Oh wow thanks a lot for the kind words!
Yes I do need to try and tackle how to expand and add new content and mechanics, I have a few ideas which once implemented hopefully can extend the gameplay - I will be adding a shop similar to Slay the Spire/ Monster train and will be creating a lot more objectives.
Great point about the pacing / research, now you mention it I totally agree, I will try and address that by tweaking a few things and adding an easier to achieve research node before the +1 region. Thanks for letting me know about the bug regarding that too, I'll try and repro.