What is a mod?
When looking at the details of PBW2 games, you will notice that each game lists a "mod" in its details. But just what is a mod?
A mod is a custom, player-created set of game rules. Some mods seek to add new features to the stock game experience. Others seek to re-balance perceived problems. The most interesting mods, however, are those that start everything over from scratch and provide a completely new experience. Some of these mods will seek to implement an existing sci-fi universe (e.g. Babylon 5, Star Trek), while others implement the vision of their author (e.g. Carrier Battles, Proportions, Adamant). Many players enjoy using mods to provide variety to their gaming.
Mod Installation
Installing a mod varies slightly depending on which game you are playing.
Space Empires IV
Each mod exists as its own subfolder inside the installation directory. If you installed SE4 to "C:\Games\SEIV", you would typically install a mod by extracting it directly into this directory. Thus, after installing the "CarrierBattles" mod, you should have something like:
C:\Games\SEIV C:\Games\SEIV\CarrierBattles C:\Games\SEIV\CarrierBattles\Data C:\Games\SEIV\Data
To load SE4 with a mod, you should get a mod launcher.
Space Empires V
Each mod exists as its own subfolder inside the "GameTypes" directory. If you installed SE5 to "C:\Games\SEV", you would typically install a mod by extracting it directly into the "GameTypes" directory. Thus, after installing the "Balance Mod" mod, you should have something like:
C:\Games\SEV C:\Games\SEV\Data C:\Games\SEV\GameTypes C:\Games\SEV\GameTypes\Balance Mod C:\Games\SEV\GameTypes\Balance Mod\Data C:\Games\SEV\GameTypes\Standard SE5
SE5 includes the ability to load mods internally, making a mod launcher unnecessary.
External Links
You can find most mods available for download on SpaceEmpires.net:
SpaceEmpires.net Downloads Database
You can also find detailed information on many mods on the Space Empires Wiki: