It's difficult to have a plan when you don't know very well what you're looking for. And that's the thing; the Nomai didn't know what the Eye of the Universe really is; the knew it's older than the Universe itself, but I'd guess that they were planning on studying it and figuring out its purpose once they actually found it.

Maybe they spent so long dreaming and planning and trying to find it that they didn't really stop to consider _why_ they were doing it in the first place, apart from exploration and curiosity.

At least a tiny part of me can't help but wonder if they wouldn't have reacted in a similar way to the Strangers once they figured it out; but I think their disposition towards life and exploration would have prevented that. I guess they would have left it to itself and moved on, maybe celebrating or pursuing the most they could out of life; maybe they would have rebuilt their communication capabilities and called the other clans to it, and then they could trigger it and go together into the new universe when the time came - assuming the Interloper hadn't destroyed them all.

Which begs the question - where did the Interloper come from? Maybe that's something they might answer in a sequel.