Anyone played? Anyone liked?

I couldn't get into it at first, but now it's rather addicting.

For those that don't know, it's a hybrid 4X/RTS set in space. Gameplay is in real time and basically consists of colonizing planets, developing your infrastructure, and researching technology all towards the end of building a fleet of ships in order to defeat your opponents. Periodic pirate raids are thrown in to prevent players from becoming too comfortable. There are no campaigns, but there are scenarios as well as a random map generator.

Essentially, think of it as an RTS game with greater emphasis on development and larger worlds. As you can imagine, the games take a while to resolve, but they are incredibly fun.

Expansions will come out in the form of smaller "micro-expansions." The first, Entrenchment, will apparently focus more on defensive units and structures. The second will focus on diplomacy options (which I'm frankly not that excited about), and the last has not been announced yet. They cost $10 each.

Another reason to be excited about SoaSE is because of its developer company, Stardock. It's an exciting new small developer, with the game having been made essentially in a basement with rickety chairs, crappy computers, and a budget under $1 million. In addition, they've really struck a blow against draconian DRM by essentially having making the game DRM-free; you only need the serial number to install updates, which are plentiful and substantial (there has already been 1 GB of essentially free content added since release). To get gist of the company's rather pie-in-the-sky philosophy, check out their Gamer's Bill of Rights.

Whether or not they're being over-idealistic, it's nice to really be able to enjoy a top notch innovative game while supporting a small, not-as-yet corrupted company able to take on the big established gaming developers.