[PhilD]

Yeah, but over the short term the extra income will let you expand faster. So the shorter the game (like, small maps), the more important it will be to have an explosive start - on the short run, more income at the cost of death scales works better.

Me, I like to play long solo games in which growth scales work, but I think, in most MP games, they're typically not worth it unless you also get the other benefits (like influence over events and aging).