So, anyone else playing this game besides me? I tried to like Total Annihilation, but the buggy gameplay (can't tell you how often a unit got stuck trying to get out of the factory that just built it), kludgey interface (holding alt and hitting numbers to select groups is just dumb), awful AI (yeah, I know I can mod the AI...but should I have to? And let's not even start on pathing...), and total lack of any character (armies of whirring toasters does not a compelling battle make) kept me from truly appreciating it. However, this game's merits and improvements over the older model have really gotten me hooked. The maps and battles can become enormous, the units fill diverse roles making combined arms strategies very useful, and when you defeat your enemy you can make a perfect little star...right there on the battlefield. Only downside, if you haven't tried it, is that it's a beast resource wise. Anyone with less than a 2ghz processor, a gig of ram, and video card from the last year or so need not apply. Even bleeding edge machines can get bogged down when the shit starts hitting the fan and there's hundreds of units in play on a very large map. It's essentially a game that will run great on your next computer. Even so, it's here now, and I'm hooked.
Hehe...I guess I'm the only one! Well dammit, buy a copy and try it out! The demo doesn't do the game justice (I mean, it's true to the gameplay...but the performance on the demo is awful). If you've ever enjoyed real time strategy games, you'll probably really like this one. It's not a twitch contest to see who can click the mouse faster, and when you get a good game going, it looks really cool.
I liked Total Annhilation because it was the only/first strategy game I knew that incorporated large air battles, instead of having a one type of aircraft unit available per side which you could only build so many of AND which have to return to base after every bombing session like with C&C and Red Alert. But yes, in retrospect, all the problems you described are very true. And let's not forget how ridiculously underpowered the regular land units were in comparison to the air and sea units, let alone the defensive structures. I have an old computer, so I'll stay away from Supreme Commander for now.
If you liked the fully realized air forces in TA, then you'll be pleased to know they are alive and well in SupCom. Along with some really sweet naval units, too. Some of the land unit vs sea unit/defensive structure balance elements you're talking about are still there, but they sorta make sense. A battleship the size of three football feels looks much tougher than a tank, and it is...but it also costs as much as about 100 tanks. I'm telling ya, if you have a computer that's not-too-shabby in the memory and processor department, you should give it a whirl. There is a demo online, though the performance in the demo is crap compared to what the real game is like, due to patches, so don't pay much attention to that.
