Trying out Crusade and really enjoying it so far. Overall its been a pleasant experience.
The one thing that is sticking out to me right now is just how strong starbases are militarily vs ship fleets right now. Because ships require a LOT of resources in order to build any decent weapon strength, you are stuck with Weapon 2-4 ships for a long time. Compared to the 10 in each defense of a basic starbase and the overall 19 weapon strength....it takes an incredible amount to take on a single starbase.
I don't mind starbases being able to hold their own, but I think they get too much now out of the gate. It should a least take some defensive upgrades before they get that strong.