You're right 136166, I would recommend starting on "Simulation" (easy) mode, but as this is an old game, it's not very well balanced. I've been considering coming back to it, but it will have to be after I have finished my other projects. Thank you for telling me, the more people say, the more I can be sure that it's a major problem.
The version on Steam was updated more frequently. I believe the Steam version is one patch ahead of this one, which is an oversight on my part.
However, the paid version is significantly better in almost every way. It was a weird decision on my part to make the DLC so much better, but I honestly just got carried away with all the changes.
Then, in any case, you should update this one.
I like how it feels like an actual battle control computer. However, I got overwhelmed by how to operate everything.
Why Mission 2 is so steep.
1. You have to destroy/disrupt two near-battle cruiser grade units.
2. You have only destroyed a couple of Princeps and radar stations
3. The SBMS says only a couple of light defense units are there. There are swarms of them.
4. You need more experience.
I agree with your assessment. I'll decrease the difficulty in Simulation mode further, and see if I can introduce new features more gradually in the first few missions so the player gets experience at a steady pace.
Please know that I will be finishing my current project before coming back to SBMS. This might take a while, and I would have to refamiliarise myself with the old development environment and I will probably want to make several changes to improve the game, including adjusting several missions rather than just mission 2, and updating the GUI.