Lots of news reported in 2015, when the Balance Mod got back to business.

03 October 2015:

Two new chapters are up for turns 2416.1-2471.0 and 2417.1-2418.0. Bug fixes have certainly made a difference in the game as AI fleets have greatly increased in size battles with the EEE have gotten intense. Check HERE for all the turn summaries if you haven't been following along. The chapter for turns 2416.1 to 2417.0 is HERE and for turns 2417.1 to 2418.0 is HERE.

I've also encountered some additional diplomacy bugs, so I will try to work those out before issuing the beta patch that I mentioned previously.

21 September 2015:

A new chapter covering up to turn 2416.0 is up for Rise of the Xiati Empire. Easily the most intensive 10 turns of the game so far. A Xiati offensive campaign begins and the Jraenar, EEE and Cue Cappa strike back. Check HERE for all the turn summaries if you need to catch up. The Chapter for turns 2415.1 to 2416.0 is HERE. Should have a Beta patch out for the end of the week. A couple of semi-critical bugs were hurting AI fleet performance.

13 September 2015:

Two new chapters (2413.0 and 2414.0) are up for Rise of the Xiati Empire - although perhaps I should change the name to 'Barely Maintaining the Xiati Empire'. Check HERE if you haven't been following along. The Chapter for turns 2412.1 to 2413.0 is HERE and for turns 2413.1-2414.0 is HERE.

Just added a new chapter covering up to turn 2415.0 HERE.

11 September 2015:

I've posted the Balance Mod v1.20 beta. The beta has some fixes for data file issues in the Alpha release plus more AI script fixes and updates. Still remaining to fully implement is the AI performance analysis routine, further diplomacy enhancements and revised formation/strategy files. You should be able to continue your Alpha games without issues. Download the Beta HERE. I've posted the v1.20ß to-date changelog HERE for reference.

A new chapter to the Xiati saga should be up by the end of the weekend.

31 August 2015:

The next ten turns in the Rise of the Xiati Empire story have been posted. A listing of all the chapters is HERE if you need to catch up. The chapter for turns 2411.1 to 2412.0 is HERE. The Jraenar have changed sides!

Also hoping to post the Balance Mod v1.20 Beta shortly. Will have a few fixes and a host of AI script improvements versus the current Alpha.

31 August 2015:

The good news is that Spaceempires.net is partially up. Apparently the server failed and the site will have to be updated for the new server before user accounts work, but it looks like most of the files are available. PBW2 was also recovered but is not yet fully functional. Big thanks to Fyron for getting the site back up and for running it the last 10 years. Might be a good time to make a donation.

29 August 2015:

A new summary is up for the BM story Rise of the Xiati Empire. A listing of all the chapters is HERE if you haven't been following along. The chapter for turns 2410.1 to 2411.0 is HERE. War time has returned!

26 August 2015:

There's a new summary for the Balance Mod Rise of the Xiati Empire story bringing the game to turn 100. You can access all the chapters HERE if you haven't been following along and the latest chapter can be read HERE. I've also been doing some data file and script debugging/revisions as I've noticed bugs/errors in the game.

22 August 2015:

I've moved the Balance Mod Rise of the Xiati Empire story to my website since SE.net has been down for a few days. You can follow along HERE. Turns 2407.1 to 2409.0 have now been posted!

15 August 2015:

After a move and the recent appearance of a baby Kwok, I've started actively working on the mod again. To add a bit of fun to the testing process, I've been documenting one of my test games. You can follow along HERE.

08 March 2015:

I've posted an updated version of the Balance Mod v1.20 Alpha to fix a variety of issues with the first Alpha. I've corrected most of the tech area requirements typos, added some new pictures and fixed a couple of the new mechanics that were broken in the first posting. Download the revised Balance Mod v1.20 Alpha HERE.

25 February 2015:

Just a quick note to celebrate 10 years of Captainkwok.net! Of which 9 years were frequently attended to. Registered for at least an eleventh year! Still thrilled to get over 3,000 visitors a month even though Space Empires hasn't had any new releases in the last 6 years. Glad there's still a small thriving SE community.

21 February 2015:

An alpha version of Balance Mod v1.20 is available for download. There's quite a few changes including some modification of the tech tree, a few new components and addition of the small sytems add-on. The AI in the Alpha has been updated somewhat to be mostly functional with the new changes but not yet optimized. Note you won't be able to used saved empire files, maps, or games created with previous Balance Mod versions. Download the Balance Mod v1.20 Alpha HERE.

23 January 2015:

I've posted an updated tech chart for v1.20 of the Balance Mod. The big change here from the previous preview chart was the rearrangement of the ship construction technologies and bigger ships! I've also added more interspersed components/weapons/vehicles within the tech areas as well. You can find the preview HERE. Comments are welcomed as usual!

05 January 2015:

As promised, v1.19j of the Balance Mod is finally available for download. This is the first new version in 2 years. I apologize for the long delay but I hope that the update helps refuel your SE5 desire. The new patch is savegame compatible with existing v1.19 games, but I recommend that you start new games as the AI updates are extensive. See the changelog posted on the Balance Mod History page for all the details. Download Balance Mod v1.19j HERE. All the current versions of Balance Mod Extras and Small Systems add-ons are compatible. Find them HERE.

02 January 2015:

Happy New Year! I've started to work on the next Balance Mod update again. A recent return to playing Space Empires V and a couple of good games has re-ignited my enthusiasm. First up is to release the v1.19j Balance Mod update (final testing) and then complete a final version of the mod shortly thereafter.