The game ran for years before Revolt was even put into the picture. Revolt is what is pathetic. Only the modern mind believes that insurrection is a viable means of regime change. In ancient times, a revolt, is put down by the sword and thus, rarely lasted for long or enabled a city to join the other side. Instead, conquest is how the ancient world was won.
Warfare is to be swift and victory complete. The idea that I would spend troops and forces invading a city only to leave it and come back another day to do it all over again is against all doctrines of war. The game creators added revolt because so many casual players demanded to have more time to defend themselves. So, they gave in and created a pathetic system of giving a player 12 more hours in which to fend off a conquest. What kind of player prefers revolt over conquest? The turtle, total sim city defensive player.