The new 3D engine is sharp, letting you really dig into the new planet based interface. GalCiv was a game about squares of territory and control of a system at a time; the resolution independent 3D engine lets GalCiv II be a game where influence sets shifting boundaries of territory as control of individual planets changes hands. GalCiv II goes even further than its roughly 50 types of structures with a nearly infinite number of ships available through the ship design feature in every star port. You can put as many science fiction ship bits on as many science fiction ship hulls as you can shake a ballistic, energy, or missile weapon at. Every ship has a limited amount of space -- don't worry, though; the aesthetic bits don't chew up precious hull -- and so you have to pick between not just speed or strength, offense or defense, but between arming and armoring your ships with each of the three weapon and defense types.

The excellent espionage system becomes key as you try to make sure that you pit your fleets not just against enemies that they are superior to, but who they have the right weapons and defense to match themselves against. Each weapon type is a different tree in the newly streamlined and smooth technology tree, so it's important to pick your fights and put your admirals into positions where they can win.