Thanks for playing and giving thorough feedback!
I'll admit that yeah, the art is clashing a lot right now. I sort of pick parts to update here and there, but I probably should just sit down and focus on one specific area.
The countdown for events is actually just by any action you take, the only exceptions being the secondaries of the 4 basic buildings that just show you data. You're right in that this could be better communicated.
And yeah, difficulty is still up in the air. A lot of the values now are just vibes. It's good to know it's too easy right now.