The only opther point I would add is longer play times, it always feels like the game is over too quickly. Maybe extended maps with open ended games (game ends when you reach a goal rather than time limit) so you can explore further would be cool too.
Getting pretty addicted to this despite what I said above, been filling a lot of my spare time between work etc. Getting some nice results for tech and happiness but I still feel like the end result is quite dependant on pure luck. Sometimes you just can't do anything with the planets you're given... Much like real life I suppose. :)