Is Science Victory cheap?

(Not very skilled)

So I had a multiplayer game with my friend (Me Byzantium, Him Polynesia, Standard speed, Prince, Earth) and it started boiling down to who was going to win in the year 2000's or so.

I was running a two city, fat city empire and gunned for the science because I like the science, despite neglecting the GL. When it came to the point when I could just pump out space ship parts every three turns, he got mad, ranted and nuked me (despite agreeing to no nukes).

I won by science, and he kept going on how cheap science victory was and that he refused to play with science victory on because it's "no effort easy mode". He backed this up because whereas I only started with three single copies of luxuries, he started with seven sugar on a desert. He was going for cultural victory (and was going wide) and had just finished his 5th policy tree.

So is it cheap in GnK (Darn Golden Age glitch makes it stay at 500 points regardless of previous golden ages)? Is it really that no effort?

I don't really know about how easy science victory is, but about the luxuries 3 single copies seem better than 7 sugar in a 2 player game. There's only one other person (you) that he can trade all that excess sugar to, and he gets total 4 happiness from all that sugar while your 3 single copies give you a total of 12 happiness.

There was 6 other AI opponents as well.

I assume your talking about BNW as you have said he was playing poly. Science victory is much more difficult in BNW and no victory type is cheap imo. Sounds like he was just bitter, wanted you to sit there and do nothing till he won culture. What vic type did he expect from you?? I don't understand the "science vic is cheap statement"

This was G&K. I think it says that in the title.

Sorry to be the one to tell you this...but your friend is a scrub.