I wanted to post this here to get some discussion around one of the core aspects of the game that I personally think is very underdeveloped.
When I started playing I was pretty overwhelmed by all the information, but once I got into it and reread the tutorials I was really struck by the wording and focus that was presented.
What I write below is a lot of personal opinion, but I just feel I have to get it out there
It is not a stab at what I think can develop into a seriously hardcore interesting game.
Please don't downplay the economic aspect in what is a really complex simulation!
At several point I was told to not pay too much attention to the RCI.
What is the RCI? There seems to be a lot of unnecessary wording that obfuscates the underlying system, for something which seems core to development of the solar system and the diplamtic options that concern it.
During the tutorial, the game basically tells me not to really bother with the numbers. It's counterintuitive.
Quoting the tutorial:
"Look, you're going to make a big fuss about these when you really shouldn't.
Sometimes a planet is going to have a really bad score in one of these categories, and people are going to catch diseases and whatever, and that's just… well, that's too bad.
These effect [should probably be affect] the likelihood of certain kinds of (bad or good) events at each location [which location?] That's it. Most events are survivable by a healthy populace, so don't get scared by a negative number."
This is downright defensive writing. I have no idea how to interpret this other than the game telling me not to really bother with the planetary economy.
Look at the fleets, it says. They are important. I do not enjoy the combat very much, but the again is personal preference. On the other hand, there are all these enticing numbers to look at and potentially affect, but combat is the major theme.
Considering the enormous amount of information available this seems to me very similar to the Total War games. Heaps of stats, but a more or less purely combat driven model.
That, to me, is a bit disappointing.
The tutorial basically tells me to ignore it. It's baffling, considering how Economic, Medical, Environmental and Public Order changes are involved in so much of the diplomacy. At the end of the day I feel very disinclined to click around and make changes to the trends, in great part due to the presentation.
"What causes trends? You know… life stuff. People do things, butterflies flap wings, and trends emerge."
That is so mundane it breaks the fourth wall with Gigacannon force. It makes me want to skip the text faster than I am able to.
Suggestion: Make a bigger fuss about the economy and expand functionality! I really want to be able to see how the economy works and impact it, even if it is simulated on a grand scale and I can not micro manage the whole thing.
I would really like to see are life resources such as foodstuffs and medicines, to be smuggled and gifted, along with a more in-depth trade system.
This might seem overly critical, but there is just something about the presentation that does not really convey properly what the game is all about.
