Online Play Issues

You did put supply on them, right? Ships get that from their engines, but bases don't have any supply storage by default.

I think I read that the multiplayer direct connection is broken. Me and my friend tried using lan for the two computers in my house, but it kept freezing up....

You could always do E-mail. But I understand that wont work if you all want to talk to each other while playing...

I've played multiplayer before and it's broken a bit. Not that big of a problem if you have verbal communication with each other through non cpu means such as by phone. I set up a TCP/IP connection with the second player. I was host. He connected to me in a "simultaneous turn" game, which means that we both take our turns and when we both finish the turns run at the same time. We had no problems until I began to end my turns before the second player. We figured that because the turns are supposed to run at the same time, the host must end his turns last. If this is not done, then all the players that end their turn after the host get their commands chosen by the cpu, as if they didn't take a turn at all. Good luck playing multiplayer, but as far as I know playing a slow game, something like two or three turns a day by e-mail, would be optimum for middle to late games. Two player hot seat has some cool skirmishes in it though. I love it when my ships come out on top.

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Space Empires V rocks and rolls all day long sweet Suzy.

Just do a PBW game w/ your 3 friends (just takes a try or 2 to figure it all out).
All players can take their turns simultaneously. Turns process as soon as all players submit their turn.
Go and conquor!

http://seiv.pbw.cc/text/index.jsp

PBW is indeed the most painless way of playing SE4/5 multiplayer. I think there's some issues at present with people using non-stock shipsets, but other than that, it works great.

Suction feet are not to be trifled with!