Greetings crewmates I've done something like this in the past with earlier versions but it was at the VIP forums. Today I will be offering my point by point analysis of Pre Alpha 7a here instead Changing my previous format, I will not rate these areas of the game but will give some comments instead. Before I begin however, my own disclaimer These are my personal views, my involvement with ISG is minimal and as such my posts are similar to other members. If I don't like something, I have no compunction about saying so, if I do like something I will say that as well. Colonization This is a huge effort in the early game that does get a bit easier over time. I like that it is almost impossible to get to the point where you are spamming new colonies. As it is quite an effort, a player should think carefully about where and when to build a colony. Colony development Certainly not a distraction. This is good in the late game as you are not constantly thrown off your chain of thought by colony needs. The system present in ISG allows you to specialize colonies without the usual micro-management. I would like to see a little more variety in colony buildings but that is only a matter of time as what we have now is not everything that is planned Planetary engineering and terraforming OK let me be honest here, it may take a while to get used to this in ISG but the reward is worth it. After playing many sessions I particularly like that you are not obligated to take the same approach every time. For me personally this is an improvement over MoO2 which tended to lead to a homogenized galaxy by late game. Ship Design in ISG ship design is streamlined but still offers the ability to create a variety of ships dependent on your style. Obviously I will like this more as new ship special are introduced to choose from. We have the ability to only partially shield a ship in order to gain more free hull space, determine the structural integrity of ships (for a cost) and tweak our engines. The combination of these abilities could allow a player to build a slow (in battle) armored “tank” that can take a beating, a swift "eggshell armed with a hammer" or anything in between. Exploration The good thing here is that exploration will continue way past the point where it has ended in other games but I feel we still need to add in some variety to what is out there. I would love to see a handful of really rare and very exciting discoveries which may or may not be found in a particular session as exploration can get monotonous at times Exploitation This is a vital aspect of ISG. The average growth rate of your empire means that exploitation is pretty crucial, particularly on harder levels. You have to pick and choose at times how to go about exploiting your territory and the approach can vary from game to game Planetary focus Phooking brilliant, you can specialize worlds as you see fit without the usual micromanagement headache. Research Pretty adequate at the moment. Only a small part of the tech tree is random and your own choices and discoveries will help form your path. Some more variety will be a big plus here. Space culture I like the way this is presented and how it works. At first I believed some choices clearly were superior to others until I discovered fellow VIPs taking the choices I usually ignore and being successful. (Live and learn) There is a good balance here and you can exercise your own individual style without being penalized Leaders I really like this. ISG manages to give you leaders infused with an RPG element without them becoming a distraction. Obviously the only drawback is that we have so few of them now but this will change Races/lore The races are interesting if too few at present but more will come. Lore is pretty much bare bones but that should be enhanced tremendously as the game evolves, it is sorely lacking at present Space Combat OK, in the earlier versions I thought it pretty much sucked. I won’t get into the actual reasons as the combat months ago is different from what we have now, the presence of an active AI (both strategic and tactical) has also given me a clearer picture on this. Your actual tactics will matter now and the ability to overload some systems really opens up possibilities. Overcharging shields and turning facing as you get pounded is viable. Overcharge engines and outmaneuver your opponent? the AI did that to me! Let me say that if you want a 4x that allows you to engage the game at both a strategic and tactical level you could be in for a sweet surprise UI adequate, I have no problem with the UI in general, it works and is not difficult to understand so for me this is fine Victory conditions It's a pre-alpha so there is only one at the moment, smash everything and everyone not wearing the same color uniform as you. Well crewmates, as I said at the top, this is my opinion and you are most welcome to post your own and offer your perspective. Our style and individual taste may be different but we share a common goal in wanting a great TBS 4x that avoids all the bulshit and mistakes that are just too common these days
