More Space Empires V thoughts
Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 5:19 pm
Well, it's been about a year since SEV came out. I figured I'd throw a few things out there to go with the review I posted here a while back.
1. Restating something I've said before: IMO this game is not in the same category as MOO2, so it can't really be considered as a competitor...SEV is significantly deeper in terms of detail level, and therefore requires much more time to play. For longer games, turns can get to the point in which they take enough time individually that things settle into a rhythm of several per week. The two games don't really compete, even though they are both turn-based 4x.
2. SEV is much, much closer to its potential now, especially as a multiplayer game. I dare say that it's as close to its potential as MOO2 is to its own potential; there are things I'd still like to see changed or otherwise addressed, but between bug fixes and improvement oriented changes, there's no comparison with a year ago.
3. Star lanes and warp points: I have heard the occasional opinion expressed on strategy game forums that no game with star lanes or warp points is worth playing, because it is too limiting from a strategic movement perspective. In response, I offer this for consideration: an SEV solar system is not abstracted as in MOO2. Each individual solar system is a fully navigable grid made up of ~350 hexes, effectively comparable to a small or medium sized MOO2 galaxy. It's all there: cat and mouse interactions between attacking and defending fleets as one tries to intercept or evade the other, necessity to choose and prioritize offensive/defensive targets based on ship speeds and makeup, scouting, force gathering/splitting, etc. While invading or defending a multi-colony, multi-warp point solar system, the last thing a player thinks is, "Gee, this game's strategic movement options are too limiting."
4. Though it's not tactical (i.e. directly player controlled as in MOO2), I find myself enjoying the combat system, and the developer has bit by bit improved the system and the things the player can do to control ships. It's great fun developing and testing combat strategies in the combat simulator. There are still a few items that could use some attention (we all can say the same thing about just about any 4X combat system), but the SEV system has matured nicely.
I think that any MOO2 player who is interested in diving into something new in the 4X realm, and who is willing to deal with the additional aspects that come with deeper detail levels, would enjoy this game. It might be worth your $15.
1. Restating something I've said before: IMO this game is not in the same category as MOO2, so it can't really be considered as a competitor...SEV is significantly deeper in terms of detail level, and therefore requires much more time to play. For longer games, turns can get to the point in which they take enough time individually that things settle into a rhythm of several per week. The two games don't really compete, even though they are both turn-based 4x.
2. SEV is much, much closer to its potential now, especially as a multiplayer game. I dare say that it's as close to its potential as MOO2 is to its own potential; there are things I'd still like to see changed or otherwise addressed, but between bug fixes and improvement oriented changes, there's no comparison with a year ago.
3. Star lanes and warp points: I have heard the occasional opinion expressed on strategy game forums that no game with star lanes or warp points is worth playing, because it is too limiting from a strategic movement perspective. In response, I offer this for consideration: an SEV solar system is not abstracted as in MOO2. Each individual solar system is a fully navigable grid made up of ~350 hexes, effectively comparable to a small or medium sized MOO2 galaxy. It's all there: cat and mouse interactions between attacking and defending fleets as one tries to intercept or evade the other, necessity to choose and prioritize offensive/defensive targets based on ship speeds and makeup, scouting, force gathering/splitting, etc. While invading or defending a multi-colony, multi-warp point solar system, the last thing a player thinks is, "Gee, this game's strategic movement options are too limiting."
4. Though it's not tactical (i.e. directly player controlled as in MOO2), I find myself enjoying the combat system, and the developer has bit by bit improved the system and the things the player can do to control ships. It's great fun developing and testing combat strategies in the combat simulator. There are still a few items that could use some attention (we all can say the same thing about just about any 4X combat system), but the SEV system has matured nicely.
I think that any MOO2 player who is interested in diving into something new in the 4X realm, and who is willing to deal with the additional aspects that come with deeper detail levels, would enjoy this game. It might be worth your $15.