Not really a fan of the apologist perspective either. No the Maori didn't "set the bar high". They have a unique gimmick (start on ocean) which is far more RNG than anything else I can think of and get bonuses to yields that again rely on actually having those yields (although they are definitely strong). The production from forests requires you to not improve it. The culture and faith requires you to not remove features. It's fun and creative for sure (Maori is #2 on my list to play), but that has nothing to do with power. The perceived power of strict yield buffs is what draws people, but that's not the only way to win.
Look at this for example
The Cree are FAR more powerful than Phoenicia. They have the best UI in the game, the largest cities, and generate the most gold. The Cree UI alone is better than everything Phoenicia has combined.
Problem for Dido is that she has no increased anything really outside of settlers and ships. If her trade routes were better she could at least gain extra benefits from spamming cities. As it stands, she will have some gimmicks but otherwise suck.
This 1:1 comparison is pretty funny and already pretty hyperbolic. These civs aren't mean to be strictly stronger than any other civilization. They're meant to appeal to a certain style while remaining faithful to what made a civilization unique.
Right off the bat, Cree starts with 1 extra trade route at Pottery but Phoenicia outstrips it at 2 very early ones and then another 2. Also a minor buff to Government District city. Cree absorb land with trade routes. Fun but pretty RNG to make use of reliably.
The Cree have a unique land improvement which means that in order to exploit it you don't settle coastal tiles. This means that the Cree don't really particularly care for coast.
Phoenicia love coast, and will settle almost exclusively on coast. They will also typically have more cities as they have more opportunities to settle them well into the mid-game irrespective of loyalty issues other civilizations may face.
So here you have one civilization that avoids coast and has less cities. Here you have another that has plenty of coastal cities.
We know that sea trade routes have doubled yields in civ6. That instantly puts the Cree at a disadvantage unless they settle on coast and build those Harbors. However if they settle on coast they lose potential UI spots. They would have to settle a bit more inland and then build a district that they barely make use of in comparison as they have less coastal tiles. So yield advantages from the trade routes are already gone UNLESS they sacrifice a few UI spots.
And that's the thing. A UI is only as good as how much benefit it brings over another improvement. It's definitely strong but what's the opportunity cost to use it? How many Makewaps do you have in the early game? You'll probably use like 2? At that point resources are still competitive in yields unless you get a really lucky cluster of resources. They don't really kick in until your population is high enough
How far in the game are you at this point? Phoenicia already has more cities than you, with potentially more yields overall, more districts, more everything. Keyword: Potentially. Cree has a more vertical design. Phoenicia has a more horizontal one. This does NOT mean that Cree can't have more cities (particularly if they play their cards right) but we're talking about a standard, average situation here.
What's left at this point? The UUs? Both are impactful for their time. Scout promotions are arguably better but just how many scouts are you going to build?
Phoenicia gets bonus to naval construction and combat. Cree get alliance boosts. Phoenicia gets to defend its coastal cities on navy pretty damn well and poses a massive threat to any civilization that settles on coast near her (or elsewhere for that matter).
And I haven't even gotten to the capital swap (which brings a whole set of implications, particularly having multiple strong cities in a wide empire), which in itself adds even more potential to what can be accomplished.
So no the Cree aren't "better". They do something else, in a more direct manner. Phoenicia does something else. Phoenicia could have had massive trade route yields, but then they wouldn't have settler bonuses. It's a give and take.
You'll get your rocks off playing Phoenicia by pumping out settlers, settling -20 loyalty cities, flipping empires peacefully as you absorb them into your trade empire. while having a near immortal navy.
If you want big tile yield porn posts on reddit, go play another civilization. Might I suggest Indonesia?
