Is Galactic Warfare supposed to be this tedious and boring?

I've been messing around with Galactic Warfare a bit more recently because I read about the unit cannons finally making it into the game. So I was sorely disappointed to find out they're either not in it at all, or I need yet another card I'll never get to use them (but holy hell, I sure have a ton of those advanced defence cards! Seems like every other planet gives those out).

Problem I always run into is there's no decent way to try and assault a planet, and because you're so limited on resources (as in units you might possibly build) it feel nearly impossible to make any progress unless you spend an hour getting a "perfect start" and fishing the empty planets until you have a good combo. Otherwise it's mission after mission after mission of using the same build strategy you've used for the whole campaign because that's all you have. I fondly remember the campaigns in Forged Alliance, and although I know this isn't supposed to be the same, it feels like a forcibly imposed challenge run all the time. "Win the game using only T2 aircraft and T1 tanks." "Win the game with no viable method of attacking another planet." "Finish the game with two sets of Complete Naval Units and never see a piece of water bigger than a fishing whole." That one's my favorite.

It seems to me like the starting options are woefully inadequate to reliable get interesting games, and most of it seems like I have to turtle the entire time until I luck out and finally get a combination of units that can actually go somewhere.

Am I playing it wrong, or does GW feel like that for anybody else?

Uber should be working on it soon.

https://forums.uberent.com/threads/upcoming-work-update.67466/

Re the unit canon, it's available in skirmish games, but not in galactic war currently....

Apparently there is an addon (ie. Mod) which enables the unit cannon in GW, and it's available without any specific card if I am not mistaken.

Buuuut....

There is a great simple mod on pamm that includes the unit cannon for all advanced fabbers. Its definitely a great addition for those times when you don't have any orbital.

I think I heard noises in the PTE thread that not including the UC in GW was an over site, but I'm sleep deprived right now so can't find it.

Edit: Ninja'd. That will teach me to stop mid post to actually work...

I bet galactic war is getting a mayor overhaul in a couple of months, now it is just very basic and hasn't been updated in a long time except for travelling multiple nodes in the PTE.

Thanks for all the replies. I looked on PAMM but didn't see any mods addressing the unit cannons. Which one should I be looking for?

This one:
https://forums.uberent.com/threads/rel-gw-unit-cannon.66690/

Oh wow, thanks for that. That made all the difference in the world. As much fun as trying to make a 150 Astraeus drop, this was a heck of a lot more effective and fun for establishing a beachhead. This completely changes the feel of the game.

Yep, it's suppose to be like that. At since, I am pretty sure it is sense uber hasn't bothered to update it in 6 months.

Remember that this is a very multiplayer-focused game, with the single player basically being an afterthought. I don't recommend playing Galactic War at all - go online instead. The skill level is generally low, so even a new player won't have much trouble doing well, at least in games with many players.

I believe they are working on it but idk if it's top priority (uberpls)

https://forums.uberent.com/threads/upcoming-work-update.67466/
This is an update from 22nd Jan that confirms they are doing SOMETHING with galactic war, from March. So maybe stick to AI skirmish or online, if it bothers you, until then.

Right now, galactic war is very much "not fun"

Access to all basic techs would be my first change

I keep getting stuck without orbital, and in the last game I played, the build I was using wouldn't let the Astraeus load/unload - meaning my only strategy was to turtle and nuke spam everything! The framework for something that could be really fun is definitely there, and I seem to recall they were going to add some sort of multiplayer component (?) so looking forward to any updates to it.

I disagree in a big way with this. I really enjoy GW because I don't have access to the full toolbox at all times. I'm not a big air guy, but if that's all you've got, you learn to try something new. I've been playing a lot of small maps lately to unlock the last couple loadouts and there are definitly times when the random number generator is out to get you, like where I got complete naval and complete orbital, but I was using the BACON commander(no basic factories) and there was no water available.

That said, check out the GW mods on PAMM, there are several mods for loadouts there. You can make the game harder or easier with them, and if they don't have what you want yet I hear it's easy to open up a modded card and swap out what you would rather have there.

For the long term, I would like to see a GW loadout editor where you start with nothing at all in your loadout and a budget to purchase blueprints and commander/unit bonuses with.

Well, doesn't it just suck that most people are playing the game vs. AI and rarely ever (if ever) touch multiplayer...

Reasons GW games aren't fun:
- Landing on planets with measly numbers of mex spots is not fun.
- Landing on planets with zero metal anywhere near your potential drops is not fun
- Having zero inter-planetary intelligence to start off with in a multiple planet system is not fun
- Having dozens of duplicate (and crappy) techs is not fun
- Never knowing how many AI you're facing or what tech they have is not fun
- Limited tech slots is not fun, especially as unlocking more isn't some sort of progression, but yet more random occurences
- Starting the game without some very basic structures, such as storage, is not fun

- Lack of balance/odds stacked against you because RNDM NM says so is not fun

Given the choice, I'd make these changes;
- Access to storage, pelters, arkyd and Hummingbirds for all basic loadouts. A few fighters, some intelligence gathering and some ranged defences should fix most imbalances quite extensively, such as AI going heavy air and you can't respond in any reasonable time frame, or trying to land on a planet without having any clue what might be on the other side. Storage is just a slot hog for no real reason; basic storage as standard, and storage compression as a perk (see below)

- Tech slots system split up into two parts; one for actual tech pieces (bots, advanced orbital, game enders etc) and another for perks (better storage, cheaper intelligence, better artillery etc). Each game becomes considerably more interesting as you can devise a build based on your perks as well as your techs.

- Better planet balance; ensure spawn points always have a few mex within the radius for the player. A fighting chance requires at least SOME metal. And for goodness sake, a minimum 30 mex spots per planet please; 6 metal spots is just too low for a fun game

- Fewer duplicates; winning a system only to be presented with a tech you already own for the third time is cringe worthy frustrating. It doens't need to be


Most the "not fun" from Galactic War is from the few things I've mentioned; fix them and it would become considerably better

You *could* implement a research tree for GW, and each commander loadout would have a different tree for a different specialty. Battles would reward you with tech points and you could select the upgrades you wanted, it's a lot less frustrating than playing an entire Uber-sized GW without ever getting advanced tech, basic air, or complete orbital.

If I check enough stuff off my list, I've thought of making a variant where you collect commanders, each with different tech and probably reduced eco. You'll start out using them individually, and then combine them for improved eco and more concentrated tech. This would probably be a multiple-unit map with enemies making moves, requiring you to spread forces to protect areas.

p.s. I found the worlds with only a handful of metal spots rather fun.