So I had to take a few months off from really playing much SiS, but I jumped in right around the holidays due to taking some badly needed vacation days. EXTREMELY impressed with the latest build, the new metal/production system is very interesting, and along with the new food mechanic creates the option and need for specialized colonies which I think is very interesting.

Currently at the tail end of a long game as the Teros, will post a longer report with feedback and send the save game along when I'm done.

-Will

Glad you think so! There's more to come; the ground combat module should be in soon, and after that the big-ticket item is diplomacy.

Can we get one more weapons pass before we hit diplomacy? Would like to see real AA missiles instead of the white beam, maybe a different effect for the railguns, like a single projectile?

I really, really need diplomacy though; managing the 4-front wars I always end up in is extremely challenging!

So I finished my game as the Ashdar with a complete galactic takeover, except for a few Marauder settlements and two(!) independent human colonies that never got scooped up (the poor Human faction got stuck in corner of the map and never expanded past one planet). Couple of quick thoughts, then off to bed.

1) I *REALLY* like the Metal System overall. It encourages colonization of marginal worlds for their mining potential which I love. My only complaint is that seems like metal is in real short supply in the early game, is manageable if you survive to the early-mid game, and then becomes so abundant it doesn't really matter in the late game.
1A) One interesting tech area that isn't explored would be to more effective mining, reduced metal needs for ships (alternative materials, more efficient manufacturing) or the like. Maybe some sort of bio-plastic tech that could convert excess food into metal?
2) Food system is also interesting, again encourages different sorts of colonization strategies and the use of otherwise marginal planets. I'd like to see some way to reduce population growth to prevent constant food shortages (maybe at a morale penalty when that mechanic is introduced), and also some way to stockpile excess food so you don't go straight from excess food -> starving colonists.
3) The only major weakness I see overall right now is that late game is kind of a slog; I was well past the inflection point of inevitable victory but chasing down all of the colonies the AI places (they seem to colonize damn near every single planet they are able to) and bombarding/invading them wasn't all that interesting. Something I expect will change but please keep it in mind.

-Will

wminsing wrote:I really, really need diplomacy though; managing the 4-front wars I always end up in is extremely challenging!

So I finished my game as the Ashdar with a complete galactic takeover, except for a few Marauder settlements and two(!) independent human colonies that never got scooped up (the poor Human faction got stuck in corner of the map and never expanded past one planet). Couple of quick thoughts, then off to bed.

1) I *REALLY* like the Metal System overall. It encourages colonization of marginal worlds for their mining potential which I love. My only complaint is that seems like metal is in real short supply in the early game, is manageable if you survive to the early-mid game, and then becomes so abundant it doesn't really matter in the late game.
1A) One interesting tech area that isn't explored would be to more effective mining, reduced metal needs for ships (alternative materials, more efficient manufacturing) or the like. Maybe some sort of bio-plastic tech that could convert excess food into metal?
2) Food system is also interesting, again encourages different sorts of colonization strategies and the use of otherwise marginal planets. I'd like to see some way to reduce population growth to prevent constant food shortages (maybe at a morale penalty when that mechanic is introduced), and also some way to stockpile excess food so you don't go straight from excess food -> starving colonists.
3) The only major weakness I see overall right now is that late game is kind of a slog; I was well past the inflection point of inevitable victory but chasing down all of the colonies the AI places (they seem to colonize damn near every single planet they are able to) and bombarding/invading them wasn't all that interesting. Something I expect will change but please keep it in mind.

-Will

I agree. I've been begging for diplomacy for MONTHS!