First impressions
I guess that there are many reasons for people to subscribe to their service, while in fact newbies/ might not even need many of the new options while more advanced and serious players get more benefits out of those. Great: it doesn't hinder starters, and entices to get the full thing.
The complete subscriber version has three main things. Stats/global vision + social/diplomacy-oriented goodies + queues.
STATS
Having 9 planets max, with different windows for each, one place to get their stats is nice (called "Empire view"). Which structure they have, what ressources, what they're building, is anything working without full capacity or lacking anything (in red from what I understood: there's a color code), fleets info, techs... It gives stats, but also a more global vision.
I guess that a MMORTS with neighbors could also get a window with information on diplomacy and state of neighbors/selected players (instead of manual check). Also, as when you end an RTS game, you get stats which help you to both see how you are and what kind of stuff you did (and a timescale showing your progress compared to others, main events, etc etc).
DIPLOMACY GOODIES
The private messenging section is seriously overhauled. It keeps messages a longer time and shows read/unread, permits to select what shows or not at a given moment (spy reports, friends' messages, attacks report...), has a buddy list, displays at request a list of your alliance's members to send messages. It also permits to make notes to yourself (I guess that in the context of planifie cities it could be useful, with little flags or anything).
QUEUES
It's quite important in this game... Otherwise, to be optimally efficient, you'd need to come back at the end of the construction of about each building, or from the moment you get ressources. Very demanding for a not-playing-full-time player, while of little importance for someone just looking at the game a bit or playing more casually (and not very server-demanding).
OVERALL, it is more practical (especially for more serious players) and does some things for you by the tools. More serious players, I think, have reasons to appreciate places to manage their affairs globally, and see the servers/interface doing things for them. I also has its global feel, its global management (and unmentione goodies that I dunno of... sending stuff/reports automatically to allies or whatnot). Well-done little game
