[Poll] Defining early, mid and late game?

[Diezy]

Brackets of 50 years are a good objective way to count things.

Early is the first 50 years. You can't challenge absolutely all the space creeps, the galaxy is pretty unexplored, there are many planets to go around to colonize. Also is pre-Battleship era.

Mid-game is the next 50 years. Usually that point where almost all the borders are drawn. You start to see government changes, and the neutral space creeps like Drones and Amoobas are gone. Terraforming/Uplifting begin to happen.

Late is 100 years and beyond, when Fallen Empires awaken and Crisis can happen!

 

[uleslaw]

Early game: between 8 am till 2 pm (allowed during weekends). Mid game: just after comming home from work, till the evening. Late game: from 10 pm till deep night (only if you do not need to get up early next morning).

 

[pheonicia]

Early to Mid game transition is when you go from having to save minerals for a colony ship, to having to save up influence to use it.
Mid to Late game transition is when individual planets no longer matter to you and you start seeing several repeatable techs as options.
I would also add end game as a period where you start seeing repeatable techs as being more worthwhile than what few regular ones are left and game fatigue starts to set in heavily.

 

[Azuraal]

Early game: Most empires don't know of each other.
Mid game: All empires know of each other.
Early late game: galactic contenders are firmly established.
Late game: AE and crisis.