I decided that 1.5 was a good time to take a look at where the game is, and what my hopes are for the future. I've been with GalCiv since way back in GalCiv 1, an I'm a big fan of turn-based strategies in general.
Things I like:
1) The universe is becoming more interesting. Precursor worlds and resources finally give a REASON to explore the universe.
2) Mods are coming alive. Gauntlet's Race Mod? AMAZING.
3) Ship designer is of course, awesome as well.
Things I don't like:
1) Some planetary building choices are terrible and are almost never used (defense buildings, I'm looking at you). You defend by building fleets. You cannot really defend a planet by itself. That's kind of a shame, as you'd think that a planet should be able to do everything that a starbase can do.
2) Planets have squat for sensor range, which encourages smash and grab tactics. Why can't we put sensors on planets again? If we had orbital slots, for defenses/sensors we could do that.
3) Maps. It is very hard to get a decent map. Huge, unbridgeable gaps between the stars are common. Distribution of habitable planets is uneven, leaving some races with huge, early advantages and others to wallow around in the dark until they die. It's not fun to play the latter.
4) Tech trading. The constant need for it in any large game is frankly wearing. I wish this system would be replaced,