So I'm up to map 23 on my hard endless run with no sign of significant resistance to be seen. The first 5-8 maps were difficult with me occasionally losing escort ships and their valuable weapon loadouts. By now though I've got such insanely upgraded weaponry and spares loaded on-board all three of my ships that even if I lose one escort, it's replacement is up and running with nearly a full complement of powerful weaponry. I'm not arguing against the power creep as what is keeping me playing is wondering what next stupidly powerful gun I'll find next, it's fun to unwrap new presents! But I do think the enemy AI needs to change at later endless maps to compensate. I understand that the enemy ships have the chance to get just as insane weaponry as I have but they don't stay in large enough groups to offer significant resistance. The only times I ever have to tread cautiously is when I get to the final sector on endless stages and their 4 starbases or factory sectors that have fleets who don't pay attention to my distress beacons.
An idea I had was to add Nemesis fleets. Have the factories occasionally spawn a set of ships, 2-5 let's say, that always stay together and jump towards the player's fleet just like the Nemesis. Maybe even send a warning to the player that the fleet has spawned and is after them, like the enemy fleet admiral sends a taunting message saying he'll destroy you. This would keep people on their toes even after they've gotten a lot of powerful weaponry and force the player to really think about where they want to jump, knowing there might be a fleet gunning for them.
