[AstralWanderer]

Rather than a lack of "focus" I would suggest that SE has rather a "generic" feel to it, due to lacking a strong background story and atmosphere. The likes of Imperium Galactica, Haegemonia, Homeworld and Galactic Civilizations all had a background with a campaign to complete which provided players with a good introduction to the game.

SEV's introduction is pretty non-existent and the tutorial only seems to cover a quarter of what it should, leaving new players to learn by experimentation (which is where a second-rate AI probably becomes a bonus...). Producing an exciting scenario (let alone a campaign) would be a time-consuming task needing imagination, storytelling skills and thorough playtesting so it is understandable that basic game design/UI issues should be given priority - however does SEV offer enough in terms of event scripting to allow modders to produce their own campaigns?