John:
As Freyland mentioned, all this stuff is floating around here already, but I'll give you my impression based on the demo and the game so far.
Personally, I didnt care much for the demo either. I just couldnt get into it. I kept feeling like I was missing something too. I ordered the full game simply because I knew that anything I didnt like I could simply edit away.
With the full Version, I think the game shows tremendous potential. Yes, it has some issues, but with MM's commitment to getting it right, I'm sure it will live up to the potential in the near future. It plays fine out of the box, but it does seem lacking in some areas. I would have preferred some additional time spent on the AI, but as long as it is getting done now, I'm not worried. At least I've been able to play and tweak the game for the Last month or so as opposed to having to wait if they had decided to delay the game again. Also, I feel as if my opinion has counted in adding features and changes to the main code as well.
I think you somewhat hit it on the nose in that the bulk of the 'complexity' is indeed involved in researching and designing (and using) the ships/fighters/stations/etc. It does seem to be the highlight of the game and rightly so IMO.
The colonization aspects are detailed enough to allow for some strategy but dont require the micromanagement and hassle of the MOO2 type engine where you have to babysit every colony. I'm much happier with the SE4 model for this as I think MOO2 concerned itself too much with the tedium of running the empire. It was fun at the beginning of a game, but rapidly lost its appeal as the number of colonies increased. SE4 is set up to allow for a more 'empire' type feel. You can
easily manage 30+ colonies with little effort.
I do happen to agree that planets are bit too available and that population is none too important. Fortunately, items like this can be changed and I have already done so in my set. And that is the TRUE beauty of this game IMO. Everyone can set the rules to fit their view of what it should play like. I have reduced what planets can hold and made it more necessary to expand earlier in the game. I've added more population 'breakpoints' and the lower pops really are hamstrung when it comes to building and producing. These two changes alone really alter the feel of the game. And they probably took me all of 15 minutes to implement.
As far as the Tech Tree is concerned, I'm glad its not as interconnected as Civ's. IMO, Civ's web of interconnected items pigeon-holed the player into set patterns. I almost always researched in the same general way game after game because so many things were necessary to get other items. It didnt pay to try and specialize. SE4 allows specialization at a price. Also, cranking up one or two areas while neglecting others really doesnt help you all that much IMO. There is just TOO much that is necessary for a good fleet design. In SE4 I find myself trying different strategies and methods of approaching my goals. This is made possible by the much freer research tree. I suppose this is only a matter of opinion, but I'm fairly happy with SE4's research model. In my 'perfect world', each tech would have a minimum research time so that even late in game, you couldn't go back and quickly grab a ton of new techs from a neglected science. I'd like to see a certain amount of time be required to mitigate that some, but its not a major issue IMO.
One area that I (and many people here) definately agree with you on is the weak AI. It can perform basic tasks fairly well, but its overall effectiveness is sorely lacking. Fortunately, this seems to be a priority issue at this point and I'm quite sure it will be addressed. SE3's AI was challenging for quite a while.
Anyways, I'd recommend taking a look at the 'fix list' that will be released early next week with the next patch. I'm sure the game will warrant a closer look by you in the near future as issues are resolved.
Finally, TCP/IP play is on the list for the near future as well. You waited 6 months for it in CM, so a few here for this wont kill ya either.
I'm actually really looking forward to this. I hope that tactical combat is an option though I'm not sure at this point.
Hope this helped a bit.
Talenn