(Thought Exercise) Reduce knowledge to reduce AIP scaling.

[Histidine]

Ok, so you take more stuff than you need because you want a bigger boom at the end.  Basically: because it's fun.  Right?

And that's fine, just trying to clarify.

Exactly. In fact, I have no idea how much actually is enough. I'm an adherent of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates".

Rule  1: Pillage, then burn.
Rule 12:  A soft answer turneth away wrath.  Once wrath is looking the other way,
shoot it in the head.
Rule 37: There is no 'overkill'.  There is only 'Open fire' and 'I need to
reload'.

damn, no one got the reference?

I'm sure the AI's favorite is rule 34. No, not that 34, get your mind out of the gutter. "If you’re leaving scorch-marks, you need a bigger gun."

I got it   

I'm a firm adherent of Rule 9: Never turn your back on an enemy.

[Faulty Logic]

Anyway, if the exponential AIP growth is really such a big deal I can just take it out; it was added per a player request because each additional 20 AIP was becoming less and less important as each game went on.

I would say take it out. Each subsequent planet is less important than the previous ones for humans, too.