A newbie's bloggish post with opinions.

This game is amazing, as it simply stuns a newcomer with an insane mathematical analysis of the gameplay universe. Almost everything is custom made by player, with no feelings of "deus ex machina" way of development.

Also, building a Dyson Sphere is incredibly stimulating. With a complete, full star as a source of power, a huge sphere world is beyond normal adjectives of beauty.

Now my pro's and con's

Pro's:

*Lots of technology,
*solar system manipulation,
*incredibly detailed way of making an empire
*manipulating planets
*Insane combat details
*Diversity of everything bordering insanity
*Exotic technologies REALLY making a difference except temporis and psychic
*Ring and sphere worlds
*UI being able to manage a huge empire by a few well placed clicks.

Con's:

*Psychic Technology is useless, with no access to happiness inducing buildings, and fleet/ship training fac's and sensors are already easily reachable by conventional techs
*Temporal tech? Urban Pacification centers and spending all the fancy tech points for a better space yard solves the trick.
*Emotionless trait is worthless, happiness is easy. Build some well improved Organic buildings or Urban pacification centers and everyone has orgies 24/7. Not that I mind...
*Actually EVERY trait except Ancient Race,Exotic Techs and hardy industrialists is far too worthless to make a difference except rushes in tiny maps.
*Ship design need not be point by point. I believe Master of Orion 2 has a better design interface. If a ship must be 350 kt, placing all the components in squares are only tempered with an autocomplete button, even this is silly. Displaying a numeric limit for inner-outer-hull and tonnage in general would be niftier. Or wait, does the exact location matter in actual combat?!
*Upgrading Ships in space with newer components must be easier Perhaps an upgrade facility? Must I design every time? I'm an Emperor, I have better things to do!