The research and upgrades aspect of it is well thought out and implemented however the actual ground combat is meek, it needs a re-tune. Reasoning being they just aren't receiving the maintenance they should. I like the idea of the fleet cap but instead of having it give you a monetary penalty, it might be more interesting if it gave you a penalty to ships rearm and repair rate, maybe even a damage dealing reduction to ships. Since each ship has an upkeep cost which in itself is the fleet cap, to compound that with an additional cap to me seems redundant. Fleet Caps: I really don't see the point of fleet caps. We should be able to control freighters, either directly or give us the ability to force them to dock at the nearest planet until the enemy fleet is taken care of. However freighters are not controllable, combine that with the smaller fleet caps and it makes it difficult to protect freighters when your main fleet is off attacking or exploring, they will literally fly directly at an enemy and suicide themselves. Moving food and colonists around really saves us from a lot of the needless planetary micro from SD1. I like the way they've handled the freighters.

When it comes to planet colonization, the variety of planets is massive making the whole experience of picking and choosing where you want to focus the new seeds of your civilization as engaging as it is important. it all feels very unnatural and I hope it's addressed in a patch. Missiles don't turn to intercept targets instead they make weird turns trying to catch up to it. Space combat is enjoyable and satisfying, nice big explosions and a slow motion mode too! One gripe I have in space combat is that weapons don't lead targets, they aim at where the target was, not at its expected position. The mechanics of researching and building your fleet is pretty much the same as SD1, which is a good thing. The graphics are beautiful, especially the way space combat looks, the planets are all awesome looking as well, the new hex system and fresh. Currently I've restarted the campaign 3 times as I wrap my head around some of the new mechanics and because my poor human civilization was blasted to death by alien scum - which means either I'm terrible at this game or it's hard, which is awesome!. I have to admit I was leery of the new turn based system but in the scheme of things it makes sense and it's a welcomed addition. I've got about 7 hours in so far, As a veteran of Imperium galactic series, Galactic Civ, and SD1 as well as a few others I have to say I've got about 7 hours in so far, As a veteran of Imperium galactic series, Galactic Civ, and SD1 as well as a few others I have to say StarDrive 2 holds its head up high among its piers. The ground combat is turn-based, with an X-Com Enemy Unknown feel to it, which I've come to really enjoy as an entirely separate mini-game within Stardrive 2. The space combat is visually impressive and always fun to play. The ship designing and customization are definitely high points of Stardrive 2. Being able to see a newly researched weapon help your ships blaze a path of destruction across an enemy fleet in real-time combat helps to tie the entire game together and makes it feel like every decision you've made matters. The combination of turn-based empire management with real-time space combat helps to break up the pace of the game into enjoyable yet distinct pieces. You'll meet minor species to either befriend, enslave, or exterminate.

You'll engage in diplomacy and espionage with/against a variety of interesting and unique alien species all with their own agendas. You'll design and build your own starships to conquer your enemies and protect all you've gained. You'll find valuable resources to claim through colonization and exploration. You'll research interesting technologies, some of them unique to your species and others totally random in nature. Right from the start, you'll be faced with interesting events, encounters, and anomalies that will drive you to spread your chosen species farther out amongst the stars. This is definitely a game that can keep you up late at night, constantly clicking end turn just to see what lies ahead in the development and struggles of the star nation you've spent hours carefully building. I highly recommend this game for anyone looking for a galactic empire building game featuring that 'just one more turn' itch that some of the great 4x games of the past have offered. I If you like Civilization style TBS games, but always wanted similar style empire building, but in space with amazing ship to ship combat. If you like Civilization style TBS games, but always wanted similar style empire building, but in space with amazing ship to ship combat.

Stardrive 2 trailer