is the game skewed to reflect a more hostile environment is preferable to obtain a victory?
Unfortunately, yes. This is the game's fatal flaw. Stardock teaches
us that when your neighbor's poodle poops in your yard, it is
preferable to kick in his door and cut his throat, rather than talking
it out.
When the game was first released, it was (slightly) more difficult
to win a conquest victory than any of the other victory conditions, and
the scoring system reflects that. The game has evolved over time, yet
the scoring remains the same as it ever was. This is the reason that I have never (other than a couple of curious dabblings) and will never participate in the metaverse.
The AI has been programmed to be increasingly bloodthirsty, so that while you focus your research on the diplomatic or influence branches of the tech tree, it is researching the militant techs, and when it attacks, and it WILL attack, you will almost always be at a desperate disadvantage. Taking the research path mitigates this circumstance a bit, as you may be able to learn the offensive techs quickly enough to compete; but it still almost always comes down to one thing: kill or be killed.
One of the things that attracted me to this game in the first place was the variety of ways that it could be played and won. Three out of four of the victory conditions are non-violent, after all, and are for me, much more interesting than simply squashing bugs.
Don't get me wrong; I still think that this is the best game out there- maybe the best there ever was. It has held my attention longer than any other game that I have ever owned. I play the beta and look forward to each installment with great relish. But it seems to me that while on the surface it is getting more complex, deep down it is becoming increasingly one dimensional.
Just my 2 bc.
