Spacelords has many inspired elements that are well executed, but these elements fail to merge due to a fundamental error (regarding plot and characters). I recommend the book, The Seven Basic Plots, by Christopher Booker (just the first 400 pages, I don't recommend reading past that). Basically, there is an "archetypal" plot that must be followed (or you will have a boring story). He also explains the fundamental relationship between men and women, and the powerful role of the feminine and masculine within storytelling.
Fundamental problem #1 with Spacelords is that the women are too masculine.
Fundamental problem #2 is the lack of "good and evil". This means that nothing is pure, and that there's no reason to fight. Raiders are committing an evil act by "raiding". "Antagonists" do the same thing. This lack of good and evil is evident throughout the plot and design of the fictional world of Spacelords.
Your opinions do not count as fundamental problems. If I wanted to I could form an opinion about anything and then disparage it that way.
The female characters run the gamut of very feminine to very masculine just like the male characters. Your perception of feminine and masculine is incorrect. Harec shows great compassion, that is a very feminine thing. Ayana shows great greed, that is a very masculine thing.
There is an incredible battle between good and evil taking place within the layers of the lore. You do not have to look very long to find out Uras-Beherit has been a persistent and very evil enemy.
They subtly shade the characters with motivations and actions that can be considered good or evil, this is called good writing. We cannot be sure that stopping Krausher is good in the overall scheme of the game. He has priorities and goals which do not seem evil from the Hades perspective and we find out later that Shamash is the Legacy and so without Krausher and Hades' Hecatoncheir there really is nothing to use against him. But the Raiders do not know that and Krausher is an immediate threat to their plans. It is ambiguous and that is why it is so good.
Uras-Beherit is constantly represented by the Antagonist. If the Uras-Beherit is anything then it is suffering. The Antagonist is its representative in that regard. Everything the Antagonist does is evil. They cannot even choose their own actions and instead are forced to follow Raiders throughout the mission, even if they wanted to help they cannot directly due so because of their connection to Uras-Beherit. The Uras-Beherit is the main bad guy and it is definitely evil.
The Raider's actions do not lead to more suffering, they stop a myriad of plots that would lead to far greater suffering, and so they should not be considered evil. Many of the Raiders are honorable and good people. Doldren even has his own set of principles and codes which he follows. His belief in a beautiful death and his respect for Shae and Harec show that.
This is all in the Universe section of the game, I suggest you check it out.
I'm only trying to help. I've written a novel, a theological book, and a 14-hour video game script. I have real experience. Also, the only reason I'm here is that the game is almost great. It does many things at the highest quality that very few developers achieve. Since the developer continues to believe in seeing this game succeed (with new characters like Stefanie Joosten), I'm making suggestions.
Some simple things I would do:
1) The female characters are pretty hot, but they really need to be softened up. Some of them are currently animated in a way that makes them look too heavy (too much like a man). They also have way too much muscle and their shoulders are too big.
2) Attitude of female characters. Very few of them exhibit humility. There is nothing more attractive than a woman who is humble. A steadfast rule for attractive characters: men = authority, women = humility.
3) Get something righteous and good in the game. It currently is too dark and negative because amorality is the norm. Any new content should drive toward "renewal". History should not be ignored, as bad writing always ignores history (or tries to re-write history). We know what true morals are in our real world, and these must be carried through in any plot. (Think of the crusades, or WWI, or WWII, etc. What did they fight for, and who won?)
Well, I have written several novels. It doesn't mean shit. Also, if you have written a book on theology then the ecclesiastical nature of the game should come off as very interesting to you. Because you didn't mention anything about that I will have to assume you have not read the Universe section, the skins lore, the weapons lore, the website's lore, the mission lore or the comic's lore.
All three of your last points scream of someone who is incredibly traditional in their beliefs of the world. I find them to be..shallow and kind of offensive. I think you should research the material you are critiquing before making such bold accusations.
The story is incredibly deep and spans many thousands of years with many many different characters and situations. It is to MSE's credit that such an involved plotline is not necessary for the casual fan to enjoy the mission-only lore.
One last thing; Stefanie Joosten is not the name of the new character. It is Sooma. Ms. Joosten is simply letting them use her name and voice for the character to create media hype. It is very weird that you consider the character and the voice actress to be the same. You do not consider Nikki Garcia to be HIVE, do you?
