http://www.spaceempires.net/forum-c1.html Latest 25 posts on the SpaceEmpires.net forums. en-us admin@spaceempires.net admin@spaceempires.net
Any interest in a PBW game of version 2.2.3?]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 10:07:08 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69575.html#69575 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69575.html#69575
Extremely minor in this case.

-----------------

While I'm posting, I might as well share some of what's happened.

Got to a turn in the game that would not process. Turns had been taking 4 - 6 hours, but this one kept hanging up, and 12 hours wasn't enough. I tried at least 3 times, but no dice.

Then my machine bombed out. It acted like a power source issue, but apparently when the power source bombed out it took the MB with it. That's 2 dead computers in less than the span of a year for me.

Hassles hassles hassles getting back what I had, retrieving things from the old hard drives - still nowhere near finished, and really upset about being unable to copy installations.

Finally got the game up & running, but no WarpTenTrek files in the save directory. Found 'em later on another HD (I have three, and I don't have the memory to keep track of what exactly is on which drive)

Then the miracle: I got the turn to process.

Actually, one might call it a "retro-miracle" because I made the discovery back in January playing as Gorn in another game. The problem turns out to be too many planets under blockade. Blockades generate tons of non-fight battles and waste tons of real-world time. Apparently, if you have more than 6 or 7 going on, the risk of hang-ups just goes through the roof. I know 2 or 3 is just fine, and I'm not intending to experiment to find the upper limit.

I'd about given up on writing any more - just couldn't get inspired. Then I played a turn, and now it looks like I may be back in it. Those recent installments aren't my best, but that's just too bad. It was still fun writing them.

Can't predict how things'll go, but my intention is to at least write a little more. I have a pre-written stretch for a little later, and I think it's good. I need to at least get the story up to that point so I can post it.]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 05:15:21 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69574.html#69574 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69574.html#69574 Mon, 21 May 2012 11:38:08 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69564.html#69564 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69564.html#69564 Sun, 20 May 2012 02:24:54 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69558.html#69558 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69558.html#69558 2409.6, Orelious XIII

=Ah, Good afternoon, Lt. Worf. Thanks for taking the time to see me.=

`Greetings, Admiral. I do not have much time to spare. I assume this is about the letter to the Governors?`

=Yes it is. It's been three days now, and we were hoping you'd sign off on it.=

`I am afraid I must disappoint you. I do not approve of the letter.`

=Is your decision final, or are you willing to listen to reason?=

`I believe my decision is sound. You may attempt to convince me otherwise, but please be brief.`

=The Governor of Aroostook II openly defied the Sithrak to attack his world. Now they have eleven Weapon Platforms, and they should have at least one of the new Wheat IV's online with shield regeneration, but still - if the big fleet accepts his challenge the outcome is almost certainly not going to be good. Heavy losses should be inflicted, but the world won't survive. Headquarters Starfleet feels it would be best if governors refrained from such ...bravado. We have written a letter to that effect for distribution in the Eastern colonies.=

`The governor and the Aroostooki citizens are willing to face death bravely. The spirit of a warrior should not be quenched.`

=That's one consideration, yes, but there are other factors. It's playing hell with our analysts, trying to figure out whether or not the Sithrak commander will accept the challenge or do something else. If other governors follow suit, there'll be no telling which way that fleet might go.=

`Sithrak commanders are inept. We are dealing with two young warlords intending to make reputations for themselves, but with no experience or proper training. Both fleets have made blunders already, and predicting their actions is nearly impossible.`

=Sure, that's a problem. We're learning how they're organized. But what if... what if one of the smaller colonies defies them - one with only five or six Weapon Platforms? What then? It'll give the warlord a chance for an easy win, on that'll impress everyone and maybe they'll give him even more ships.=

`If the Sithrak assign more ships to either of these commanders, it ... it can only work to our advantage. Meanwhile, they appear to be forming a third fleet in the Hoek system - one under an experienced commander. Flagship Beta reports 30 vessels assembling. They're moving toward Federation space and their destination is unknown.`

=I'm aware, thank you. Seeing as they've also bypassed Beta and the Hoek II outpost, I'm not sure this commander should be considered smarter than either of the other two.=

'I do not consider him better in that respect, but we know he has experience and we should not discount the possibility he will employ superior tactics when he engages in battle.'

