[thejeff]

Interesting. I've probably never run into it late game in SP. That may explain the difference in our perception. On the other end of the map and with the boosts you've given it, it'll do well against other AIs, so it'll reach late game.

Actually, I usually get bored with micromanagement and lack of real opposition before getting into the endgame in SP.
My usual SP challenge involves small crowded maps, where you're forced into conflict early on when the "impossible" AI bonuses still matter and you don't have all the counters that come along later in the game. "Better Independents" helps a lot. Avoiding SC pretenders and uber-bless strategies adds to the challenge.