the chat is an IRC chat also if you want to pop in out of game

today we had 997 ppl max in chat

Overall I'd say it was very playable. Just remember to turn off SSAO, DoF etc as they are fps killers on anything except the very highest end graphic cards (by that I mean at least gtx670).

Also expect long turn times if you play on largest galaxies.

-- I like the design changes from the original SoTS. The game is about logistics rather than civ-style building and the changes emphasize this.

Plus it's just very immersive  to be thinking about your xx fleet commanded by admiral yy based out of system zz rather than stacks of units.

Very much agree. The new way of moving fleets is hard to get used to but its much more effective once you do. The haters of the system just aren't patient enough to handle it.

Rather than impatient haters, I'd like to view them as people who played SotS Prime a ton (like me) that got very used to that fleet system. Changing the mechanics to a completely different system in a niche game will tend to ruffle a few feathers. HoMM IV got a lot of flak for radically changing the game mechanics (although I thought HoMM IV was an excellent game).

I don't like the mission system because it adds a layer of micromanagement that wasn't there previously (even though in the late game it can be faster than the old system). I also haven't played 1000 hours of SotS 2 like I did the first one. I'm sure as I play SotS 2 more I'll get more used to it.

That's why I am not a salesman.

The system used by most 4x games aka copied from Civ make no sense whatsoever.

Civ gets away with it because everything else is equally absurd... so what the hell... if your armies that take a century to move, sure they can also magically live off the land.

SotS is great because unlike "most 4x" it is not a civ copy. Building stuff on planets (which always feels surreal) is abstracted, logistics are elaborated. What's wrong with that?

- Has it never bothered you playing space 4x that you don't need to resupply and fuel your fleets? This has ALWAYS bothered me in these kind of games and SotS and Space Empires are the only titles that address this.

I really enjoy galciv but it never at any point feels 'real'... I like having the alternative of a space 4x that does.

I was replying to the post before mine re: "most 4x". The idea that units in 4x games should be able to 'walk the earth' like roving heroes and not being able to is tyranny!

And yep I agree the change from sots prime is no better or worse mechanically (aside from admirals). I just happen to like it because it adds to the sense of 'realism' which is why I like about sots in the first place. In that sense I think it's an improvement.

I am not sure what you are talking about or what game even. You are either defending Sots1 which I am not attacking but saying its troop movements system is like most 4x games, or your are defending Sots2 system but you don't have a single sots2 word in the whole text. 

Anyways about your point of 4x space games not doing movement well. They do, most have limited radius of movement. Sots1 has fuel and you are limited by that, others like Birth of the Federation has maximum movement outside your planets or outposts which represented how far you can get and still be able to return safely. 

Changing this system from SotS1 whose trademark was very abstracted building and economy mechanics to provide a faster and more interesting game and turning it into SotS2 lets make fleet movement as complicated as possible was not a good move forward. People who played and liked SotS1 did it for a reason, if we wanted a more complex 4x game there was plenty around. SotS1 was different then those and that made if fun to play.

Really?  I find the fleet/Admiral system annoying and slow, not to mention needing a mission to do everything.

Rorschach- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spreNyeID-I economics, trade, mining, colony development, morale, economic rating, & government

My LP will be a Tarka LP since there aint that many out there with Tarka. Smaller map too so fighting most likely will start sooner. Expecting about 6-9 days until it starts. 

Totally agree here.  Remember playing vga planets back in the day which also had this feature.  I'm quite enjoying the game so far.  I kinda freaked out when I first started but did a couple of days research watching the youtube vids reading the guides and messing around on a dew early games experimenting and am really getting into it apart from the research feasibility on many many seemingly early techs.  Like showing candy to a child but never getting it to me, lol.  Fortunately the savegames are easily editable to improve the chance rates to your hearts content.

Also FYI the strategic AI has been updated. No more AIs in debt, so when you take over them in multi you no longer say crap and have to fix the econ.