Here are a few questions I sorta would like to know before I buy the game. I'll probably buy it anyway (I am weak-willed for strategy games.)
1) Is the economic model a reserve/spend method or a Income/outgo method? Is it like *craft where you harvest resources from finite areas and that contributes to a large pool of resources to buy units/buildings/upgrades? Is it more like Kohan/Total Annihilation/SupCom where you have an income/outgo and can run a deficit spending for say metal by draining straight cash?
2) How long do the games take to play? I like GalCiv but, I don't have the time to invest in a game that lasts 20+hours for a small map these days. As an aside, enjoying the heck out of the 4C beta of TA (playing as the Yor but, after 2 hours, I just finished meeting the neighbors and a quarter of the map.) What is a Tiny map and how does it compare to a Large scale map in terms of time?
3) Do you explore the full range of the tech tree on a tiny map? I loved hearing about the distinct tech paths but, on a Multiple star system map does the endgame become a stalemate of large fleets trying to raize planets as everyone still in the game has max tech?
4) As this is a RTS, is the rate of the game adjustable? Is the rate of resources adjustable or fixed? Is there a discrete "hidden-turn" structure? One of the worst games ever created was a Star Wars Strategy game with "real time strategy." By that they meant you had about each day was about 1 minute on slow speed. You had to complete your orders within that minute or lose the rest of your turn. You could speed that up though to a turn per 6 secs though. Add in a broken Hero system where you had to send ambassadors to systems to influence them to your side, EXTREMELY limited tech ability, and a deeply flawed interface and I just couldn't play the game. It still haunts me though the name has apparently been lost to time.