I think it is the best trait, mostly on the back of double speed granaries being great, and cheap walls actually being stealthily-good for easy early defense + cheaper castles (which have amusingly good economic ROI). And D1 is like a poor man's agg c1 - not nearly as good early game, but gives the late game access to higher tier promos.
In particular, I think it shines at the stage of the game most likely to determine who is in the "pack of people who could win" and the also-rans (sort of t70-t120, being really rough there). Assuming you're going to build a granary is every city anyway, it both is a giant hammer yield in the midgame and allows every early city to be useful earlier, all in the stage of the game where being able to grab enough land and grow tall to get to relevant mil techs to conquer a neighbor (#guilds) are imo the key things to accomplish. And the walls/CG stuff is mildly synergistic with that as well, in as far as it makes it easier to defend on the cheap.
I don't think I had really thought abotu the benefit with regards to defending against naval warfare that much until I read your thread, which seems both true but pretty situational (not every game nor every map will result in the need to defend in that manner).
Would I nerf it? Probably before nerfing anything else, but to the extent I think there's a problem with RtR trait balance it is in whether the weakest 1-3 or so are compelling enough (Cre, Phi, Ind, imo). Not saying i'm confident that need buffs, but all are pretty meh unless you meaningfully adjust your playstyle to them, and it isn't obvious to me that the unlocked playstyle is good or useful enough to make up for a lack of mainline strength economic strength that other traits provide.*
*Spi also requires play style adjustments, but I am more confident in the utility of what you can do.
In particular, I think it shines at the stage of the game most likely to determine who is in the "pack of people who could win" and the also-rans (sort of t70-t120, being really rough there). Assuming you're going to build a granary is every city anyway, it both is a giant hammer yield in the midgame and allows every early city to be useful earlier, all in the stage of the game where being able to grab enough land and grow tall to get to relevant mil techs to conquer a neighbor (#guilds) are imo the key things to accomplish. And the walls/CG stuff is mildly synergistic with that as well, in as far as it makes it easier to defend on the cheap.
I don't think I had really thought abotu the benefit with regards to defending against naval warfare that much until I read your thread, which seems both true but pretty situational (not every game nor every map will result in the need to defend in that manner).
Would I nerf it? Probably before nerfing anything else, but to the extent I think there's a problem with RtR trait balance it is in whether the weakest 1-3 or so are compelling enough (Cre, Phi, Ind, imo). Not saying i'm confident that need buffs, but all are pretty meh unless you meaningfully adjust your playstyle to them, and it isn't obvious to me that the unlocked playstyle is good or useful enough to make up for a lack of mainline strength economic strength that other traits provide.*
*Spi also requires play style adjustments, but I am more confident in the utility of what you can do.
Fear cuts deeper than swords.
