Hehe.
I just liked the mood. There's something about "You have done well, our colony is surviving" that appeals to me. I also enjoy the city builder likes games, and like that there is less emphasis on combat, but still enough to give focus to the game, rather than completely open ended like Sim City. (Well ok, you can go bankrupt in Sim City, but when does that ever really happen?) Basically, there's enough stimulus that you have to react to, and a few extra things you can do if you want, like kill the computer before launching a space ship. I also liked how research carried over between levels in the campaign.
But yeah, combat always did seem a bit tacked on and like it didn't integrate all that well with the rest of the game. There are definately some balance issues, and a few potentially pointless options. Starflare guard posts? Supernova guard posts? Heck, even starflare/supernova tigers and panthers? Scouts? (Yes, I know, but really? That's it?) Self destruct? (Couple that with scouts) Recreation facilities? The interaction between the population growth/death model and medical centers? Early/late game balance between Eden/Plymouth players? Balance between Plymouth vs. Plymouth multiplayer games? (Who gets missiles first? Oh..., no meteor defense for the other person) Scorpions? No use for magma vents or fumaroles for Plymouth? Stickyfoam stops units rather than just slows them down? Having your CC disabled, but not destroyed ends the game? What if you could have repaired it? What about having another CC kit ready to be built? A single meteor defense can track any number of incomming missiles, but two of them won't offer any extra protection?
Although, probably the biggest disappointment, you can't use a meteor defense to shoot down an evacuation module. <_<
