I've noticed that the tech tree feels a bit off, especially as the game progresses. Most games I feel like I have the same endgame tech, even if I try to specialize, so it doesn't feel as special as it might.
First off, decoupling the trees a bit. I like being able to specialize my tech to a game situation, and I'm usually trying to unlock a tech to get a certain capability. Right now it feels like, if in Gal Civ I wanted Phasors, I needed to get Galactic Stock Exchanges, Total Majesty, and Antimatter Powerplants and the full tree prerequisites for those as well. I don't want to have to study alliances and bonding ceremony, education and such to get a fire weapon. It also makes tech poor kingdoms a no starter, since you can't gun for a specific capability to fill in a hole.
Secondly, it would be nice if capabilities (especially for troops) were unlocked earlier -ie the full suite of armor types and weapons. Fallen Enchantress seems to have a very interesting set of counters tactically - resistances, weapon damage types, etc. But technologically it takes most of the game before you can play with that. It makes the balance of armors feel linear: leather-> mail -> plate -> magical , rather than have the complexity that resistances and damage types imply. Its probably why early spear troops feel so good to keep the entire game without bothering with other stuff. Early on, their damage is fine to level, and later on piercing is the counter to the endgame heavy armors.
I'd like to be able to make a magical weapon early on to counter a magical beastie, if I can grab crystals (those ophidion drops might mean a bit more!). Maybe it costs a ton, and isn't nearly as good as a normal sword against most things, but if I needed a counter, there it is. Or rudimentary plate or mail or leather as early choices. Just get that rocks/ paper / scissors in early rather than needing to complete 60-80% of the game techs to be able to build counter units. Then have the later techs fill out those basic armors /weapons, making them better, cheaper, nicer. Ultimately, making it feel a bit more like Gal Civ or other games where there are several lines of weapon/ defenses, rather than now how the tech layout is making things feel like a straight line progression.
Its not breaking the game for me, or making weep, but as I play a bit more I do realize that more and more games are feeling like the same thing techs and buildings and troops wise. Which leads to a more bland feeling than I think the underlying mechanics should provide.