Reviewed: June 28, 2002
Reviewed by: Elias Fixler
Publisher
Shrapnel Games
Developer
Malfador Machinations
Released: March 4, 2002
Genre: Strategy
Players: 2
ESRB: Everyone
9
8
7
10
8.5
System Requirements
There are people who design computer games simply because it’s their job. Some of them are very good at it. Many excellent games are turned out by companies whose sole motivation is to make a profit, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s the American way.
But when I have the pleasure of playing a game designed by people who truly love what they do, I want everyone to buy it so that the developers can have the recognition they deserve, make money, and be encouraged to create more great games. Space Empires IV Gold (SE4) is such a game.
SE4’s creator, Aaron Hall, has been constantly changing and improving it through its four iterations since 1993, and you can tell that he loves what he does. The result is one of the deepest, most satisfying space strategy titles ever made for the PC. I’d love to recommend it to everyone, but unfortunately I can’t. It’s a great game, but it’s not for everyone.
SE4 is a turn-based game in the 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) category, which includes such well known space sims as Master of Orion. In truth the 4X formula also provides the foundation for such Earth based titles as Civilization, and even some real time strategy epics like Age of Empires. There is something compelling about building a mighty empire from humble beginnings, whether that empire spans a continent or vast interstellar distances.
Large numbers of us will always be drawn to games which simulate this experience, and SE4 comes about as close as any game yet to achieving it. But the degree of complexity and “realism” to which SE4 treats its would-be emperors is not without its costs. The game has a steep learning curve, is quite difficult as well as complex, and involves a lot of micromanagement (which can be a plus or a minus, depending on your preferences). This is exactly why SE4 is not for everyone.
If you’re a gamer, you’ve heard the premise before: You are the ruler of a single planet on the verge of interstellar travel, responsible for the growth, prosperity, and security of your people.
Your job isn’t an easy one as there are numerous strategic decisions to be made, each with associated costs and trade-offs. You must juggle resources between research, economic growth, facilities, and ship construction. For example, if you choose to research better weapons you do so at the expense of researching improved farming techniques necessary for economic growth. Researching both options simultaneously means either that progress in both areas will be slowed, or that you must shift more resources away from, say, the construction of warships necessary for defense. On the other hand, choosing to build more warships takes resources away from building colony ships.
As you explore the galaxy and expand your empire by colonizing other worlds, decision-making takes on additional complexities. Colonizing many planets quickly creates economic growth, but makes your borders harder to defend. Encountering other species involves diplomacy, and the possibility of trade and cooperation or of espionage and perhaps war. Ship design becomes an issue; more powerful ships cost more money. Build lots of small, cheap ships, or a few strong ones? Should you risk building only a small fleet, relying on your diplomatic skills to keep you out of war? All of these choices, and their repercussions, are modeled in minute detail.
Much of the “gameplay” in SE4 goes on inside your head. As your turn begins, you view the state of your empire through a series of windows, some representing maps of the galaxy and of individual systems, others giving information such as the production queues of your various colonies. There is an incredible amount of information to assimilate and consider before deciding what to do next. When you’re ready, you issue your instructions via a series of command screens such as the research and production windows, or on the maps themselves.
This is the bulk of the game, issuing various orders in various windows, then hitting the end turn button to see the results of those decisions. You’d think it would be a daunting task, and you’d be correct. Oh, and did I mention combat?
Combat between individual ships or entire fleets can be played out manually on a turn-by-turn basis (battle turns within a game turn). Alternatively, you can give orders to your ships, and the computer will play out the battle automatically on a tactical level. Finally, you can set the game to resolve all conflicts on a strategic level, the computer considers the ships and firepower on both sides and computes casualties and damage immediately.
SE4 begs to be compared to the reigning master of the 4X genre, Master of Orion II (MOO2). Those of you who’ve played MOO2, and there are a lot of you out there, will get a good feel for SE4 based on this comparison. On the surface, both games are very similar, with the player engaging in similar activities during any given turn. But the games differ in several key respects.
First, SE4 models a far more complex and realistic environment. For example, diplomacy in MOO2 involves a few treaty options, some technology exchange options, and of course the declaration of war. But SE4 allows dozens of highly specific demands and requests, such as asking one empire to declare war (or cease hostilities) on another. You can even ask another empire to hand over a specific planet in order to maintain peaceful relations with you. The technology tree is similarly complex in SE4. (One annoying aspect of MOO2 was that researching some technologies precluded you from learning others, a very unrealistic model.)
Second, the Artificial Intelligence in SE4 was superior to that of MOO2. After I’d played Master of Orion enough times, I could easily predict when supposedly good relations with one of my allies would inexplicably break down (I’d been framed), and I’d find myself in an undesired war. The AI in SE4 just feels more realistic.
MOO2 however, had more intuitive modeling of resource management. For example, in one screen you could reassign labor between research, construction, and farming, and even move populations between colonies simply by clicking and dragging the appropriate number of colonists. SE4 sees labor only as a source for construction; research and farming are dependent on the number of facilities built for those purposes.
The game’s visuals are quite attractive for what they are: bitmaps representing ships and planets on a 2D grid. They do the job they’re supposed to do, as SE4 is modeling a war room more than a battlefield (picture a bunch of admirals standing at a table, pushing ship models around as they issue orders and you get the idea). No dazzling real-time explosions are expected here.
Perhaps more relevant is the fact that the graphics are easily manipulated. Those who enjoy modifying games (modders) will have no problem inserting their own alien and ship designs into the program. What’s more, the simple graphics translate into lower system requirements. I have enough feelings of inadequacy; I don’t need my computer to feel the same way every time I install a new game thank you very much.
The above notwithstanding, Master of Orion’s screens were more unique and polished looking, whereas SE4’s command screens have a more “generic” look, a lot of “black space” with predominantly blue lettering. It sometimes took me a moment to realize which screen I was looking at.
SE4’s music has a very “new age” feel, more like spacey sound bites than music. There are some cool 3D effects as the sounds “move” from speaker to speaker, but after a while, I grew tired of it. But hey, that’s me, you might like it. The good news is you don’t need the game’s CD in the drive. You can kick alien butt to classical music, the Stones, whatever motivates you.
This has to be one of the most replayable games I’ve ever seen. The sheer number of play options, maps, and pre-built races provides a fresh new experience each time you play, while the solid AI and the complexity of play insures that the game will remain a challenge.
Furthermore, SE4 was designed for ease of user modifications, and is already supported by a healthy “modder” community. Star Trek and Star Wars mods and many more are available on the internet, and what’s more, lots of goodies are included right on the CD. That’s what the “Gold” in Space Empires IV Gold stands for. Instructions in the printed manual and on the CD provide help for players looking to try their own hand at this intriguing activity.
Multiplayer, as always, provides a different gaming experience, but the only options are hot seat, play by email, and TCP/IP. There is no LAN play yet. Perhaps in SE5?
If you’ve never played a strategic space sim before, Space Empires IV Gold is not the game to cut your teeth on. I would strongly recommend buying Master of Orion II, which is not that difficult to find, and can be had at bargain prices.
But if, like me, you’ve played MOO2 til the cows come home (bad pun really not intended), and you’re ready for a real challenge, pick this baby up. It will give the thought centers of your brain a good workout, and encourage people like Aaron Hall and the good folks at Shrapnel games to keep ‘em coming.