See, this is where you go wrong. The very thing that makes JA2 is its combat and its combat mechanics. Sure, it has some quirky characters and fun dialogues, but at its heart, it is the combat you spend 90% of the time doing. It sure isn't the generic island setting or the simple gfx. So, take out the 90% of the game that made it stand out from the crowd and make it yet another rts? What would be it's selling point? Grey goo #238?
A pox upon Westwood Studios
All because they decided to compensate for a mediocre and uninspired Dune release by adding more "twitch" to Dune 2, hoping that it could make up for it's short comings by adding a contrived sense of urgency by moving all the counters on the board at once. Unfortunately, it turned out in the long run to be financially successful formula that killed off innovation.
Therefore we are still, 20 years later, stuck with same old, same old. Sure, sometimes they tried changing the viscosity of the goo, sometimes trying lighter or darker shades of grey, but in the end, it is still the same old stale, grey goo.