SupCom 2 is quite different from SupCom 1, in many ways its a downgrade, maps are generally smaller, there's much fewer units and their roles are much more streamlined. The Research mechanic replaces unit tiers, making basic units stronger and unlocking stronger units at the cost of research points gained through combat & research generating structures.
The economy is also much more like standard RTS like starcraft where there's no storage and units and structures instantly consume their energy/mass costs instead of draining it over time. Things like radar & shields have no energy upkeep and mass converters instantly convert bulk energy into bulk mass very inefficiently rather than a constant conversion.

At the end of the day if you're a huge fan of SupCom 1 its a pretty disappointing sequel, but its not a terrible game. I'd pretty flatly categorize it as being "fine". Its plenty fun, you still get big stompy units though the sense of scale and destruction isn't as high. One thing I like better in SupCom 2 over 1 is that your Commander unit actually stays fairly relevant throughout the game as a combat unit, in SupCom 1 its too easy for Strat Bombers and Experimentals to destroy your Commander in seconds, in SupCom 2 units having generally lower damage and Research boosting the strength of the ACu means you can be pretty ballsy with it as a frontline support unit, especially with the UEF ACU.

Another thing SupCom 2 does is there's a lot more experimentals, to the point where there's experimental factories. In some ways this kind of makes the experimentals feel less special but it makes mass producing them easier, its a land of contrasts all around.

The biggest issue I have with the game is the campaign however, much like the transition from Starcraft 1 to Starcraft 2 the "player character" is no more, instead you're playing in the shoes of predetermined characters in a linear campaign that goes from faction to faction UEF > Illuminate > Cybran. While its disappointing its not the worst, what's much more frustrating is how rather lacklustre the story is. Rather than carry on from the plot threads left over from the end of Forged Alliance, SupCom 2 shrinks the scale of the conflict to a single solar system rather than the galactic conflict and focuses entirely on a microcosm of a handful of random gruff UEF soldiers pulling a Fletcher and going AWOL on the coalition, an Illuminate terrorist cell who thinks the coalition is diluting their religion and some mysterious alien power that's NOT the Seraphim.

The matter of QAI's survival, the Seraphim still lurking beyond the rift, and the matter of the Order of the Illuminate are all completely ignored. Its a servicable campaign but painfully generic after the rather epic scale of the original SupCom and Forged Alliance campaigns..
The highlight is William Gauge who's a kooky cybran antagonist who likes to quote poetry and chat with his opponents. The lowlight is the only returning character from the original SUpCOm being character assassinated.

SupCom 2 is quite different from SupCom 1, in many ways its a downgrade, maps are generally smaller, there's much fewer units and their roles are much more streamlined. The Research mechanic replaces unit tiers, making basic units stronger and unlocking stronger units at the cost of research points gained through combat & research generating structures. The economy is also much more like standard RTS like starcraft where there's no storage and units and structures instantly consume their energy/mass costs instead of draining it over time. Things like radar & shields have no energy upkeep and mass converters instantly convert bulk energy into bulk mass very inefficiently rather than a constant conversion. At the end of the day if you're a huge fan of SupCom 1 its a pretty disappointing sequel, but its not a terrible game. I'd pretty flatly categorize it as being "fine". Its plenty fun, you still get big stompy units though the sense of scale and destruction isn't as high. One thing I like better in SupCom 2 over 1 is that your Commander unit actually stays fairly relevant throughout the game as a combat unit, in SupCom 1 its too easy for Strat Bombers and Experimentals to destroy your Commander in seconds, in SupCom 2 units having generally lower damage and Research boosting the strength of the ACu means you can be pretty ballsy with it as a frontline support unit, especially with the UEF ACU. Another thing SupCom 2 does is there's a lot more experimentals, to the point where there's experimental factories. In some ways this kind of makes the experimentals feel less special but it makes mass producing them easier, its a land of contrasts all around. The biggest issue I have with the game is the campaign however, much like the transition from Starcraft 1 to Starcraft 2 the "player character" is no more, instead you're playing in the shoes of predetermined characters in a linear campaign that goes from faction to faction UEF > Illuminate > Cybran. While its disappointing its not the worst, what's much more frustrating is how rather lacklustre the story is. Rather than carry on from the plot threads left over from the end of Forged Alliance, SupCom 2 shrinks the scale of the conflict to a single solar system rather than the galactic conflict and focuses entirely on a microcosm of a handful of random gruff UEF soldiers pulling a Fletcher and going AWOL on the coalition, an Illuminate terrorist cell who thinks the coalition is diluting their religion and some mysterious alien power that's NOT the Seraphim. The matter of QAI's survival, the Seraphim still lurking beyond the rift, and the matter of the Order of the Illuminate are all completely ignored. Its a servicable campaign but painfully generic after the rather epic scale of the original SupCom and Forged Alliance campaigns.. The highlight is William Gauge who's a kooky cybran antagonist who likes to quote poetry and chat with his opponents. The lowlight is the only returning character from the original SUpCOm being character assassinated.