I am aware of that.

Hmm I have all those games and i dont really think you can compare them to SotS It feels like a rather different game to me. However I suppose you could say SotS is sort of a stepping stone between SoaSE and something like GalCiv in the way its put together. It's got alot of great features too like the different propulsion systems and random tech trees. It is also much much better if you play against other human players.

We got rid of Weclock? When did that happen? ;)

No.... I think it's this.

We need Master of Orion I & II on GoG.

Isn't there 3 of them now? But yes, MOO on GOG would be tops

The MOO franchise stopped at two. Reports of a third game are lies. Evil, evil lies. (Nods vigorously until his head falls off.)
(Sighs and picks his head up off the floor then screws it back on. Backwards.)
(Sighs again.)
I actually bought MOO3. For like ten dollars. It wasn't worth the ten dollars. I played it for maybe two hours and never touched it again. It sits on my shelf, mocking me, taunting me with what it could have been. As for MOO2 on GOG? Yes, please. Sign me up.

I never really read that thread when it was first up - Christ, that guy's a moron.

Yep, you guys are correct; it is a 4x Space Conquest type game. Yet, it is one of the best games I have found in this vein that is alive and receives support, and people active on the forums.
Here are some screens of various parts of an early game.

the screens look kind of like a flash game... but it gets my vote just for having a game called "a murder of crows".

More Screens.
The battle screen is of only 2 Cruiser Grade ships, and I am low on tech so I have not researched the ability to control any more than 2 at the moment. I need Command and Control Tech.

Would you say it's more complex than Galciv 2? I watched my bro play Galciv 2, and it doesn't look all that complex tbh, especially since combat is automatic. It'd be nice to have a game that has the complexity of MOO2, but not that of Space Empires

Well, I have not played GalCiv 2in ages, but I think they are two very different 4x games.
GalCiv is like Civilization in space with very limited thins to do other than explore and pick up goodies here and there.
SotS is more of managing your planets, civilizations, research, construction, and ship design.
In SotS the battles are only automatic if you want them to be. I go for manual control and it becomes more of a Homeworld type game but with less ships (at least to start with).
I long ago got bored with GalCiv, GalCiv 2 and I think I will be playing SotS for years to come.
The AI will kick your tail unless you play well. Also, in SotS you can have random encounters (you set the % of how often they occur) that will keep you busy even before you have to deal with your rivals. Plus, some of them are just simply cool to see and hard to beat.
If you get SotS get the Collectors Edition. It has NO DRM and it includes the first expansion "Born of Blood".
Then you can pick up "A Murder of Crows" which introduce the Morrigi.
If you like 4x type games it is a great game to own and play.

Nice. What about the manual? Does the game come with a decent manual that goes into detail on the tech tree and game mechanics, or is it like the rest of today's games with a manual that doesn't describe shit about the game?

Well, the Collectors Edition Manual is a PDF 57 pages long that I think does a very good job of telling you how to play the game. A Murder of Crows adds another manual that is rather short showing the new race, techs, and little changes made to the overall game play.
I have the original game so I also have a printed manual that I do not think is as good as the PDF. Plus, the original game had DRM on it, but the CE version and AMoC are DRM Free. No disk is even needed in the drive! WooHoo! :o)