I do agree with a lot of what you have mentioned. Having the unlocking of certain organelles be based on random chance doesn’t sound like a smart idea, and I don’t believe it bodes well for representing the continuity of evolution. I feel the same extends to mutation points, to an extent, as well. Most games rely on a sense of progression as a major component of why said game is fun, re-playable, and varied. I had a thought which I had posted in a discussion here:
Progressive Upgrades Leading to Unlocking Features (Renamed from "Skill-Tree" Thread)
which basically suggested the addition of some sort of unlocking system akin to a “skill tree” of a sort, which could be optimized to encourage a wise allocation of mutations to adapt to your environment in a way that seriously reduces the problem of organ gluttony, while demonstrating a continuous derivation of morphology from precursor structures as is seen in real-world evolution.
Of course, unlocks are not necessarily representative of how evolution works, but I feel that it’s much better than simply being limited by a point system, which allows for the problem of organ gluttony and random jumps in cell function which just don’t make sense or don’t feel significant or earned under MP; for example, going from prokaryotic to eukaryote just by saving up for a nucleus, which feels rather underwhelming I feel… Wouldn’t it be cooler if you earned a nucleus by unlocking certain aspects of your cell - - such as the cytoplasm, mitosis, and the membrane - with many different “upgrade paths” being offered to you until you worked up to said nucleus, hence adding so much more depth and diversity to a game which prides itself on replay-ability?
In the discussions I had with devs, it sounds like they have some sort of progression system being worked on behind the scenes, so they might just be using mutation points as a simple game mechanic until this system is fully developed; if so, I think it would be cool if they revealed some of this thinking, as it could seriously hype up the forums, I feel.