When I play I always count victory points - how do you know what to do if you don’t know how many points people have or how close the game is to ending? Adjust

When I play I always count victory points - how do you know what to do if you don’t know how many points people have or how close the game is to ending? Adjusting your play during the course of the game as the game gets closer to ending is a crucial part of the game. If you’re surprised when the game ends you weren’t paying enough attention!