As for practicing against computer opponents, it is limited. Once you grow past the very initial stages you will start getting attacked by computer-controlled pirate empires once every month or two. If that kind of "you vs. the AI" fighting is appealing, you may want to become a mercenary and fight other players pirates for pay. I'd say half the players don't really enjoy pirate fighting, and accordingly there is always plenty of no-fuss work for mercenaries. I say no-fuss because when you start taking contracts offered by players to fight other players, the poltics of alliances often becomes sticky. Of course, many could care less about the politics and attack whoever they wish!
The best combat practice is the arenas. There are several formats for dueling, with the most popular and profitable being fights between two parties with roughly matching BV (battle value). BV is a broad and highly accurate measure of the dueling strength of a unit which considers its weaponry, mobility, pilot skill, etc.. Dueling is a skill unto itself and the best duelers can fund their empires entirely through their winnings.
Is possible to be successful as a solo empire, or is it necessary to ally with other players?
You can choose to go it alone if you wish. Its definitely more challenging to play without the help of a faction as it confers many benefits. Factionmates can share repair bays, get discounts on equipment produced, receive money transfers from their faction leader, and many other things in addition to the biggest benefit mentioned above, battle-players to fight for you while you're offline. Unfactioned empires are also commonly seen as targets by the more aggressive bullying players who like a quick fight without the messy politics of attacking empires which are part of strong alliances. Everyone begins in the newbie faction, but you can leave at any time and are forced out when you reach level two. You may also create new factions, although not until you are level five or so.
One of the largest hurdles I encountered in the learning curve was the initiative system, which has both turn-based and real-time elements. Can you take us through a round of movement and combat on the battlescreen?
Sure thing. The mechanics are pretty simple once you get the hang of it. Becoming a skilled warrior of course is another matter entirely! Fighting in Neveron always requires new tactics and strategies and the best fighters routinely defeat vastly superior armies through brilliant play.
Battle is an alternating sequence of movement phases and attack phases. Both share the same initiative system. Every unit on the battlefield is assigned an initiave score for the current phase, which governs the maximum amount of time alotted for completing their move or attack. It is highly advantageous to move late in the phase, as you can react to enemy movements, and position yourself at the ideal range and location to maximize your damage potential while minimizing your opponent's. Initiative has a random element and is based on the unit class, the size of the battle, and most significantly, the reputation of the pilot. Units gain reputation from victories on the battlefield or in arenas, so as your pilots succeed they not only gain skills but reputation as well which can magnify their advantages.
Each initiative point represents ten seconds of real time, so a unit with an initiative of 12 would have two minutes to submit a move or attack, while a unit with initiative of 9 would have but a minute and a half. While the 12-init unit could submit the move immediately, he would often do well to wait until the enemy has moved first and then, if he can think on his feet, make a quick reactive move in the final 30 seconds of the phase. Another advantage for skillful players and those with high-rep units is that they can often control many units in battle. For example if you have a company of 12 mechs in battle it may be possible to control all 12 if the initiatives are high enough, while if you had low-initiative units you'll likely want to put many on auto-pilot for the AI to control.
