I played this when I was 16, and it was the game that defined my love of strategy games. It has such a deep level of resource management, timing, fleet sizing, and character knowledge and growth that I haven't seen in any game since. My only critique is the same as it was from when I was a kid: Ground battles are automated. It would have been incredible to have the option of fighting and winning a battle against a much larger force with good tactical play like you can in the fleet battles. Otherwise, this game is a master class in good RTS designs. You won't regret it!
