I read in an earlier post that the Capital Ships are quintessentially the 'Heroes" of the game. That's great in my opinion. They level up. They gain experience. They are customizable. You also I can imagine grow attached or have a sort of feeling for them after a while because of their uniqueness/time of use and having your emotions be a part of the game is to me important because so few games actually do that. The Capital Ships are 'heroes' for the reason that they fight for/fight to defend their/other planets.

That's why I started this post. As far as I have seen there is really very very little thought going into your planets. They're what you're fighting for. They're where your people, who are your soldiers, scientists, civilians, pilots, come from. Why not make the planets, your homeworlds, more customizable? Allow the planets/inhabitants to gain experience like Capital Ships. Allow for the planet to grow/become unique in their own ways under your direction. Perhaps instead of having the planets "level up" they can reach certain stages independently based on time of occupation or their trade levels or growth levels in which you make 'important' yet non-time comsuming choices at their respective stages that strongly affect their future growth. One planet may grow from a lush green 'earth-based' planet to a bustling glowing lightbulb like Courosant from Star Wars or perhaps another one may begin as a mediocre colonised 'earth-based' planet as well but grow into a more industrial/enviromently balanced planet with similiar population and tech levels are the Courosant based one, the point is that they are uniquely different. What I'm saying is lets try and make the planets more than well.... nothing at the moment, but into interactive mutli-dimensional/'uniquely multi-re-creatable' growing planets because that's what they are!

I also read on the site Gameplay tab that you are Emperor of your society! That is really sweet! But I was just hoping that perhaps since you are emperor you can have a direct influence over your governed peoples. Things like religion; you have the option to make all you people have to worship you or maybe make them all agnostic, whatever, it would be cool and you could tie it into the game on how those decisions you make on your governed peoples lives adversly affects population/cultural growth speeds perhaps ect.

I think these suggestions will help fix the problem of the warfare and in general, the gamplay from the detached feeling of pieces on a chessboard to actual ships battling for their dear lives and the lives of their families on their homeworlds and your life as emperor of whatever by simply adding in some attachment to what you control.