"Gamey" tactics like "Rock, none" races

[Grandpa Kim]

Balance doesn't take away strategic options, it gives you more. What you want
are tactics that are good in situation 'X', but not so good in 'Y'.

And that is the secret. Choosing a high construction rate should cost me something of equal value whether it be research speed, happiness or to hit probability. Determining that "equality" is the rub. For instance:

but it is not as good as any of the Big Four (Adv. Storage,
HI, Propulsion, Ancient Race).

In my opinion, you can drop Ancient Race and give me Natural Merchants. Does this mean you are wrong, Spoon? No, it may mean we have wildly different styles! Or perhaps one is better than other. I don't know... but I will continue using Natural Merchants while not even considering Ancient Race.

If we had all of the several hundred regulars on this board set down on paper, their "perfect" balance, we would not get two the same. Simple differences in style and outlook would overrun the "perfection". ... But we would discover a dozen or more things that everyone thinks are too strong or too weak. Perfection is unattainable but improvement is very possible.