Attn Mindfield

[retired from gaming]

The map seemed to favour my opponent.

I was outpurchased. I have no idea what most of the units are that I purchased.

The map always seems to favour your opponent. At least it does for me :)

As for purchasing :
I have 200+ games recorded here, and many off ladder. All of them PBEMs of course. And I still find purchasing the most difficult part of the game. And the part which can give you greatest advantage/disadvantage, espacially in modern era MBT. Even in WW2 it still can be the major factor, when you play the hardcore.
Last game with Greybeard was a good example - I could not make a breakthrough mainly because I lacked the transport and Steve didnt.
I hate purchase so much that I practically skipped playing such battles anymore. However there was a time when I played Poland mostly in MBT games. After few battles I knew all the ins- an outs-of PolishOOB for the 80's-90's period and was able to play practically anybody, against any nation, even Russia or US, and still was pretty sure the worse which could happen was a draw.
So to cut long story short : you cant learn everything at once. Learn tactics and game mechanics first. Play battles with computer purchase, or pick up your favorite nation and master it. I can bet you that you will feel completely different after 3-5 battles. And remember - never play Hawks. Nothing works there. Absolutely nothing (in case he comes back to gaming, that is).