Loans - feels like it is mandatory. It offers such a boost at the start, whether u use it for early upgrading or buying your first army for first grabs. Make it hurt more! Don't know how, but if it stays like it is now, then it won't offer much of a strategical advantage, because i guess everybody will use it. If you tweak it to be very weak, then noone will take it. So I don't know. I'd preferably remove it, unless someone has a clever idea about it. Or keep it like it is now - although it doesn't necessarily shuffle the top3 around, it may seem appealing to newer players.

Science for upgrades - Puts a lot of demand for science. Not a bad idea. Brings more money into the circulation, than with using money. I also like the fact that you can now upgrade with units on hand. Maybe the next step would be to reduce the number or available upgrades? I dislike to see all these newer players in my nation who have everything upgraded to level 3, it's not obvious that actually you need to have your unit at either level 1 or level 8. And on some cases at level 4. But that's it. You don't see superpasha or margus with level 7 ships at the end. You even don't see maggio with everything upgraded to level 5.