(OT) Do you prefer to know game formulas?

[FarAway Pretender]

I think a little uncertainty is a good thing, and makes games more exciting to learn as well as to play.

HOWEVER, it bogs a game down when there are so many unknowns that you can never isolate all the variables without tedious, trial-and-error empirical sampling. I don't need exact numbers for every formula, but I need to know enough to compare different courses of action. It really comes down to how hard it is to experiment, and learn by trial.

I like formulae that are complex enough that I can figure out what's more important and what's less important, but I don't need to do all the math every time to develop a sound strategy.

If the cost of experimentation is low (e.g., "I set my cavalary to 'Attack Rearmost Enemies' and see how close they have to come to an enemy unit before breaking off to attack a nearby target"), that's good and improves the gameplay. I get it wrong a few times, but the price of those mistakes isn't catastrophic.

The "Wish" spell is a good, frustrating example at the other end. I love the idea of an open-ended spell like that, but it's too expensive for easy trial-and-error. 360 Astral Pearls later, I'm still wondering why I didn't just summon 7 Angelic Hosts.