I agree with you on the increased micromanagement. I was definitely feeling the burden after my first play through. Some if it (with world resources) could be helped with timely indicators that tell you something can be upgraded.

I was actually thinking of Endless Space during one of the games while observing the extreme expansion that seems to occur in 1 or 2 AI players. Endless Space has a system where expansion has a global (or I guess universal in that game's case) impact on your population unrest, so if you expand a lot, you population becomes very unhappy. This could curtail the obscene amount of expansion in cities, but it would also add MORE micromanagement, so it would have to be done carefully.

Outpost expansion has to be limited somehow as well. A max number of them associated with each city, or some level of upkeep. They would have to be careful with this as well since it could easily turn into more micromanagement. Of course if there was an upkeep associated with them they would have to generate some sort of defenders as well.

I did feel a little bit choked on development with the world tile improvements being added to the city queues.

"Number of available buildings must be decreased. Now buildings are too many. Some of them do the same thing without having a roleplay feeling and strategy attached to them, they just add pain of micromanagement instead."

I really like the new building system, but agree that pioneers must have theyre faces mashed with a hammer or something, its abit tiresome to spam all these pioneers and outposts during startup just because it seems better than any other item I can put in my queue.

"Outposts autoupgrade automatically after 20 and 50 turns provided that corresponding tech is researched: Outpost -> Fortress -> Citadel, making each next with higher ZoC and bonuses inside it's ZoC. lvl 3 outpost should become strong defending strategical objects not easy to take over."

I am not a fan of the "Auto-upgrade" feature of outposts, Id much rather like if the ability to upgrade them was placed in an easier accessible location, like in the city that owns the outpost.

"Making resource improvements doesn't pile up a queue in a closest city, however it costs 20 guildar and takes 5-7 seasons. Similar to beta 3. Each additional upgrade cost guildar and takes time."

Really like how the cities have to build everything

Well in general, I only think your number 1 proposal is good, and nr 3 and 4 is worth thinking about. Rest is just because seemingly you miss beta 3, I like most all the upgrades to cities and outposts, of-course missing balance and UI to be in place.

I really hope for the magic to hit the outposts too, they dont really seem very magical, and ill hope they'll add small animation depending on each upgrade chosen for the outpost!

Edit: Im an idiot, I have to wait for the upgrade to finish before the animation arrives

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

This game has not too much micro management. Auto-upgrades of outposts are bad, and give less strategy. I love how they now are a part of closest cities build queue. Why do the OP want less hard choices for himself? Some micro that could be avoided if shards and other ressources, pluss outpost upgrades, could be visible in the cities build screen alternatives.

Micro for no reason is bad (example lack of tooltips makes you have to click here and there for cruical info). Micro for a reason is good.

I agree though it should be a greater cost somehow when a pioneer build a city, compared to an outpost.