Sure, the colonists file is far from perfect; at least from the perspective of human controlled nations. However, the AI nations perform in a pretty historical fashion if left alone, and that is IMO what matters the most. The number of colonists available to an AI controlled nation does have a clear effect on their colonizing efforts and I suspect that lowering the number of for example English colonists even slightly would mean a lot fewer English colonies.
I am not adverse to experimentation, although I think that the IGC should still focus on providing a historical progression for AI nations rather than a well balanced human player experience (if mutually exclusive).
As for removing all of the ship yards, I am dead against it. Their presence reflects the historical ability to mass produce ships, not just the extra colonist.
I am not adverse to experimentation, although I think that the IGC should still focus on providing a historical progression for AI nations rather than a well balanced human player experience (if mutually exclusive).
As for removing all of the ship yards, I am dead against it. Their presence reflects the historical ability to mass produce ships, not just the extra colonist.