Hey thank you for asking!

So, there are seven ranks, with five missions each.

Each rank adds more complexity, such as escorts, invasions, full fleet command, etc, and each mission gets more complex.

Eventually, the final missions in the game, on the admiral level, go from specific tactical objectives to larger, strategic objectives. Whereas the first mission in the game has a ten-day time limit, the final mission has 160 days. In my own playthrough it took over 200 hours to complete the full campaign.

Now, each time you start a mission, the map is completely randomly generated, so you're never sure where the enemy is. You also need to explore and expand to achieve your goals.

Now, whenever you finish a mission in a campaign, you can replay it in practice mode. Whenever you load a mission in practice mode, again, you get a new, random map, so the maps are always different.

Now, in practice mode, you can just ignore the objectives and do whatever you want, so if you just wanna fly around and explore planets, have at it. If you wanna capture all the freighters, you can, go for it. Practice mode is where the true replayability lies, especially in the final, more open missions.

I've got well over 1,000 hours in this game and the majority of it is in practice mode. I'll load up a practice mission to do some testing, or just muck about, or just try to turn the map as green as possible as quickly as possible.

So, yes, while there is something of a linear campaign, the game also has tremendous replay value thanks to practice mode and random maps, along with a cunning AI that is really great at keeping you on your toes, especially at the admiral rank.

I hope this answers your questions, but please let me know if you have any more.

That sounds like a terrific idea for a future release, thank you.

Absolutely! Thank YOU for taking an interest!

I just learned a neat thing that I didn't know about. When playing as a Tribune (the final rank in the game, which you get once all the missions have been completed), the timer still counts down in practice missions, but when it runs out, as Tribune, you can just keep playing.

It says something like, "Tribune, time has run out, but please continue." You can then keep playing that map as normal. That's super cool!

Although Star Fleet II Deluxe will have the same campaign setup as V2.0 because it is a simulation, Star Fleet III is back in the real world, and the progress is up through the commands, with each promotion putting you in command of a more powerful ship. It will also be a sandbox style with one large galaxy which you are fighting in (see the history of the Second Galactic Ware in the Star Fleet II Training Manual).