That number of planets is just a pointless gimmick... Something they can put on the cover to impress but won't enhance your experience.
I had thought that everyone starts in a similar region and travel is limited initially by engines you have to upgrade, but I could be wrong. That report discovery feature could help as well.
I certainly plan on getting this game but I still fear it will grow stale quickly. Scale has never been a substitute for gameplay, and the gameplay has looked somewhat weak so far.







