Ok, more good thoughts, although I do tend to sometimes shift my research around a bit - back off APBs back onto PPBs
It's hard to tell if my PBB design coming out in a recent skirmish will actually lead to phased shields being very common in the level of game advanced-ness we have.
Facility upgrades - I'm wishing I had more research and being outpaced by some people with TRs and uncrippled trade. I have a TR with a harmless seeming partner, but I have that crippled all the way. With upgrading, do I want to get research III and upgrade I -> III or is that possible?
It can be tricky, without the feel of experience, to know precisely what economic/shipaccessory/scientific/weapon tech to focus on over time. I want to keep my fleet up to date, but it may be that the only player strong enough to pose a serious threat has agreed to permanent peace out of a desire not to grind himself down against his strongest opponent. So I'm left in a bit of a cold war sitution hoping he doesn't use his greater free space to win, or gobble up the colonies of smaller neighbors.
Still number 1, but a generic figure like that isn't too reassuring.