No it is a 2D game with a boring mechanic. If you don't like it purpose something useful.
But I like hyperspace storms. The scaling factor is good, storms don't shred low level fleets and instead are more dangerous to large fleets. Getting pushed around by storms is also good, there is value to navigating around and hitting all the sweet spots to get maximum speed.
I do think that storms are perhaps not dangerous enough. Almost every time I'd rather travel directly through a storm and pay a handful of supplies to save a bucketload of fuel/time. I am okay with the current "mild storms" being rather ubiquitous, it's impossible to travel between worlds without hitting a dozen mild storms. I do think there should be "serious storms", rare patches that are extremely dangerous and should be completely avoided.
Perhaps extreme storms should be a random game event and not fixed locations at map generation? Every once in a while an area becomes at risk of super storms, thus posing a navigational hazard to everyone. Core systems might have "hyperspace stabilizers" or nav beacons or something similar that reduce the danger of a super storm spawning nearby. But for the most part, they're stuck with buckling down until the storm passes. The storm would also create trade opportunities, as the world will suffer greatly on trade until either the storm ends or a daring trader attempts to break through.
I would definitely enjoy if there was a way to direct storm damage to a particular ship. It'd be nice to travel with "lightning rod" support ships, which help protect your fleet and maybe even allow a safe passage through serious storms.
You don't navigate sweet spots, you let it push you around or you burn a turn of fuel or supplies. A handful of supplies is not accurate at all and I max travel skills out. Also fuel is way easier to come by and cheaper. All you have written without this item is that the scale is good.
They don't actually serve a use that can't be done another way that would be more engaging and fun. If that use is to be a money sink and damage ships then there are far more fun ways to do that. If it is to move your ship faster, you guessed it, there are better ways to do that. If it is frustrate and turn you fleet into a 1970's pinball machine, just go play a pinball machine with one paddle missing.
In my opinion they don't add logical value or fun to the game. If they added a strategic value, hidden explorations sites, any reason to enter a hyperspace storm, I would be all in. Right now they do nothing but make one mod mandatory, or you can slow boat around the cloud on extremely linear, immersion breaking "hyperspace lanes". There is no other way to explain those large linear cuts in the clouds.
Now, Grand Sector mod has change the hyperspace clouds and I am enjoying what they have done. Simply because the large cutout lanes are gone and I can choose to enter a cloud if I so want without going to the outside of the sector on a lane to avoid it. It actually gives me options to avoid a fleet or jump on a fleet, it goes the other way to.
