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Why is this game so easy?


Falconhurst

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Recently I have played a number of galactic conquest maps both as rebellion and empire on medium difficulty. GC is so easy it is almost a joke, lacking any discernable challenge.

 

My strategy is always to lump all my ships an units together -- heroes included -- and go from one enemy planet to another, conquering with auto-resolve space and land battles, as fast as I can. I build mines, light & heavy factories, barracks, and land and space units as necessary to replace losses, and space stations when needed to increase pop cap. Most of my frontier planets are undefended and I never build defensive structures. I may lose a planet or two over the course of a game while capturing dozens, but always retake them easily. I typically sweep over numerous planets (using the pause button frequently to build) while the computer AI is just getting its pants on and preparing for one or two small attacks. Careful use of the "pause" button as necessary typically allows me to capture 3 to 5 planets per day.

 

The game is supposed to be balanced primarily for medium, but this is a disappointment. Almost any medium GC can be completed in 30 minutes with no major defeats or even challenges. It's hard to have any fun at a game that offers little to no strategic challenge.

 

I don't understand all of the positive reviews of EAW as the best SW RTS ever. Personally I thought SW Galactic Battlegrounds offered more of a challenge -- it wasn't so formulaic or dull.

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I typically play the medium level of a game to assess balance. The "medium" level is typically one where the human and AI play on a level playing field.

 

Certainly "hard" difficulty can make the game more challenging, but this has never been too appealing to me, because this is typically done by arbitrary bonuses and penalties -- giving the AI production, economic, tech, military, or other unearned advantages, while penalizing the human player. Such arbitrary advantages and penalties are a poor substitute for a competent AI that can provide a reasonable challenge for the human on a level playing field. The EAW strategic AI doesn't really seem to even show up or grasp what's going on even as it loses dozens of planets.

 

Yes, I am looking forward to BFME2 next week, collector's edition. It's unlikely that my copy of EAW will see much (any?) more playing time once that comes out.

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Its a fair question.

 

If the game is suppose to be played sans auto-resolve or at least without using it exclusively then why is it so easy for this guy on medium? I notice that at least in the campaign the computer didn't really attack my planets and was content to sit there and watch as I amassed 30 ISD's and proceeded to kick its ass at every turn. Its kind of easy when the computer doesn't ligitimately counter attack and try to harass the player.

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  • 5 months later...
Recently I have played a number of galactic conquest maps both as rebellion and empire on medium difficulty. GC is so easy it is almost a joke, lacking any discernable challenge.

 

My strategy is always to lump all my ships an units together -- heroes included -- and go from one enemy planet to another, conquering with auto-resolve space and land battles, as fast as I can. I build mines, light & heavy factories, barracks, and land and space units as necessary to replace losses, and space stations when needed to increase pop cap. Most of my frontier planets are undefended and I never build defensive structures. I may lose a planet or two over the course of a game while capturing dozens, but always retake them easily. I typically sweep over numerous planets (using the pause button frequently to build) while the computer AI is just getting its pants on and preparing for one or two small attacks. Careful use of the "pause" button as necessary typically allows me to capture 3 to 5 planets per day.

 

The game is supposed to be balanced primarily for medium, but this is a disappointment. Almost any medium GC can be completed in 30 minutes with no major defeats or even challenges. It's hard to have any fun at a game that offers little to no strategic challenge.

 

I don't understand all of the positive reviews of EAW as the best SW RTS ever. Personally I thought SW Galactic Battlegrounds offered more of a challenge -- it wasn't so formulaic or dull.

 

 

Perhaps you are blind then, because it says easy, medium, [HARD]!

 

If you want more of a challenge play on hard difficulty.

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Actually any game can be called "easy". There are always ways to cheat in a game or play only to win instead of having fun in the game. Personally, I believe that anyone who says Empire at War has no "strategy" in it has never even tried hard difficulty.

 

I always play my games on the hard difficulty, it adds challenge to the game.

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  • 1 year later...

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