Space Empires IV

Infobox VG| title = Space Empires IV


developer = Malfador Machinations
publisher = Shrapnel Games, Strategy First
released = November 2000
genre = Turn-based strategy, 4X
modes = Single player, Multiplayer
platforms = Windows

"Space Empires IV" is a turn-based strategy computer game developed by Malfador Machinations and published by Strategy First as part of the "Space Empires" series in which players control an alien race in an attempt at galactic conquest.

Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to "Civilization" style games in the sense that one controls the overall organization of the alien race on a scale far above that of controlling individual persons. Combat is not necessitated by the game itself and players are free to engage in political negotiations with their rivals. The mechanics of the game allow players to either improve their planets' resource production through the construction of facilities or build more ships with which to defend their empires.

There are multiple ways that players can conquer other empires. The most direct way is destroying the colonies of their enemies. During later game stages master computers can be used for piloting starships, to improve space efficiency and to resist psychic attacks.

Mechanisms

In" Space Empires IV" the galaxy is represented by a number of discrete areas called "systems" which represent complete solar systems. These are usually connected to each other by "warp points" through which a ship or fleet can travel to another system. The standard system comprises a number of stars, planets, asteroids, storms and warp points. Some stars may be more prone to going supernova which will destroy the entire system, or may cause effects to ships passing by. Planets are either ice, rock or gas types, with an atmosphere of none, hydrogen, oxygen, methane or carbon dioxide. They range in size of tiny, small, medium, large, and huge. Planets also have "conditions", the quality of which affects the rate of reproduction for inhabitants and their happiness on the world. A planet also has a number of values for "mineral", "organic" and "radioactive" content. Once colonized, a player may build facilities to mine these resources on a world. The rate of production of each mineral is modified by the values for each planet.

Races

"Space Empires IV "allows the player to select one of a variety of alien races to represent them and them compete against a selection of the others. As well as the usual human race, the Terrans, there are a number of races which are otherwise notable due to their propensity for successful play. The Praetorian empire will often become a very formidable rival due to their expansionist tendencies and peaceful nature. Likewise the Eee consortium's high intelligence will often grant them technological superiority in the late game. By contrast the Xi-Chung hive's aggressive tendencies and technologies generally make them dangerous foes in the early game only.

Technology

In "Space Empires IV" an empire's facilities and ships become steadily more powerful, efficient and varied as they conduct scientific research. This is simulated by the turn-by-turn production of research points which can be channeled towards specific projects. When the project is completed the player is rewarded with new or better facilities, ship components or new research projects. Most fields can be advanced multiple times, becoming progressively more expensive but yielding better results. The large size of the "technology tree" system allows for a high degree of technological variation between empires.

Some empires have access to special research lines known as the "racial techs". In the standard games the racial techs are Organic, Crystalline, Psychic, Temporal and Deeply Religious. By researching these lines the empire gains access to facilities and ship components not available to other empires. Often these are very powerful, such as the Organic Armor, Religious Talisman and Allegiance Subverter ship components.

Mods

The most important game data files - save for the game code - are .TXT or .BMP files, allowing users to easily modify the files to suit their needs and desires. There exist a great many mods for "SEIV", including "Star Wars", "Star Trek "and "Babylon 5" mods. There are also a lot of other, non-scifi mods. A complete listing of mods for the game can be found on Malfador Machinations' web site. Several worth mentioning are (in alphabetical order):

* Adamant Mod: [ [http://adamant.spaceempires.net/ Adamant Mod ] ] The mod pits interstellar empires wielding vastly different forms of technology against one another. "Adamant" focuses primarily on multiplayer gameplay, with only adequate AI support for single player gaming.

* Carrier Battles Mod: [ [http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE4/Mods/CarrierBattles/ SJ's imagemodserver: Carrier Battles Mod for SE4 ] ] A mod which makes carriers very important due to the wide variety of roles that fighters take on; everything from missile interceptors to dogfighters and anti-ship bombers. Designed mathematically from the ground up to balance the various options, there are very few restrictions; vehicle roles fall naturally as the player makes tradeoffs between engines, armor and the various flavors of weapon.

* Devnull Mod: [ [http://www.spaceempires.net/home/downloads-details-479-Devnull_Mod_1.71.html Spaceempires.net - Downloads ] ] Classic mod which makes various balance related changes to the stock game. Home of the infamous space monsters.

* Pirates & Nomads: [ [http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE4/Mods/Pirates&Nomads/ Index of /other/MM/SE4/Mods/Pirates&Nomads ] ] This mod adds the Pirate and Nomad race types to the game. Neither has "normal" colonization technology, and can only rely on its homeworld when it comes to planets. They both have efficient space-based technologies, though.

* Proportions: [ [http://g2.latibulum.com/pvk/proportions/ Proportions mod ] ] A race's homeworld is a very strong world almost impossible to conquer or destroy, whereas colonies are smaller, less effective production locations.

* TDM Mod-Pack: [ [http://tdm.otaku42.de/ TDM Modpack Homepage ] ] A mod that focuses on increasing the overall difficulty of the computer AI. The mod was first created shortly after the release of the game by combining Mod's of Tampa Gamer, Daynar and Mephisto and grew from there. The Mod's name is derived from its creators, Tampa Gamer, Daynar and Mephisto.

References

External links

* [http://www.malfador.com/se4.html Official Website]
* [http://pc.ign.com/articles/165/165204p1.html Review of Space Empires IV]
* [http://seiv.pbw.cc/ Play by Web]