need our dollars but these companies could, plus you can tell they love making games and their customers. I'm not familiar with Slitherine, what have they done?

How do the mods improve the AI?

I'm no AI expert, but one mod in particular (The TDM-Modpack) was made by a group of dedicated players who knew what they were doing. In a stock game, the AI has especial trouble with minefields, rarely uses stellar manipulation, has somewhat weak ship designs and a few other more minor issues. The TDM-Modpack fixes these problems and can create quite the opponent, in my opinion. I often have trouble against it's AI's, a few in particular.

This is because they have had space travel much longer and have already explored much of the galaxy. In GalCiv2 you are not restricted to playing as a human. If you play as an alien, the human AI must explore and search for the best planets.

I know that this is explained by means of the game's background story, but it doesn't change the fact that the AI has a huge advantage over the human player. If GC2 fixes this flaw, I'll be a lot more comfortable spending my money on it!

have been playing Space Empires since 2000. I was one of the first people to buy Gal Civ. I played Gal Civ for about a year before loosing interest. I have not lost interest in Space Empires IV and that can say a lot about the game. Sure it is basic, but for a game, especially a garage style game made buy basically one guy, to do so well over so many years, says more about the over all qaulity of the game than any post by any person who has never played the game could say. People who judge games based mainly upon graphics and out dated reviews by people who only played the demo for abotu 20 minutes or so, shouldn't be reviewing games. Games are about game play and Space Empires IV, and soon to be V, have heart where heart counts, in game play, replayability, and long term enjoyment. Space Empires is one of the most successful 4x games of this century. It has been King Of The Hill since 2000, and looks to be holding that title for many more years to come.

I think Space Empires (the series) appeals to a somewhat different demographic.  For me, AI is king. That's what drives me. 

And as an FYI, I wrote the original GalCiv by myself when I was in college.  Even the 2003 Windows version only had 4 full time people on it.   So let's not cast this as a David and Goliath type thing.