=Okay, fine. Now about the letter?=

`I believe, Admiral, it is you who would do well to reconsider. There is a great deal of fear, and it is not restricted to the Eastern regions. I smell fear every day here on Orelious XIII, where everyone is safe. A glorious battle - even a defeat - will demonstrate that the Sithrak are not invincible, and calm our citizens.`

=Oh surely there's no doubt we can win, given time...=

`You and I understand the situation. The citizens of the Federation do not. If fear should grow to panic, and become widespread, then it is possible we might lose in spite of our superior resources.`
-------------------------------------
2409.6 *Special News Release cleared for public release by Headquarters Starfleet*

Although unable to meet the two enormous Sithrak fleets head-on, Starfleet's ships have been far from unresponsive this month. The 14 ships of Beta Fleet successfully raided Hoek IV before returning to orbit above Hoek II. The main body of Beta Fleet was tragically destroyed, however several detached elements survived. These brave officers and crewmen are determined to make the enemy regret the decision to bypass them and menace Federation worlds in established systems.

The barbarism of the Sithrak is not going unnoticed throughout the galaxy. Our friends the Amon'krie have agreed to cancel all agreements with this uncivilized and treacherous Dominion.

Starfleet wishes to assure the citizens of the Federation that we are taking appropriate measures and shall establish firm control of the situation. There are many good indicators, positive events, and signs of hope which we cannot publicly disclose due to security considerations. Although we do not announce them, they shall make a difference.
-------------------------------------
2409.7, Orelious XIII

(riiiiiiing riiiiiiiiing)

`Yes - Hmmm - What is it?`

~Hello sir. Commander Jennings, of the East Office - sorry to disturb. There's a situation's come up.~

`Please report, sir.`

~Moonflower 0006 and some smaller ships were lost above Xendi V...~

`I've been informed - Yesterday morning. Now if...`

~No sir - not that. This is new news. The Sithrak are broadcasting replays from the battle, showing Kzin fighters fleeing instead of engaging. "The cowardice of the Kzinti," they're calling it. Now on the other side, an uproar's started among the Kzinti, blaming our ship for leading the Sithrak fleet to Xendi V in the first place.~

`Our ship was within its rights, according to treaty. Our ships fought bravely; their crews died honorably.`

~No statement yet from the Kzinti government, sir. They may try to shift the blame to us; from what we can tell, it looks like their pilots fled rather than engaging - doesn't make sense, but that's what it looks like.~

`Hmm - It would be unwise to act on speculation. Inform Commander Data, and gather ALL our information. Bring it to my office first thing in the morning.`

~Aye, sir. I'll bring everything we've got.~

`Thank you, and good night sir.`
-------------------------------------]]> Sat, 19 May 2012 13:13:11 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69547.html#69547 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69547.html#69547 2409.5

~I don't get it, Picard: how can you defend this? The Kes, the Jraenar, the Akuta - Data's made all manner of concessions to them - access to Federation repair facilities and resupply - that's just the tip of the iceberg. The only mutually beneficial elements in these agreements are the basic non-aggression boiler-plates.~

"It may not look good on the surface, Mr. President, but establishing peaceful co-existence is the first step. If you consider the reality... how many Akuta ships will be availing themselves of our facilities, how many of our hospitals shall ever be filled with Jraenar plague victims?"

~That's not the point. There's a principle involved here, and that fool machine's ready to give away everything we own.~

"I disagree, Mr. President. Making paper concessions which will never come into play in the real world is not a violation of principle. It may run contrary to our pride, but Mr. Data is immune to pride. He does what he deems to be logically sound, and I would defy anyone to dispute the logic of his evaluations."

~Very well - I can play that way. You and your men just keep blundering away, and ... things aren't going to be like before. My numbers are down and I can bring 'em up five or six points any day I feel like it, just by pointing out your mistakes. I'm not going to keep quiet and lose the election for your sake. I'll say what needs to be said.~

"If that is your decision, sir... it hardly seems I have any say in the matter. I - my men and I - serve the Federation to the best of our ability. No arguments or threats are going to change this."

