first thoughts

[gids]

Installation went smooth and i like the update feature were everything goes automatic and you dont have to DL everytime the new client
Intro screen and music Very nice and spot on ,normally i put the music always of because of distraction ,not here ...thats rare for me
You get a nice tutorial explanation first few turns with everything you do so you get guided into the game
Interface reminds me a bit of Civilzation game
Now some features have been made ,if you make a unit in a city you can modify that unit with heavier weapons or lighter ones ,whichever role you have in mind for that unit ,like if you remember the fieldworker in the same civ game ,wel if you decide to build 1 you can arm it now or put some extras on it.
You have also advisors military ,science ....well the ussual
Anyhow more to follow later because i do feel this game needs to be played :p

[Rafotron]

Similar thoughts here - fast set-up and easy update, running smoothly.

A nice distinctive visual style, but pleasantly evocative of Alpha Centauri and so forth.

I'll try to get a few hours sit down time with it this weekend and see how I fare.

[jhkrischel]

# First launch

* OSX gives warning "Pandora Beta" can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer. Should work fine if binaries are properly signed!
* Nice auto update process - zippy, finishes quickly
* Nice fade in for music on initial splash screen asking for product key - especially like the absence of fifteen different intro videos.
* Cannot paste product key in on mac - very annoying, I hate error prone manual typing in of serial #s.
* Automatically uses upper case in product key dialog, but doesn't automatically put in dashes.

# 5 minutes of play

* Music probably defaults just a tad too loud - could be a bit more subtle.
* Fairly standard screen layout - makes it easy to work with if you've played these types of games before
* HEXES! W00T!
* Would be nice if the tutorial knew when you did what it asked (instead of waiting for you to press OK), but really quite a minor gripe.
* Reminiscent of Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire, which is a good thing. I should try out the GOG version of Alpha Centauri to compare...
* Missing "auto explore" option for combat units - that's a nice thing to set units to fire and forget.
* Zoom sensitivity pretty high, could default to be a bit slower
* Research tree does not allow you to select an advanced research, and automatically find a research path there.
* No obvious shortcut key for ending turn (actually, it is obvious, just not always available - see my epiphany below)
* Wasn't made clear that right-clicking a unit moves it...or maybe I wasn't paying attention. Because it follows a familiar pattern, it was easy though.

# 30 minutes of play
* Found "End Turn" shortcut key (space)...but not sure why it didn't work the first time I tried...
* Just met a Xenomorph queen - looked around for some sort of combat hints, and I'm *guessing* things look bad for me, although it's not obvious how to read the preview stats.
* Just figured out that "End Turn" shortcut doesn't work when something is selected.
* Holy crap, met a very dangerous looking "Galeth". Hope my Colonial Trooper doesn't die.
* Wondering how to get to a sunken ruin...I'll try going there with troopers next.
* nope, no can do, guess we still need boats.
* So far "Galeth" is leaving me alone - I guess I can assume they start off neutral.
* Got armor, not clear how to upgrade old units.
* Maybe I have to refit in a city? Should probably mention that in the tutorial.
* Not clear from dialog who profits more from a pact - it would be nice to know that before offering.
* First combat on equal footing seemed to go well.
* Cool, does not let me accidentally declare war by moving onto someone's territory.
* Odd that I have to add the Avenger Tank to my list of things to build in the workshop - I figured that upon new research, the plain vanilla version would be automatically available. This wasn't clear.
* Not clear what a good colonization spot is. Might be nice to know with some glowing "this am a good spot for city" hints when in a colonizer.
* Lost my first unit in an even battle. Sad pony!

I'll post my impressions of 1 hour of play when I get another 30 minutes to spend

[Giskler]

Just got the beta invite today and I'm about 30 mins into my first game and I'm loving it! This takes me back to Alpha Centauri with the vehicle customization, fungi and aliens. Really great and enjoyable so far.