Space Empires V

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Space Empires V
Developer(s)	Malfador Machinations
Publisher(s)	Strategy First
Designer(s)	Aaron Hall
Series	Space Empires
Version	1.71
Platform(s)	PC
Release date	2006
Genre(s)	Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
System 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 methods	Mouse, keyboard

Space Empires V 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.

1 Gameplay
2 Races
3 Mods
4 Critical Reaction
5 References
6 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

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 an SEIV mod.

Fyron's Quadrant Mod Changes quadrant setup. 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. Originally an SEIV mod. The term "realistic" is up for debate as scientists have mostly discovered Jupiter sized planets in close proximity to their parent star. It can also be debated that smaller planetary bodies are hard to detect hence this apparent bias showing large planets near stars).

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.

[edit] 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.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]