Hi Bobby, no worries on the words, you're a hero as far as I'm concerned!
On point 2 - I think there is a disconnect for me in terms of having whole map actions. It opens up almost too many opportunities because I can do anything (within reason) anywhere. On the map agents are more intuitive in my opinion because they can guide the player to correct play styles. For example the "Fish Man that makes Fish Men colonies" needs to go near the coast. The "Enthralled/Noble/Political agent" needs to go in a city. The "Military Leader agent" goes on the front lines so on and so forth. Personally I find this type of presentation much easier to comprehend, but I appreciate it's a preference thing.
With regards to point 3 - perhaps greater feedback would help here? Show the player how the political landscape is likely to change based on certain actions, show what will happen if no action is taken. I found myself just voting for the most popular choice in my playthroughs, because I was unsure as to the risks of doing otherwise or the benefits. I know there are overlays to show the "nations" but if we had some way to see where the political tensions were I think this would be really useful. Where are the political tensions and what nobles do I need to defame to get the results I want?
I have yet to play the new version, though I have downloaded it. I'll give it a spin when life settles down a little more and provide feedback but it sounds already like a fantastic improvement. Names/Gods/whatever that allow a variety of playstyles (and direct the player to do so) are a great addition, in my opinion.
I recall playing the older versions with "lightbringers" and "world panic", I enjoyed that mechanic immensely, personally.
No worries on dev speed - as I said you're doing the (Dark) Lord's work creating this and making it open source and can only offer my thanks at this stage! Out of interest - are you looking to get your development expertise to a point where you feel you may be able to create the game/kickstart/crowdfund it as more than a hobby?