Whats the deal with the diamonds in GE. You dropped the the 100 for a cultural building. And the cultural quest the Vikings is like dog chasing it's tail !!!! Build delete build something else delete then rebuild delete. That's not fun it's annoying. Then you put unmovable rocks in the very tiny building space you give us! I am seriously thinking about finding a non inno game to play !!!
It seems like inno has decided to get into the players pickets.
The GE pans out over time to something that's generally helpful at least for most players. When completing GE is still difficult for you that's when you tend to feel the worst about the prizes because they don't seem to match the effort you put into it. But most things in the game are geared towards preventing people well-adjusted to it from spamming for lucrative items. Get over that initial hump and GE will become more-or-less automatic enough for you where you aren't necessarily bothered by not getting a great item.
If you're like me than the addition of the Cultural Settlements might end up taking up too much of your time. The way I view it is I don't necessarily need to be glued to it to participate. I might not win the time-checked rewards, but a fairly decent level of participation will probably net you the Yggdrasil. The rocks are there to keep it from being absolutely mindless effort, I suppose.
I've thought about going to another game, but this ones perfect. The slow pace actually allows me to play while doing other things. It can grow on you also. My suggestion would be to just play through it once. If you end up liking it you can get your rhythm down and it will be easier the next time. If not, hope you find a game that is better for you. I gave up waiting for the next Elder Scrolls, and after that last Fallout Out I'm not sure if I want it anymore.