Clearly the aggregate advantage or disadvantage grows when additional, even minute, elements are added to an equation. That is straightforward.
There are a number of different ways the MA could arguably “place builders at a building disadvantage” if one first accepts the proposition that pre-building or even certain other attributes fall within a “builder’s sphere” (which I wouldn't, but that's a different subject) – i.e., an MA-owner could build high-shield armies for disbanding elsewhere (does that make it a builder’s toy rather than a warmonger toy?); the MA offers an additional culture point per turn (and so will the Pentagon); etc.
I am not advocating ignoring the additional, ancillary effects of game features or AU mod changes – but I think it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. From the viewpoint of someone who will play the AU Mod on only limited occassions, the fact that the decision to make the MA available to all at MT could depend on the fact that it offered an additional pre-build opportunity (or offered additional high-shield builds for disbanding, or offered increased cultural production) just comes across as surreal.
At its simplest level, I am no doubt simply disagreeing with the weights you must be ascribing to the MA itself and to the ancillary effects an available MA offers (principally the pre-build). But I’d argue that if such ancillary effects can tip the balance on a close decision about a more substantive feature, then the AU Mod would be better off looking for ways to negate the ancillary effects.
Catt
There are a number of different ways the MA could arguably “place builders at a building disadvantage” if one first accepts the proposition that pre-building or even certain other attributes fall within a “builder’s sphere” (which I wouldn't, but that's a different subject) – i.e., an MA-owner could build high-shield armies for disbanding elsewhere (does that make it a builder’s toy rather than a warmonger toy?); the MA offers an additional culture point per turn (and so will the Pentagon); etc.
I am not advocating ignoring the additional, ancillary effects of game features or AU mod changes – but I think it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. From the viewpoint of someone who will play the AU Mod on only limited occassions, the fact that the decision to make the MA available to all at MT could depend on the fact that it offered an additional pre-build opportunity (or offered additional high-shield builds for disbanding, or offered increased cultural production) just comes across as surreal.
At its simplest level, I am no doubt simply disagreeing with the weights you must be ascribing to the MA itself and to the ancillary effects an available MA offers (principally the pre-build). But I’d argue that if such ancillary effects can tip the balance on a close decision about a more substantive feature, then the AU Mod would be better off looking for ways to negate the ancillary effects.
Catt

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