Space Empires V

Infobox VG
title=Space Empires V
developer=Malfador Machinations
publisher=Strategy First
designer=Aaron Hall
series="Space Empires"
released=2006
version=1.74
genre=Turn-based strategy
modes=Single player, Multiplayer
platforms=PC
requirements=Windows 98 or higher, 500 MHz processor, display resolution of 1024x768 or higher, display capable of 256 colors or better, 128 MB RAM, 500 MB hard drive space, mouse
input=Mouse, keyboard

"Space Empires V" (commonly abbreviated SEV) is a 4X turn based strategy game by Malfador Machinations published by Strategy First. The game retains many races and technologies from its predecessor, "Space Empires IV".

Gameplay

While Space Empires V retains much of its predecessor's gameplay, there are several key differences. It is the first Space Empires game to use 3D graphics, and as such, the user interface has been heavily redesigned. New to the series is a real-time combat engine, and the player can now control ground combat in addition to the usual space battles. The empire-building aspects of the game borrows as much from the third installment as it does from the more recent fourth, with research and intelligence being assigned as percentage of available points as opposed to the queue system used for construction.

Races

Virtually all of the stock races are updated versions of SEIV races. Custom race creation is basically the same as in the previous games, with two notable changes - you must now select a government type in addition to a social pardigm, and the game master may grant players a set number of research points to improve starting technology. As of now, there are comparatively few player-created shipsets, arguably a consequence of the switch to 3D graphics.

Mods

As with SEIV, most of the data files are easy to modify with a simple text-editor. A fair number of mods already exist, with some being straight ports of SEIV mods.

*Balance Mod Developed by community member Captain Kwok in order to correct perceived imbalances in the game's standard data files, including reducing the number of in-game research levels available, in addition to improving the AI players. A small but vocal portion of the player community hold that this mod is important to getting maximum enjoyment from the game, although whether this is a view held by the general playerbase is debated. [http://spaceempires5.com/en-US/node/4171 Captain Kwok's balance mod] on official game forums.]

*Colony Tech Mod Complicates the trading of colony modules to increase the difficulty of multiplayer games. Players must be native to the same planet type, preventing easy acquisition of all colony techs through pre-arranged player alliances. Originally a SEIV mod.

*Fyron's Quadrant Mod Changes quadrant setup. Originally a SEIV mod, in addition to changing the structure of the galaxy, solar systems tend to be laid out in a more realistic fashion (based on what we know of our solar system), with rocky planets close to the center and ice planets residing near the edge.

*Gritty Galaxy A combination of the "Carrier Battles" and "Gritty Economics" mods from SEIV. Fighters play a significantly larger role in combat, and crew requirements are now scaled to the number of systems on a ship. Build and maintenance costs have also been adjusted.

Critical Reaction

Reviews have been mixed - several have complained that the game is over-complex and overloads the player with options, especially while setting up a new game, and that it may not be suitable for players who are new to 4X games. [http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/spaceempires5?q=Space%20Empires%20V Space Empires V reviews] at metacritic.com] [http://www.gamechronicles.com/reviews/pc/space5/empires.htm Space Empires V review] at gamechronicles.com] [http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/749/749070p1.html Space Empires V Review] at ign.com] [ [http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/spaceempiresv/review.html Space Empires V Review] at gamespot.com]

References

External links

* [http://www.malfador.com/ Official Malfador Machinations site]
* [http://www.spaceempires.net/ Space Empires] "Space Empires.NET" site
* [http://www.spaceempires5.com/ Space Empires Universe] Official "Space Empires" site
*moby game|id=/space-empires-v|name="Space Empires V"