My 2 cents.
I played some games. Only 100/150 turns to see how it goes and just if I feel easy enough to end my game.
There's many things to micromanage, so I need informations to not be bored to scroll over menus, to continue to play. So for game interface, many things miss on main screen (wish list inside) :
- Research and planetary production : I need to mouse over on research tab (left upper) to know how many turns left until end of research. But I can't know it for each planet production. I need to go in planet screen to see that my xeno factory will be up in 7 turns. It will be pretty useful to see on main screen how many turns left for research and each production. If I mouse over my planet production, it would be nice to see production. queue.
- Wealth, growth and research per turn : I had, on upper left, my credits and population. credits, growth and research per turn would help me to see my current situation. I need to mouse over my credits to know my income or loss. Also, this information are useful on main screen. Research too. Not for first games or early turn, but for further games. It's a good mark for my progression. Tech is important, so if I see I my research per turn is 23 at T100 in my current game, if next I have 15 or 35, I know if I'm late or easy. I only find my research per turn for my civilization in Technology menu.
- Shipyard production : In starbases tab, there's my shipyards. But no idea what they produce and how many turns are needed to end my spaceship. Is it possible to have a progress tab as for colonies production ? And if I mouse over one, I can see its sponsor (with production per turn), it would be wonderful.
- Colonies tabs : I know each current size but not its max population. Ok, it's 16 for homeworld and 8 for colonies. At first, after farms each planet can have a different max size. It would help a lot to manage unhappiness to know it. When I mouse over net income, I have the same information than in tabs. I would be nice to have colonies maintenance and wealth.
- Shipyard sponsors : At first, a multiple selection of sponsors would be useful. I need to select a planet -» done. Another planet -» done. Multiple selection then done, would be helpful. With 6 planets, it becomes boring to select each colonies, I think it becomes hell on huge galaxies with over 20 colonies. Also, I don't know how sponsor penality works. So a few informations about that can make me thing to move my shipyard or build a new one closer to some colonies. At all, mobile shipyard is a wonderful idea. Thanks.
In shipyard menu, scrolling in sponsor tabs is a pain. It's pretty annoying to scroll and scroll to find this colony I want to remove before my colony ship is going to end in 1 turns (also, be able to choose where population is going to be pick would be nice). And mouse over menu on a sponsor doesn't show is contribution. I have all information about this colony but not how much production it gives to this shipyard.
- Time clock : I'm «one more tun» addict, but unfortunately I have a job and a family (my biggest regrets). It's useful to have real time in a 4X game.
Game balance.
- Early fighters : It's not a good idea to find some early fighters in space junk. One game, I find none. Alterans find some. They destroyed my survey ship and my scout then my shipyard. On another game, I find one. I rush colonize a planet near Iridium land and send this defender to Iridia. They didn't find a defender so I easily destroyed their shipyard and let my defender near their homeworld. 100 turns later they still have two planets and no way to shoot down my defender. It's broken. Fortunately, Alterian and Drengin find some fighters or I was able to end this game in some 50 turns. Or you give defense to shipyard as for starbases or you disable early defenders. In Civ gal II, you could find some starships on colonies, but shipyard wasn't so weak because they were on colonies. I need to hard tech weapons and defense points, if I don't find an or some early fighters.
- Random homeworld : As civilization capital provides bonus to adjacent tiles, it's annoying to have an homeworld without tile(s) next to it, at start. It's totally random. So, I tend to reroll maps until I find an homeworld with one or two tiles next to my capital building. Is it possible to fix this to one or two tiles, before soil enhancement. I need to play more but it seems to be unbalanced to have an homeworld with lonely capital.
Thanks for this great series. Good luck until end off beta phase.
Edit : some langage mistakes. Many stay. My bad.