Hello. I have been playing the current build of the game, and so far I like it quite a bit. I've been playing SINS since it's original release in 2008, so I'm quite familiar with the game. I have some pros and cons that are overly simplified but should at least get my points across in a general sense of how I feel so far about the game;
Pros
1. Graphics engine: Game looks better than ever. The models are lovely, the animation is smooth, the planets are absolutely gorgeous, and I like that there appeared to be no slowdowns when there was a massive fleet on the screen.
2. Interface; The interface still needs some work, but so far it feels more streamlined and intuitive. I am hoping we can customize buttons for the zoom feature (currently stuck and Q and R) as well as turn off the mouse zoom to pointer (this always throws me off), but I'm sure that will be added in the future.
3. Fleets; Fleets in this game are the definition of perfection when it comes to organizing exactly what you want in your fleet and keeping track of losses. I have never seen a simpler yet effective way of doing it the way this game is showing. I love that I can keep track of what ships were destroyed rather than having to guess at how many I lost and just build some more to fill the gaps. This by far has caught my interest and makes building fleets a joy.
4. Research tree; I love how the research tree works now. You can monitor the progress of multiple research by hovering over the icons, and you can pre-buy (if you have the funds) through an entire set of research options without having to click them one after the other. This is a simple, yet welcome QOL change.
Cons
1. Music; The new tracks are interesting, but I was really hoping for a more modern synthesizer being used as the Sins music (while classic) always sounded a bit dated even back when the first game was released.
2. Sound; This cannot be overstated enough, but the sounds are very "pew pew" sounding instead of a punchy "boom boom" that you would expect from the kind of firepower being tossed around. Too often, many games have great features throughout but then skimp on the sound track/effects department and it really does detract from the overall experience.
3. Unit variety; So far, the game seems to have all the same units that the previous game had...and nothing new. Sure the kodiak has been replaced, but it's replacement serves the exact same role and isn't much different. I am hoping that each side has at least one or two new units a piece, but that remains to be seen I suppose.
I realize this game is in early alpha (pre-alpha?) and much of it is subject to change as it progresses. I greatly look forward to this games development and cannot wait for the next update.
Thank you for reading...and hurry up! j/k...kinda