This one has me simultaneously apprehensive and intrigued. Battlegoat Studios, the developers behind the Supreme Ruler series of strategy/wargames, are now heading into space. The game has just released on Steam into early-access, at a discounted price of $29.99.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1138440/Galactic_Ruler/My impression of the SR titles is that they have a reputation for often being unwieldy, unbalanced, and possessing a learning curve at least as steep as (if not steeper than) what you'd find in a Paradox game. And I cannot imagine the fact that Galactic Ruler is supposed to combine both space *and* land -- while conceptually wonderful -- is likely to make Galactic Ruler any less of a PITA to manage.
On the other hand, the devs mentioned in the walkthrough video (that I posted above) that they're adding and/or changing a number of systems to accommodate the space part of the game, so I allow myself some hope that GR could still be manageable, despite its greater scope. Another point in the game's favor is that Battlegoat also has a reputation of providing long-term support to their products; granted, that will be especially necessary for a game like this one, but it's still a point in their favor.
At least the decision of whether or not to buy right now is an easy one: However much Galactic Ruler appeals to me, $30.00 is simply too much to pay to be a literal beta-tester.
I sincerely wish them well, however, and hope to see the game released sometime next year!