~We'll see about that, Captain. Things can get hotter for you than you know. Do you even realize how the Federation has grown, how many people I now represent? - Ugly wugly aliens too now, thanks to you.~

...

~Ha! That's what I thought. You and your Q can perhaps pull a few parlor tricks, and fool a couple of technologically unadvanced planets; we have a lot more people and a lot more technology now. We're a major interstellar civilization - 146 planets and moons. You may not be so lucky in round two.

Of course there doesn't have to be a second round; you COULD always come around and recognize MY rightful authority.~
-------------------------------------
2409.5

Starfleet was stunned to discover, thanks to an encounter in the Galor System, that the Papyrus class Light Cruiser could not even defeat a simple Breen Frigate. Analysts tied up the simulator facilities at Headquarters Starfleet for four days exploring alternatives to the tactics employed in the engagement. Both Papyrus 0003 and its Wrecker class opponent had become damaged to the point their respective captains decided to withdraw.

The Papyrus class suffered heavily from role erosion. Much of the territory it had been designed to explore soon lost its mystery due to treaty provisions; the Drushocka and other empires' territories were revealed. The collapse of the Federation-Breen treaty also served warning: the safety of such ships, and their hopes of successfully completing their missions were matters largely beyond the control of Starfleet. They simply could not hope to survive long in unfriendly territory. They'd never been expected to do much fighting, but it was hoped they should be capable of self-defense when facing small, common craft.

Over time, events would continue to curtail the potential applications for the design, and cause many to deem it superfluous.

Another scout fared worse and was lost the same month to Breen forces. Warping into the Rollo System (apparently Klingon-owned), a Balsa IV-spec Frigate fell after eliminating two of six armed satellites.
-------------------------------------
2409.5

"Move! Move! Move!"

The brief communication from Epsilon Fleet's flagship, accompanied by observations of the flagship itself in motion, set acceleration klaxons blaring and crewmen scrambling throughout every Epsilon ship.

Word had come indicating both Sithrak fleets had destinations beyond Lundra: the first was being drawn to the Xendi System, and a brave Pussy Willow class Satellite Layer which had decided to post its cargo on the Lundra-to-Hoek point in spite of the danger had detected the second fleet heading for Tenchebrai. If the Sithrak had decided to leave the Lundra colonies exposed, Epsilon Fleet was going to make them pay. Since the fleet had with it a Mayflower class Colony Ship and a Mark II Spinach class Troop Transport, there were two obvious objectives: Establishing a new colony and invading the one held by the enemy.

-------------------------------------
2409.6

~I - we - my husband and I, that is - want you to know, Jean Luc, the President doesn't speak for everyone in the government.~

"Thank you, Mrs. Grapp. It's very kind and encouraging of you to say so."

~I know you're facing a sort of military crisis with those Sithrak creatures, and maybe this will help you understand: the President is facing a crisis in politics.

Colonies - the process of colonization, that is - is eroding the party's political strength. Every new world seems to have its own mix of views, and our system of convincing the voters to think and vote the party way... well, it just wasn't designed to cope with the situation.~

"I see. Won't you and Senator Grapp suffer also, if the party system fails."

~We might - if we'd been unprepared. But Bertie saw this coming. He's got plans to revitalize the... our supporters here and on other worlds. For now we have to wait, of course. The President sees the party as his personal property, and he's not going to give anyone any leeway if he can help it.~

"This is more information than I anticipated, Mrs. Grapp. I appreciate your trust, but I must caution you that I don't intend to allow political considerations to influence my decisions."

~Why Captain! We're in full agreement then. It is my intention - and Bertie's - that you not allow the President to worry you about political matters. We understand fully the necessity of neutrality for a person in your position, and... I don't think I need to say more.

Jean Luc? You seem preoccupied.~

"Yes, I suppose I am. We've placed an order for a new class of Cruisers: the Pennycress. I'm sure you wouldn't be interested, but our Efficiency Mounting Technologies have made it possible to fit more weapons than usual for a ship of that size. She'll carry four Phaser Beams, two Photon Torpedoes, and two Point Defense guns. The design's intended to fill the role of patrol vessel, so it also includes long range sensors."

