Irrespective of everything else, I have to admit, I am really enjoying the game. One of the few games I have played lately that I actually enjoy, and look forward to in the future. And considering Arcen Games track record with post release support, the future looks good.

However it would appear, that after a few hours of lurking on their official forums, that some players are disappointed with the combat mechanics. I will admit I was more eager for the game, when it was going to be real time-direct control... but I think they did an admirable job of combining shmup mechanics with turn based gameplay.

For lack of creating a new forum account on a different service, and because I appreciate this community. What is your opinion on the combat mechanics or the game in general?

Personally I like the we-go turn based system, however I wish combat was more tactical. I wish the ships were bigger with more systems so that you give or receive damage to subsystems which slowly cripple your/their ship instead of just being a quick fight.

Its sort of like a game called Critical Mass that has been around (and still supported with occasional updates) since windows 3.1. http://www.windowsgames.co.uk/critical.html Its always been one of my favorite games. The Last Federation is like combining that game with a really amazing strategic layer. If I had to choose one on combat alone I think I would go with Critical mass, but the strategic layer of Last Federation really adds a ton of enjoyment.

I didn't actually think of that before, but you're right, it is like Critical Mass. Personally I never had the full game which was a pity, but it was a lot of fun all the same.

Is this game really TURN-based? I know GOG's game page says it's turn-based, but the VIDEO looks like non-stop REAL-TIME based combat. I'd get it if it was really TBS, but it looks RTS in the video. Thanks in advance.

Combat is definitely turn-based (simultaneous movement, 1 turn lasts ~3 seconds of 'game time'), though it is easy to 'click through' your turn if you want to make it feel a bit more RTS-ey. The player only ever has 1 avatar to control, all other ships (both friendly and enemy) are AI-controlled. Also the player has a few options as to how their avatar should auto-target any new opponents that come in range.

Strategic view is also turn-based, but you have to realize that the player represents a sort of demi-god-like entity who makes decisions that influence/affect the various races, while the AI controls the actual races themselves... hence it is more like a SIM than a classic turn-based strategy game.

The game engine keeps cycling automatically to a new 'turn' till either the player hits pause or the player's current contract is accomplished. Each 'turn' lasts 0.05 months, while most 'player contracts' (ie. strategic game choices) take many months to resolve. Hence often it looks on screen like a SIM, even though in fact the game engine is just auto-cycling to the next turn till the current player contract ends (ie. if a player chooses to do something described as taking 1 'month' to accomplish, that will translate to 20 game turns cycled automatically).