sinse interceptor is intended as a combat game I personally would prefer if the combat in traders just remained a slight part of things, though I do still think there needs to be more uses for the ship upgrades to make them worth while to the player.
I'll also add that combat is a major option in the two other trading games I know which both are themed around galactic wars, that is Smugglers and Star traders elite on the Iphone, indeed in both star trader elite and smugglers it's possible to get through the game as a pure combat pilot, explorer or pirate. Given that Traders of known space already works rather differently to both of those titles, I'd prefer if traders develops it's own gameplay style and challenges rather than just doing the same thing as the other mentioned games, particularly as i did find the trading in traders surprisingly interesting and could see it being more so if things like special events, more planets etc were added into the mix.
There would be ways to handle dragons realisticalAs to other games, well ly, (or at least as realistic as dragons get), in a fatnasy stratogy game. For example if it took one production unit of food and 1 gold to higher a normal soldier who did 5 damage each turn, a dragon would take 100 units of food and 1000 gold, but do 100 damage. thus the only way to kill one would either be flinging hundreds of soldiers at it, or some specific anti dragon (and likely equally expensive), measure, say a mounted balister.
To be honest though I think for me a turn based stratogy would only be interesting if it had sufficient plot and random factors to go with it in a single player setting. I've seen far too many games which are basically set stuff going, wait x amount of turns then throw stuff at stuff! I'd much rather something dynamic similarly to aprone's castaways with events that could go wrong, some distinguishing features in the units rather than being faceless armies, and some real things to explore and find not just square 1-5 with 10 gold and 20 wood in it.
One idea I did have on the audeasy list a while ago was an exploration and settling themed game set in somewhere similar to the weerd weerd west setting, ie, a fantasy setting but instead of one being medeival in nature, it's closer to the wild west (perhaps with a bit of steam punk throne in), both in fashions and ideas.
The reason for the fantasy setting is that not only could you then have dragon riding cowboys and marauding ogres attacking your wagon train (and who says that isn't cool!), but more mportantly you wouldn't then be tied to historical places or periods in American history.
for example, we know for a fact just how the railway (or rail road to use the American term), was built and crossed america in the late 19th century. However, in an alternate time, suppose instead of their being a central authority and a major company behind the train system, your community gets left alone and has to produce and build it yourselves, linking towns together and protecting trains carrying resources, trains which could get attacked.
I sort of like that idea, of starting out from a few people in a wagon exploring around, mining, planting, cutting logs etc, and finally winding up with major industrial cities building locomotives! .
With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)