In these types of games, when an empire becomes large, all the minutiae decisions very relevant in the early game become tedious exercises. It seems then that i

In these types of games, when an empire becomes large, all the minutiae decisions very relevant in the early game become tedious exercises. It seems then that in 4X games, the game could evolve in response to the change your empire's complexity, including new UI, new strategic considerations, and even removal of features from the earlier stages of the 4X game. Individual units might be glommed together into a larger superunits. The map might change to a larger field of view..move from warfare to economic rivalries. The point I am making is that the tedium of late levels versus the intense fun of the beginning, is partly because the game stays the same. Change the game, and that expansionist fun can be highlighted again.