''Space Empires V'' (''SEV'') is a 4X

turn based Timekeeping is relevant to many types of games, including video games, tabletop role-playing games, board games, and sports. The passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. In many games, this is done u ...

strategy game A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous, decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome. Almost all strategy games require internal decision tree-style think ...

that was released in 2006. It was developed by

Malfador Machinations Malfador Machinations was a small game company based in Santa Rosa, California. They were best known for their ''Space Empires'' series. Brief history Malfador Machinations was created by Aaron Hall to publish '' Space Empires II'', the sequel ...

and published by

Strategy First Strategy First Inc. is a Canadian video game publisher based in Montreal. Founded in 1988 by Don McFatridge, Steve Wall and Dave Hill, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and was subsequently acquired by Silverstar Holdings in 2005. Initia ...

. The game retains many races and technologies from its predecessor, '' Space Empires IV'' (''SEIV'').

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 three-dimensional graphics, and as such, the user interface has been heavily redesigned. New to the series is a 3D 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 instalment as it does from the fourth, with research and intelligence being assigned as a percentage of available points as opposed to the queue system used for construction.

Races

Virtually all of the stock races (with the exception of the Sithrak) 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 paradigm, 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.

Reception

The game received mixed reviews. 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.

References

External links

Official Malfador Machinations siteSpace Empires Universe
Official ''Space Empires'' site *{{moby game, id=/space-empires-v, name=''Space Empires V'' 2006 video games 4X video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Space Empires Space opera video games Strategy First games Turn-based strategy video games Video game sequels Video games developed in the United States Windows games Windows-only games