Balance was barely considered during the beta. We had a rotating restricted civ pool for most of the beta (sometimes with none of the new civs wtf) and even when we could play, no scenario editor and SP made testing almost impossible.
Adding to that, the vast majority of beta testers were random SP players who barely played because it was MP only and who didn't have sense of balance to begin with.
To add insult to injury, there was a meager one balance patch between June and September when major flaws were already identified. They picked up the pace in the last month before release but as you can obviously see by the state of balance, it was nowhere near enough.
Long story short, the Beta was a huge mess and balance was not a priority by any stretch.
Adding to that, the vast majority of beta testers were random SP players who barely played because it was MP only and who didn't have sense of balance to begin with.
To add insult to injury, there was a meager one balance patch between June and September when major flaws were already identified. They picked up the pace in the last month before release but as you can obviously see by the state of balance, it was nowhere near enough.
Long story short, the Beta was a huge mess and balance was not a priority by any stretch.
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