Space Empires 4 has a lot going for it, not the least of which is its underdog status.
The publisher, Shrapnel Games, is a small little outfit that sells quality niche strategy and wargames exclusively online.
Even more remarkably, the "developer" of this game, Malfador Machinations, is essentially one guy (Aaron Hall), programming
the game in his spare time, after his regular job.
Flipping through the credits you can see there's a couple others that helped out with some art and programming, and about
thirty (!) people credited for playtesting, with nary an executive producer in sight.
Certainly makes you think about the way they do some things in this industry, doesn't it? 
Code
http://rapidshare.com/files/96415326/Space_Empires_4_v1.02.rar
