Look, I think its pretty clear this game has been designed into the ground.
Of everything thats changed over the past few years, only the science change is decent. Everything else is bad. Rituals are terrible. WW bonus and exploration nerfs have ruined the growth vs war balance of the game.
At this point, it would be best if the devs stopped trying.
Here is what you should do instead:
Go pick an age in the mehul days, and run it exactly as it was then, except keep your science system.
Do this until the game dies.
The nostalgia would be much more fun then the changea we get currently.