I've noticed that as RTS games get more graphically impressive, the game gets less customizable. Such as in Galactic Battlegrounds...you were able to auto generate maps, set the pop cap, enable and disable units, set game speeds. In EaW you should be able to easily generate a GC buy clicking planets off a checklist or setting the terms of a GC. There's no need for all these little mods if the devs would just include these little features. EaW would be much more replayable if all these things were included.

and i forgot about AI, too. older games had MUCH better AI and plenty more than 3 difficulty levels...

Agreed, the AI needs to be far more aggressive. Even with the massive fleets it can sometimes create on hard difficulty it is very very hesitant to attack.

I agree also a "peace" button for galactic conquest will be nice to set for example 2 hours (and more diferent timers) without AI atacks if u atack em the peace will break well like AoE and many other games cause the only thing i dont like about GC is that the AI start atacking you very soon i like to secure my perimeter well before atack im a very slow player and well on hard mode the ai pawnt me in 1 hour or so that was frustrating it made me want to smash my cock with a hammer tbh

Just checking off planets in a list might be interesting--but you'd have to make sure that the map is connected. Fortunately, there are algorithms to test a graph for connectivity. It would be pretty fun to just come up with a map right before initiating a Galactic Conquest, as long as the computer makes sure appropriate trade routes are placed. I agree, Petroglyph ought to implement more options into new galactic conquest games!

The galactic AI needs some work. I think the skirmish/tactical AI is fine, but every one of my galactic games seems to have the same arc: in the beginning, both sides are scrabbling to survive, expand, and out-tech the other, and the AI will try to attack weak points and put pressure on me. Towards the middle-end of the game, right around tech level 3-4, things stabilize and the AI slows its expansion down quite a bit. After that point, the computer just seems to sit there and wait for me to conquer it, almost like it just gave up. At most, it builds armadas of TIE scouts, which are easily decimated with a couple corvettes. I'd rather see the early-stage AI play style continue all the way through!

I was thinking about this some more...here are the options I think that players should be allowed to set (for both factions, or each individually) when beginning a new Galactic Conquest:

Starting credits
Starting tech level
Max tech level
Home planet (default: Rebels - Hoth, Imperials - Coruscant)
Number of starting planets
Victory conditions (check one or more): Destroy all enemy forces, Kill enemy leader, Conquer specified planet, Conquer specified number of planets
Hero death timer duration (or just a checkbox: Hero death permanent)
Frequency of galactic events
That's all for now, folks.

I'm all in for several off the above mentioned things, the more options the better.

i can just remember hours upon hours of gameplay on games like AoE 2 or Galactic battlegrounds b/c the maps were always different and there were SOO many units. i just think that as gaming gets more complex we should be gaining elements, not losing them

That Makes me think of Total Annilation and how much fun it was even though it was basic It had ALOT of options.

i would be very excited if the options suggested by wedge were implemented, it would allow for practically unlimited gameplay

Zerg swarming =/= Good AI.

That's not to say anyone's ideas of AI changes are bad, or that EaW has any good AI. Just saying I don't want to see the devs give the AI a "build units and suicide them." That would be cheap.