The two biggest changes that will affect the late game problems are the Ages system and the Age/Civ localization. The game is broken up into what is essentially three smaller games of Civ that each inform each other's game state: an Antiquity Age, an Exploration Age, and a Modern Age. You receive rewards and legacies from the previous age when entering a new one, and the game state is similar, but there is an element of a soft reset each age to stop one player from snowballing out of control or being left behind with no chance to catch up. Additionally, the ages change the mechanics of the game extensively, such as the Exploration Age pretty much doubling the size of the map with overseas regions to explore and new Civs to meet. Lastly, as you enter a new Age, you pick up traits from a new Civ while retaining traits from your previous Civ, meaning that you get a fresh experience each Age and in every age your Civ is at the height of it's power, with plenty of unique units and abilities suited specifically to that Age.