Man, I loved me some SFB. I was pretty wicked at it with certain races (especially Hydrans & Tholians), and a tricksy hobbit in general. I won’t lie and say I won every game I played, because I didn’t. But a lot of my victories left my opponents utterly disgusted with how they lost.
Because I came to SFB first, games like Battletech and Crimson Skies were always like rules-light versions of SFB for me. Very enjoyable. But because the various mechs were more similar to each other than the varied tech between species in SFB, there were fewer wrinkles to exploit. Combats were more straightforward.
(Not saying one is better than the others, just noting differences.)
Because I came to SFB first, games like Battletech and Crimson Skies were always like rules-light versions of SFB for me. Very enjoyable. But because the various mechs were more similar to each other than the varied tech between species in SFB, there were fewer wrinkles to exploit. Combats were more straightforward.
(Not saying one is better than the others, just noting differences.)