I believe there's a sins of the solar empire mod, but it didn't impress me last I looked...I'll have to give it another look see
I'm a level 4X in BSG:Online, I play because it's the first game I've been able to get my wife to play with me, and I've actually got a small wing that lans, so I'm familiar, and yeah, it's a very different market.
That being said, the pay 2 play model doesn't pay off in the slightest. In my opinion the game is abhorent and cheaply done. They (bigpoint) seem to be sucking what they can of the BSG license (because no one would pay to play it otherwise) without any intent on building a lasting community. They seem to be cashing out and the scuttlebut is that Universal isn't happy about it. They've got some new project manager (I think the last was relieved) and they've been throwing loot at the players going sorry sorry, trying to keep people playing, as Universal is thinking about pulling the license or such. I know they could do much better.
You did.
their model should have been EVE from the start, I dont know wtf they were thinking. MMO, not some cheap browser pay 2 play