I allways assumed that the resources being spread out was consistant with the scoring philosophy. Your kingdom has to grow because techs increase in science cost. The size of your kingdom is the principle scoring technique. You know that when coal or rubber show up, it'll be just beyond your borders. So you constantly expand at every opportunity. More cities means more units supported, more cash, more beakers. Also, like chess players of old, one of the attractions of Civilization is its complexity. I enjoy the game best when a move takes a half hour.
