Good, but it has its problems

I recently began playing Ferion and I enjoy the game a lot, and it is one of the few online games that has kept my attention for more than a few weeks. Ferion can be difficult to learn but there is a newbie training arena and a forum full of (mostly) helpful people, as well as a fairly comprehensive user manual. Games progress at one turn an hour (some arenas one turn every three hours), giving the player time to settle planets, build ships, trade ore, give orders, set research and more. Overall the game is complex and interesting, but it does have its problems. Ferion seems besieged by technical problems and arenas are often down. Though most of the players are friendly and helpful (even the ones who are kicking your a**) there are a few which are all too happy to take advantage of newcomers. Also, I feel the keys are a bit too expensive. A person can play in any arena for free, but must purchase a key to access advanced research and have any hope of winning. If you play for free, you will never win.

If I had to change anything about the game itself, it would be the trade screen. I would like to have the ability to trade more than ore - trading money or ships would be a huge plus.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a complex technical strategy game, and who has lots of patience.