About it:
5 "alliance" factions, 3 enemy factions (+ secret one). Enemy factions (evolutioned from enemy in first game) are going to wipe out all organics, and as they have different goals, they are trying to wipe out each other as well. Oh, and alliance have the same diplomacy problem too...

Every NPC lives by itself. You are simmular to them in free will, so you can screw everyone in galactic war and be a pirate or a merchant. But you are just a small ship in this war. They have their own ship/skills customization, and you can loot some stuff after their ship is destroed.

Your actions have consequences. Killed pirate that wanted your money => prepare to be judged by his faction, and first of by military from his home planet. Or just lure enemy on some [un]friendly system.

Quests and planetary wars (RTS). It's like 2 more games in this game. Both optional and can be played from main menu. Plus clashes in warp jumps: arсade style, your artifacts and weapon acts different.

Difficulty. From casual 50%, where enemy can't win at all, to 200%, where possibility of your wining is a myth. Every aspect of difficulty can be scaled separately: speed of researching anti-bosses gargets, advance in enemy's tech, agression, how much systems they occupied, ets.

I love this game! gogo win!