Thoughtadmiral

Having a small setup zone for unit placement is very good for avoiding death by wolves. It also makes fast melee glass cannons much weaker. It should be rather easy to have a battle order grid that is the default for an army and this will avoid the silly squishy mage in the front dies horribly as heavily armored tanks watch from the back. Making a hero track that expands the zone or allows more variation on placement is a good heroic ability. For example, having troops 1 tile

One might also consider picking a city defense upgrade each time a city levels. The choices could be meaningful if they fit with research posture, for example. I also wish all cities could build walls. I think each city structure contributing something to city defenses is an elegant suggestion. I'm very pleased with the continuing evolution of this game.