For the current AI, it doesn't go into debt and it does a good job of teching. Its slowly getting its teeth put in on the tactical side. For multiplayer you just port forward like it tells you on the launcher and then your good. Sots 2 really shines in multiplayer. Sots 2 has the deepest 4x combat system. The AI is the main focus right now so scenarios are still sitting on the side for the moment. The tech tree is absolutely huge and there are tons of ship sections and designs to choice from.
I think there is another big update coming soon (I'm guessing it will be tested this week or next). Updates still have been coming out every week.
