So currently playing the StarDrive beta some thoughts:
Game is real time with pause, so no click to end turn. The UI is pretty good, the research tree seems a bit small for my liking. Diplomacy is standard with some nice touches, spies are useful. Seems to have random events built into it which is good to see(discovering signals from a pre-space flight species), graphics are nice. Is very easy to mod.
Designing your own ships is great, how well you design it, is actually important, placing armor(external and internal)/weapons(energy vs ordinance)power plants and power lines incorrectly throughout your ship, can cause some disasters. I designed a line of cruisers with minimal bulkheads protecting the reactor..... Not a great idea.
Overall I'm enjoying it.