This was my first turn-based strat game, and it still holds a special place in my heart. Well balanced, complex, and engaging. Building a custom civ with custom ship loadouts and battling the AI is always a blast. 10/10, would recommend.
It's all about the economics. Everything hinges on money, including research. I like to capture astroids, use engines to park them in a corner, and build up till I can have a few attack asteroids with nothing but missle and ship facilities. Then I break out and wreak aliens days. Simple gameplay loop but very satisfying.
Grew up playing this game, and actually had a crash the first time I dropped a nuke...it was amazing. Game still stands up with a simple but satisfying gameplay loop.
