Red Alert!

[LLB]

I'd like to echo some of what Aub and Geoschmo have said here regarding RTS games: I can't warm up to them either. I haven't tried SU, but judging from the review it sounds as if SEIV is much the better game.

One of the things I saw in the review that sounded very loud alarm bells for me was the weak AI criticism. Nothing can kill a 4X game deader for me than an AI that doesn't properly develop its empire in the early game, so that by the time you find them they are so far behind that there's nothing for them to do but roll over and stick their paws in the air. SSI's Star General, for example, had some really nice features (including a planet invasion and ground combat system that I wish somebody else would emulate), but the AI was so weak that in the end the nice features didn't matter.

By contrast, I've played MOOII *a lot*, and at the highest difficulty levels I can still lose if I'm not careful. I don't have nearly as much experience with SEIV, but I'm still finding the AI a competent opponent.