OT: Want opinions on Imperium Galactica II: Alliances

[dmm]

Thanks to everyone who rendered an opinion. Thought I'd give you all an update. Downloaded the demo against my better judgment at son's pleading. We've played it a few times; it is pretty fun and never once crashed our system. It definitely doesn't have SEIV's depth or modability, but there is a lot to like. Besides of course the eye-candy and ear-candy that many of you mentioned, there are a number of good "strategy" features. I like the way intel is done, using individual spies and costing money. I like the way research facilities are divided up into ship, tank, and building research. I like the way manufacturing is separated into ship and tank factories. I like its planetary guns, which can hit capital ships anywhere in the combat sector but can't hit fighters at all. (Of course that Last one can be modded into SEIV.) I like the lack of warp points -- you have to guard an entire border, not just a few chokepoints. (You can sort-of mod that into SEIV by having many warp points per sector.) And I like that it has real ground combat, with terrain and fortresses and everything.

Bottom line: We found a site selling it for 7 US$ (plus 5 US$ S&H ). So we bought it. I'll let you know what I think of the full game in a few months. But of course by then SEIVG will be out and you won't care!