I remember reading a post somewhere, possibly by a dev team member, explaining how the AI runs a civilization; turn by turn optimisation of taxation, spending, production, etc, etc. He went on to say that humans just don't do that, for a variety of reasons.
This has got me thinking. The AI can afford to do that because it has the time to perform those analysis tasks. Furthermore it can perform that analysis accurately becuse it has access to all of the factors which effect a certain value (like income or morale).
Players don't. We are not given sufficient information to make good judgements when we first start playing GC2. Furthermore those judgements only improve as play time increases and we gather empirical evidence.
Certain factors and calculations are explained to us, but there are many important ones that are not. Sometimes the factors that are explained are over-simplified. Morale is a good example. Apparently it is a function of population. But what are the specifics? If the AI has access to the information necessary to optimise their empire on a turn by turn basis, thus giving them a significant advantage (especially at higher level of difficulty), then I think it's only fair that players have access to the same information.
The documentation should provide more detail on exactly how important values are derrived.
While we wouldn't and couldn't use this information on a turn by turn basis, it would certainly help players make better decisions regading the planning and running of a civilization. I don't know about anybody else, but my success against the AI comes not from running a highly efficient and optimised empire - it comes from brute force numbers. Produce. Expand. Influence. Exterminate.
Since the AI can run both an efficient empire AND apply a brute force strategy (and in fact their optimisations lead to easier application of numbers), I think it gives them an advantage some people may find too hard to counter.
The Thalan a good case in point. Under the correct circumstances, with their production bonuses and starting techs an AI run Thalan empire multiplies like a virus. Unstoppable.
