Not engaging mid-late game

[Evrett]

After early exploration and hive cleaning is done I am left with little reason to continue to play the game. I would blame this on lack of faction-related content. There is no mechanic to engage and invest the player in their faction, its ambitions and its future. The faction background plays no role in the game beyond the color of your units. I have little left to look forward to beyond fighting other factions who I really dont have any reason to care about any more than my own or for that matter know anything about. The game appears to rely on nostalgia for SMAC factions to stoke this flame and having not played that game I dont see factional differences beyond statistical ones. Why are there no faction specific techs/units? I would suggest an event system that forces you and the other factions to make choices that have shared consequences or mixed results. I would also suggest a deeper leader customization so players can be more involved and invested in their own identity. A faction hero (leader) mechanic that could work like civ's great generals (buffing nearby units/ sucking reseach out of cities, generating events) might allow work some faction flavor into the game.