Early Access on Steam1.0 beta: opt in on SteamWindows · Mac · Linux
Automation
Miner bots haul ore back to your stations. Printers and assemblers turn it into parts, and mass drivers shoot those over to the next station. Get the ratios right and you can mostly leave it alone.
Every station can move
Slap a rocket on any station and it flies. Build battleships that carry their own fleets, or give a cargo station a list of stops and it'll run the route for you.
Fighting
Get big enough and the aliens start coming for you. The fighting is bullet hell, and what's in your fleet decides your abilities (four Bats get you Frenzy). There's a Pacifist mode if you'd rather just build.
Late game
Long tech tree, ancient ruins, an Oracle that sells upgrades for Lumin Orbs, Dyson Spheres, and a Dark Star Gate at the very end.