Upon reflection, I guess I haven't really played TI consistently-- I will play it for a month or so but get frustrated and take a break, only to come back several months later. This has been the pattern since I first bought the game in 11/2022. I've read a ton of guides, including Perun's and optimized USA/China starts. I'm having trouble getting out of the early game and/or playing aggressively enough to dominate on earth or in space, even in just normal difficulty. My latest game I'm USA in 2027 and am just starting to roll up EU nations, my ships died trying to stop the alien surveillance missions and retaliation for killing one destroyed my orbital. I am in the discord but am having trouble figuring out where to start. Thoughts, feedback, and advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!