Well, it is ultimately an expansion, not a new game. Which means that, despite the new tech trees, the game can't introduce fundamentally new concepts to the game. So you're still talking about needing research, production, money, etc. It's merely a matter of changing and focusing how you get these things.

There are still too many "unique" techs that haven't been flagged as un-tradeable/un-stealable (IMO), but it's fairly easy to go into the tech tree files and add more restrictions on individual techs if you want. That way, you can still play with tech trading on, which is a big help in getting started out with the "slower" race economies, while avoiding that homogenizing effect in the late game. Or just turn off trading completely, which will really emphasize the differences and make the game more challenging, due to the self-destruct of improvements you can't use after invasion (like Loupdinour mentioned).

On the topic of how different the TA expansion is compared to previous versions... I've noticed that ramping up the difficulty setting really exposes the differences in the racial tech trees. Especially since many of the major changes are in economy-related areas, either directly or indirectly (like population growth rate). Some races like Terran or Drengin are pretty easy, others like the Drath are harder to get rolling, and I've had to drop down a notch or two in my normal difficulty setting until I figure out their strategy.

That's the whole point of TA, I think... forcing you to discard old strategy templates, and figure out what works best with a specific race's tech tree. Having too many alien techs flowing through the trade channels does mess with that. However, since I do like being able to sell off non-critical tech in the early game to help the colonization phase, I leave trading on, and I use a "house rule" where I avoid buying alien tech that would fill a hole in my tech tree. I learn to use what I've got, for the most part.

Gah, ignore above post. Misclicked.

Is it just me or does TA have more problems with asymmetric ship components than DA? I know it's entirely aesthetic, but it really sets off my OCD when I can't get my ships looking just right.

I'm well into an immense, suicidal map and the difference in the races is pretty noticeable. The diplomacy is getting better, I think, although the AI still doesn't seem to regard planets as very important (seriously, they won't trade a single good tech in exchange for less than half the galaxy).

Still, even with the few quibbles I have, the game feels pretty complete and as long as the few remaining bugs are sorted, I'd say this is another Stardock triumph.

Ahh Loupdinour knows my secert of winning!

I'm just hoping for some more parts. Only a handful of new parts..I crave more.

Why would you expect this to work?

In general, the biggest problem with this is the basic nature of the game: in a fairly even war, both sides can produce enough war material just fine.

What you're trying to do requires that the AI be able to comprehend it. The AI simply can't understand that you're asking them to rely upon your production for a portion of their fleet.

The best way to do this is to be able to offer/ask for a contract, with specific terms. Like, "Provide me with 5 ships of this type and I'll give you X money." This would provide the AI with the information that it should expect to get that many ships (if they trust you).