Effect overload - why do they do this?

well sole purpose is a bit of a stretch but for the most part its just merchants trading money around and doing under the table deals that the consumers pay for.
i think theres still a creative spirit in there somewhere but its a flickering flame that they dont really want you to see.

I'll admit, I was against the Fleet system at first, but realize it's a simulation of how fleets work in RL.
RL fllet are stationed to bases. RL fleets have to constantly return to re-supply and to give crews some time off. A fleet CAN'T work non-stop for years. In that sense, the system makes sense. I wouldn't call ti worse. It's just different.

Not sure admirals were necessary (too bad you can't customize one), but you get a big number of admirals the more naval bases you have (and naval bases are the cheapest). I only had a shortage early on.
Regarding bases, I never had trouble stationing any fleet on any owned world. Even a 1 planet system can hold a normal fleet (54-66 point).
then again, I make a habbit out of putting a naval base at every major node crossroad if playing humans. Node drive is fast, but limited to node links that can fuck you up. And you don't even need supply ships most of the time as human - there are energy techs you can apply to engine sections (like Plasma Focusing), modules that can be installed (Camel module) as well as weapon combos that use up less supplies. I can easily make warships with 10 turn endurance

I'm not concerned with the fleet sizes (though I do miss the reinforcement system). SOTS 2 goes into more graphical detail and ships are more durable and modeled in more detail (armor layers and grid, power generation, crew, critical components). Not to mention that DN's can have a 100 tracking turrets in many independently tracking banks, spewing particles everywhere (while most 4X game ships either don't have turrets modeled, they are static and weapons fire 360°, or they only have a few turrets that all shoot at the same target).
The amount of resources and calculations needed per ship is huge.

Into the oven with you!

But she's the best.