~Marvelous! I am not entirely ignorant of such matters, although of course the specifics are beyond me. That does sound like the type of ships we're going to need to win the war with those Sithrak.~

"Oh she's not - that's not the theatre we intend for the Pennycress, Mrs. Grapp. We have other ships we're building for use in the East. Our plans for the Pennycress are primarily elsewhere, patrolling for Breen raiders, and securing the northern borders. Naturally a few will be built in the south and supplied to fleets engaged in the East, but not a great many."

~Well you have me there: I'd forgotten about the Breen. Our settlers in the Northern regions need protection too, I suppose, but those poor people in the East! Is there nothing Starfleet can do about those monstrous fleets before they massacre millions of innocent civilians?~

"I'm afraid the Sithrak Dominion has the upper hand at the moment. The Federation has many ships, and many more slated for construction, but it will be some time before we can organize forces strong enough to meet the known threats. Our Colonies in the east are hard at work building defenses, so we may hope the first world attacked by either fleet will be the last."

~Are you sure you shouldn't step back in? You've convinced me you have faith in Mr. Worf, but your own abilities...~

"Mrs. Grapp, I assure you everything is being done. For me to involve myself directly would seriously undermine everyone's confidence in Lieutenant Worf, and accomplish nothing else. We have a bad situation at hand, and we just have to face the fact that it really is a bad situation."

~Forgive me. I guess there are some things I'm just not prepared to deal with.~

"I'm afraid there is no preparation; there are times when all that remains is the choice: whether to give up and cease functioning, or continue functioning in spite of everything."

~You sound almost like an android.~

"On the contrary, Mrs. Grapp. A machine would not even be aware of the option to give up and cease functioning; it would perceive none of the emotional difficulties we face."
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So basically, "eorging" is spamming colony ships and sending them into allies' territory, so that if the treaties are ever broken, you now have forward bases everywhere.

This tactic was exemplified by a player called "eorg" (formerly georgig).]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 15:08:12 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69513.html#69513 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69513.html#69513 Thu, 17 May 2012 14:43:37 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69511.html#69511 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69511.html#69511 Thu, 17 May 2012 12:52:13 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69508.html#69508 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69508.html#69508
Borged? Georged? Eeyored?

:P]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 12:14:42 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69505.html#69505 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69505.html#69505 Wed, 16 May 2012 17:13:00 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69497.html#69497 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69497.html#69497 Wed, 16 May 2012 16:37:27 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69496.html#69496 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69496.html#69496
I think this game should come close to SEV play style]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 14:29:20 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69495.html#69495 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69495.html#69495
I spotted several identifiable influences in the video, this is something I may try.

It's a good concept to get potential players to pay to influence the development and playtest the game. If it works it could be very good indeed.]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 12:44:29 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69490.html#69490 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69490.html#69490 Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:27 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69489.html#69489 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69489.html#69489 Wed, 16 May 2012 00:43:43 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69479.html#69479 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69479.html#69479 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:21:19 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69285.html#69285 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69285.html#69285 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:04:08 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69284.html#69284 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69284.html#69284
Incorrect. Look under SE4\Pictures or SE5\Empires.

He said he'd tried it with three different empires: Eee, xi-chung, and norak, but none of them worked.]]> Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:15:10 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69283.html#69283 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69283.html#69283 Sat, 21 Apr 2012 17:00:13 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69215.html#69215 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69215.html#69215
The Allegiance Subverter is a bit unbalancing (though not as much as that damned Talisman :P). Cheaper intel projects would better fit a psychic race, imo.]]> Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:23:26 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69213.html#69213 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69213.html#69213 Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:50:14 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69207.html#69207 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69207.html#69207 I would like to try and breathe some new life into this game, I realize that it is over 10 years old at this point, however I still tend to believe it is one of the best 4x space strategy games to date.

I'm sure like many of you, you have phases where you get back into the game. Currently I was trying to do some map editing using Dark Nova 4.29 mod for space empires 4, and I keep getting an unable to load settings.txt error. Any insight on the matter? If you want I can also take a screen shot of the issue, other mods seem to load fine with the map editor, this one seems to be the only one that doesnt want to co-operate.]]> Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:51:45 GMT http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69079.html#69079 http://www.spaceempires.net/ftopicp-69079.html#69079