After the change to CPA they indeed grew more dangerous. But the leap of 2k ships every time ( in my 10/10 games) it sends one is a quite a bit up front and weakens it later on. The waves will keep growing until it runs out of ships and sends much smaller groups. This makes one wave really hard as the most reserves it has are used, but then it gets easier to survive as it no longer has that backlog to call on. At least that is how I have seen the CPA pan out.
Would it be more effective/fair to lessen the jumps in CPA numbers? But in return cause the AI to deploy replacement forces equal to the amount it is no longer increasing the CPA by, instead of 2k increase every time it sends, maybe 1-1.5k, but it deploys extra forces at a staggered pace to its remaining barracks to bolster its reserves for the next one. For example a 4k CPA is changed to a 3k, but it reinvigorates its storage with 700-1k ships, placed in barracks over time.
The number and mark of the Space craft it reloads for further CPA rounds could have a modified increase as time goes on. This would prevent the AI from swarming silly numbers in its CPA replenishment later on in game, while still allowing it to build up some strength for further actions.
A player could destroy barracks to cause damage, concentrating where those Barracks replacements are sent, making it more dangerous to destroy them as they are filled with so many space craft. But allowing them to destroy large chunks of CPA before it is sent out as well. As a counter the AI would construct more barracks, costing it a portion of the ships it would place in them to get a fresh structure, then filling it as normal.
So the CPA starts normal and is in easier incremental increase. But later instead of petering out as barracks are depleted, the AI continues getting fresh space craft in stock and the waves stay relatively more powerful, barring player intervention to thin the herd.
In short instead of a sprinter we get a marathon runner.
