KrikkitTwo
Immortal
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 12,418
You are confusing the pacing of the game with "bonus to everything". If you break down the game far enough, it is essentially a race to the end of the tech tree. Even vanilla culture games and cooked domination games don't completely break away from this base idea. Win = other end of tech tree. Science = faster movement through tech tree. As long as these two are tied, science is the optimal strategy.
To reword it to get a better perspective, what should determine the pacing of the game? The answer here is subjective, so it will vary. Note, we aren't talking about Civ5, we are talking about a new game that can be anything it wants to be. In fact, it doesn't even need to follow the formula of end tech tree = win.
That factor (winning=end of tech tree) is a problem
However
1. it is not Quite true even in CivV.. you are helped quite a bit by reaching the end, but you also have to do stuff on the way/when you get there
2. You can use things Other than science boosters to boost science... if I make my empire bigger through internal development or conquest, then more science follows.
And it does look like BE won't be end of the tech tree=win...
It was stated the warpgate (for Purity+Supremacy victories) is available mid game
The "Contact" Victory seems to be doing some research that is not ON the tech tree (but is unlocked by special factors)
And of course, Conquest is available from turn...after the last faction lands
Now there is the Practical... but I would hope that Practically a military-heavy strategy is better than a research-heavy strategy for Conquest, and that the Affinity victories, while sped up by technology aren't nearly requiring it.