1) Autosave, combined with the ability to restart from the beginning of the stage (one without the other is a recipe for disaster).
2) A sliding scale in a "gameplay options" menu to adjust the rate of "events" in the game. Be that pirate attacks, eco-disasters or assaults from other races.
3) The above will help as a stop-gap solution, but really there needs to be a move towards making this a less stressful game. I already have games that make me work hard to not get my **** kicked, I would have thought this would be a game I could chill out to.
4) There needs to be a way to negotiate with races that you're at war with.
5) Everything needs to be more spread out.
6) Can I, at the very least, train military air vehicles to protect my planets? I don't think I can. If that's the case then fix it!
I SURE YOU ARE READING THIS, MAXIS! Please listen to the community to help fix the gameplay flaws of this otherwise wonderful game.