Maxing out - why bother?

[Drewpan]

Hi,

Started researching Future Tech in both Tech and Civics in the 1st Age.
Second Age started - no boosts to Tech or Civics, no carry over.

Completed Second Age researching Future Tech in Tech and Civics.
Third Age starts and no bonus Tech, no bonuses, no carry over.

What is the point in researching at all to get ahead when you don't?

A new age is meant to be a continuation of the last with bonuses but
all it does is level the playing field again. Useless.

I would rather play the game straight through with my original leader
and original Civ. If I earn the right to rocketry in 1700 then I EARNED it.
Why shouldn't I get a reward for doing so?

The Civilopedia is actually USELESS. It vaguely mentions concepts and
tells you how to do things that then cannot be done. It mentions I need
a Bank but neglects to tell me how to get one? It tells me I need Railways
and a Factory - never seen a Factory in FOUR play throughs!

The opposition deliberately building Spoiler Cities all over the map with
no other reason other than to prompt a war so you can capture them and
pillage them is NOT a particularly Intelligent AI strategy. It basically wastes
all of your hard work avoiding a war to maintain good relations with the
other Civs. Wars are expensive. Maintaining a bigger army for those
"necessary short victorious wars" is just a stupid game mechanic.

What is this about winning an Age an my Leader "Levels Up"?

If I wanted to play other "Civ like" games then I would have bought them.
I didn't - I bought Civ. I am seriously considering returning to Civ VI.

Drewpan

[TheNightglow]

each future tech/ civic gives you 1 wildcard point
wildcard points are incredibly powerfull, you can for instance invest them into getting permanently +10% science/culutre/gold in your empire for each alliance, or getting permanently +5% science/culture/gold in your empire for each point invested etc

[ShadowMage]

To add to this, the wildcard points are provided for your leader's attributes, not to the legacy selection screen. But yes, they're definitely worth it. I tend to keep a couple of wildcard attribute points in reserve until I see something I really want.

[Xx_AllNoPro_xX]

I have done several antiquity playthroughs, researching future techs every time, and have only sometimes gotten a boost towards an Exploration tech. Probably a bug.

[Mountain Man]

Basically, the better you do in one age, the better you will be positioned for success in the next age.

[Dray Prescot]

Most recently, when I made the change to Age of Exploration, I got a bonus +2 to my Settlement Limit (I had 9 Settlements / allowed 8 Settlements at the end of Age of Antiquity).