While I can appreciate the intentions of the GOTM staff when they reduced the number of spoilers threads from 4 to 3, the final spoilers make me uneasy.
I don't understand the point of having two so different qualifcations for the final spoilers, namely
1) you must have entered the modern age
or
2) you must have finished (submitted) the game.
I think the first one should be removed. The only acceptable qualification should be to have submitted.
Let's say I go for a diplomatic victory or a space race victory and complete the game. I then have two options to choose from.
I can write a full report of my end game. Such a report would be incomplete because I must not reveal the location of modern resources. In effect, I think it may well become less interesting, because I cannot tell the whole story. Moreover, do I really want to post such a spoiler, knowing that other players may check the spoilers as soon as they have entered the modern age? These other players get an unfair advantage because they can change their game plan. For example, they can calculate that they will not be able to beat me in a space race and change to a diplomatic victory or vice versa. (As the criteria are usually described today, a player can access the final spoilers as soon as they get the message "We have entered a distinctly new era...")
My other choice is to only post my progress up to the beginning of the modern age. I see two problems with that too. Firstly, the industrial age is usually rather uneventful. I cannot believe that the reason for reducing the number of spoilers from 4 to 3 was that the industrial age should get its own spoiler. Secondly, if I post only my progress in the industrial age, when can I post my endgame? Supposing I'm still reluctant to "help" other players decide on a victory condition, I don't want to post the endgame before submissions are closed and who reads spoilers then? I don't. There are two new XOTMs to focus on at that time. At the very least, more than one report from the same player makes the thread more messy.
To sum up, I think the present qualifications for the final spoilers are out of tune. To me, it makes perfect sense that the 2 most uneventful eras should have just one spoiler to share, if you want to keep the number of spoilers threads down.
Thanks for reading,
Megalou
I don't understand the point of having two so different qualifcations for the final spoilers, namely
1) you must have entered the modern age
or
2) you must have finished (submitted) the game.
I think the first one should be removed. The only acceptable qualification should be to have submitted.
Let's say I go for a diplomatic victory or a space race victory and complete the game. I then have two options to choose from.
I can write a full report of my end game. Such a report would be incomplete because I must not reveal the location of modern resources. In effect, I think it may well become less interesting, because I cannot tell the whole story. Moreover, do I really want to post such a spoiler, knowing that other players may check the spoilers as soon as they have entered the modern age? These other players get an unfair advantage because they can change their game plan. For example, they can calculate that they will not be able to beat me in a space race and change to a diplomatic victory or vice versa. (As the criteria are usually described today, a player can access the final spoilers as soon as they get the message "We have entered a distinctly new era...")
My other choice is to only post my progress up to the beginning of the modern age. I see two problems with that too. Firstly, the industrial age is usually rather uneventful. I cannot believe that the reason for reducing the number of spoilers from 4 to 3 was that the industrial age should get its own spoiler. Secondly, if I post only my progress in the industrial age, when can I post my endgame? Supposing I'm still reluctant to "help" other players decide on a victory condition, I don't want to post the endgame before submissions are closed and who reads spoilers then? I don't. There are two new XOTMs to focus on at that time. At the very least, more than one report from the same player makes the thread more messy.
To sum up, I think the present qualifications for the final spoilers are out of tune. To me, it makes perfect sense that the 2 most uneventful eras should have just one spoiler to share, if you want to keep the number of spoilers threads down.
Thanks for reading,
Megalou