
Anyhow, with skirmishes in single I find that they usually go pretty much the same way. I will start a game and play up to 20 minute mark. i struggle to fight off the incoming forces (im kind of a turtler btw enjoy really building my base up before doing offensives) and its pretty even but invariably I fail to build my experimental on time

Thing is tho i find that experimentals pretty much wreck the dynamic because like i said if i dont have mine up then its game over for me but conversely as soon as i get mine i find the game swings grossly in my favour such that its no longer a challenge then mine just slowly plods over to their base and destroys everything.
Now I could try turning off experimentals but i would love to find a way to incorporate them without spoiling the game cos i find them fun in all other respects.
Up to that point in the game i had been struggling to get my mass together and get enough bots to fight the waves and waves that keep coming but once the exerimental is up it just levels everything- i only play uef so with the sensor it just keeps blasting everything within its long radius and things suddenly become desolate around my base as nothing comes close.
As the title says Id like to have games where its always close and that I can play indefinitely where i am always inching for more territory. Kind of like company of heroes you know the pace where you are always trying to creep more to gain more territory. I could just play company of heroes i guess

With the experimentals it kind of wrecks that dynamic because your just racing to get the experimental up at all costs then once its up the game is over. I spose thats why they are called 'game enders'

I recently got sorian ai working and it does offer some new tricks, its more challenging for sure. Its only my first game using sorian i have only just killed the enemy experimental on that so maybe he has some new tricks for me maybe not.
Also I know online would offer a whole new world of challenge but that idea doesnt really appeal to me cos its already hectic enough in single player and I like to relax and plan out strategies. Also it is too much hasstle to coordinate when to play with someone else so that doesnt suit my tastes.
Suggestions? Im not familiar with all the mods out there (or even the different vanilla lobby options) sorian was the only big one i came across so maybe with mods or changing settings ppl could advise me?