Design pet peeve: why do so many otherwise excellent games end with 10 minutes of adding up 6 different scoring categories?
Ark Nova is a masterpiece but the final scoring is: conservation points + appeal + sponsors + animals + enclosures + map bonuses + ... You need a spreadsheet.
Contrast with Brass: Birmingham where your score is on the board the whole time. Or card games where final scoring is one simple count. Why has "endgame scoring salad" become the default?