City spam still seems like a problem. By spamming right now, you get:
*A bigger ZoC
*Access to resources you might not get
*More versatility in production (either buildings or units)
*Faster travel time (with roads)
A few large cities just doesn't seem like a viable option to win. I'd love to see more bonuses given to cities as they level up, a higher cost for pioneers (maybe split between ones that make outposts vs. settlements?), and increased distance between settlements.
The other added benefits to less city spam would be game performance (I'd assume) since there would be less things to calculate/display.
Spamming could/should be one strategy, but so far it seems like the only really viable one.