I looked down and the factory in question not only told me clearly what I needed, but it also allowed me to look at the breakdown of the base resources it took to make that material and on what type of planet I might be more succesful at finding those resources. The Production Tree is based on scientific data, and the game also includes descriptions of the different kind of stars, planets, etc. There are 25 different ships to choose from that are completely customizable at the component level. When in battle the game turns real-time for a nice change of pace. I believe it is this fan base that is helping with the language conversions.
Missions are plug-ins.
In some missions, you build an empire from scratch. In others, you have to manage a well-developed empire. Goals are various, from the crush all opposition to capture the flag, reconnaissance. The Fighter Galore mission, for instance, is about tons of fighters wrecking havoc on the Universe. Quite fun and exciting to watch too KnightSoft claims that StarKnights is easy to learn, but difficult to master.