I'm generally a sci fi nut, and I really like the idea of an RPG in space, with modifiable space fighters. What's important to me is that the world is interesting and unique, at least to some degree. Is this game something that could fulfill my desire to daydream about a sci-fi world?

Hello,

It certainly was for me. I really enjoyed this game. So much so I was inspired to play Star Wolves 2 and 3 which can be found at other sites.
It has an interesting story with multiple endings and very cool game play. The localization is interesting and easy to tell it was made by non native English speakers, but it doesn't detract from the experience at all in my opinion.
I say give it a try.
No buyers regret for me.

Definitely yes!

Like the above poster I enjoyed it enough to pay and play both #2 (horrible) and #3 (better). It's weak on RPG in the way Diablo is weak as an RPG (simplistic skill tree), but the tactical aspects are a blast. Going from hiding behind your mothership to the other way around was a nice development as the game progresses.

Thank goodness I played these before the BG, IWD, PT and NWN onslaught ate every free minute of my time of late. My day job is suffering due to GOG.

I actually preferred #1. But that may be because I played it first. It's hard to repeat the joy and pleasure of discovering something completely new, differerent and enjoyable a second time. If I'd played #3 first, maybe it would have been my favorite.

I do know it's generally hard to play a sequel first and then go back and play the earlier version. So play #1 first and if you like it, go get #3. But don't waste anytime on #2.

Have fun!

IMHO definitely yes!! I was pleasantly surprised by the gameplay and RPG aspects. Difficulty is quite balanced, even later in the game after a lot of upgrades you might find yourself in nasty battles where you have to use all your abilities (in-game en real-life ;) to win.

Having a lot of fun with it.

I bought this game a week ago, and I like it a lot.

Not sure how I can describe it though.. Graphically it looks sort of like a mix of Homeworld space battles and Mass Effect menus. You get the tactical space combat from Homeworld with the ship building / resource gathering removed. Instead you get an rpg element where you customize your character, choose missions and outfit your squadron with different types of spacecrafts, guns, rockets and defense systems.

The focus is on tactical combat (with pause / auto pause options), where the character creation choices you've made has a big effect on your combat abilities. If none in your group of pilots are capable of defending against incoming missiles, you'll have a hard time when encountering missile carrying opponents, while having only mediocre gunnery skills will make killing enemies a lot harder.

You can organize your small crafts in groups, and designate roles to your different pilots. Some might be good at attacking or defending, while others specialize in defensive countermeasures or repair skills. These roles seems to have a big effect on your combat efficiency, and are fun to fiddle around with. You should try to outfit your pilots so they're able to fill different roles as required, but some specialization will definitely be needed.

Overall I think this is a very good game, it might not be for everybody. But if you like tactical strategy games I would definitely give it a go.