I read that
Dev blog post myself and I think it's pretty interesting what they want to try and do. It reminds me a bit of
Avalon Hill's History of the World board game. In the board game players play through 7 epochs, and the start of each epoch has the player choosing a different civ. Then players score for their current civ and previous civs at the end of each epoch. The board game is conquest based so it was really all about how much can you expand your current civilization at at every epoch.
It will be interesting to see how Civ VII changes that up and makes it possible for civs in later ages to get more successful without having to conquer territory. As an example, I wonder if in the modern age we'll see fewer outright land wars and more trade or cultural conflicts.
Not gonna lie, I was also one of those people who save scummed and quit Civ games if I felt like I was falling way behind the other civs. Now at least I have an incentive to stay in the game; especially if I can still be competitive in a later age even if I "lost" in an earlier age. Plus I like that bit about the Legends and Mementos where I get rewarded even if I lose.
I also like it having memories of game sessions where I reminisce and tell myself "Remember when <X> happened? That was pretty cool". Previous Civ game sessions aren't like that for me, so I'm hoping this new 3-Act structure with Age Crises will create more memorable gaming sessions.
(Well, next year, once Windows 10 is no longer supported.)
In any case, I'll need a new machine before next October for the same reason. Presumably Civ 7 will be properly patched by then.
Yeah my determination to wait for the first patch is weakening.