[President_Elect_Shang]

This is a cut and paste of Atrocities answer to that same question. The original thread is located here.

Atrocities said:
Well to be honest the old AST mod used SE IV technology. STM was the first conversion mod based upon Star Trek.

Currently the new AST 2.0 is also a conversion mod, but doesn't have all the fluff of the STM. It is a more streamlined mod in the spirit of BOTF. The mod is focused in the TNG era and each race has access to its own entire tech tree. This allows for tweaking of each race or the addition of special units, weapons, components, or facilities to one race without affecting other races. Also each of the neutral races have their own racial traits and special facility structures.

Phasers and Torpedo's are the only weapons available and are available from game start. Each race has a unique advantage and or disadvantage. The Breen, Klingon, and Romulans have cloaking technology, the Borg are far more powerful but have high cost ships and few of them, the Federation has more ship classes but is weaker in combat, the Ferengi have a trade bonus, etc.