[Saxon]

Fixed trade routes might not be all bad. Lots of trade routes in history we fixed by geography or the goods being carried, so they are not totally unrealistic. They would also be something you just have to live with, just like getting good planets and bad planets.

These routes might have automatic ships going on them, which you don't control, but that other people can raid. Similar to the situation where cops have to protect citizens, who do pretty much what they want. This allows for raiding, gives you something else to worry about, but still doesn't need too much micro-managing. I don't need more micro managing, I do enough of that in real life.

Someone mentioned realism. Find me a population that grows (through births) at 20% a year, anywhere in the world at any stage of history. Kenya managed 4% for quite a while in the 70's and 80's and I hear that Rwanda has really been jumping (odd psycological reaction to the genocide) but nothing like our races do in SE4. This is not a complaint, just an observation at some of the things that have been done to make the game playable. And things that made is sooo very playable.