I certainly agree that the weak AI is the chief problem with the game right now. We need
vastly better ways to test planets and decide what sorts of colonies they will be, and then better ways to design exactly what facilites are put on a planet and when. Some sort of check on how many and what size planets are in a system total need to be included so we stop having tiny single planets in a system all alone that have a Space Port or an Urban Pacification Center and nothing else.
We also need an 'AI_IntelligenceProjects" files so we can control how Intel is used. And some way to design fleets, that is, assign how many of what sorts of ships go into a fleet.
Of the non-AI changes, I'd say that some more 'articulation' of game features is what's most needed. Too many things are still too crude. MINES for example. 'Dogpile on the rabbit' is not a believable or interesting implementation of mines in open space. We need some sort of randomization of both mine attack and mine sweeper effects. I'd still like to see several major changes for troops, too. They ought to remain loyal and fight the population when a planet rebels, for example. And they ought to be stored differently in planetary cargo so they cannot be vaporized from orbit without destroying most of the planet along with them. And speaking of 'rebellion' there ought to be some sort of defense against Ship Insurrection. Either make Boarding Parties attempt to retake the ship or invent a special 'political officer' component that enforces loyalty and has a chance to prevent or counter-act the Insurrection project.
Planets need more detail, like gravity, radiation, and temperature range. "Conditions" is bland and useless. And alien populations need to retain more of their characteristics when captured or conquered.
Vast numbers of cool ideas were/are in the text files for the game itself. When will Planetary Cloaks be implemented? Or Planetary Engines? Or Warp Gates? When will "Combat Satellite Group Size" actually DO something? How about restoring "Population Required to Operate One Facility" so those of us who want to can use it? When will the various component restrictionsrequirements for ship hulls -- other than engines, colony modules, and cargo modules -- actually work?