The only real change is the Star pacing. I can take a look at the Star types.
Thulium and Promethion are affected some by habitable planets. But Durantium is affected by asteroid fields. I agree it’s a little annoying.
I feel like, it's not really the amount of durantium to mine that is the problem. I am currently producing 16 durantium per turn, at the end of the game (all research done). I tapped the market on what I could buy. I emptied 1/2 of the races of their durantium and prometheon, either by asking for peace right after their surrender (nice exploit there, btw...). I regularly traded for durantium with my allies&friends for as much as I could. Only a quarter of my starbases have been fully upgraded. A tiny fraction of my planets have industrial sectors. Yet, I only have 16 durantium left, one turn worth of production. 5 races left, 4 of wich I am not war, none with any durantium or prometheon left to trade.
In comparison, I have thulium and antimatter to build entire fleets of advanced mass drivers or missile equipped ships. Yet I am producing half of what I make on durantium. And there is still a market for that.
Upgrading an economic starbases require lots of durantium for trade&commerce modules, as well as industrial modules, IIRC. It requires a ton of prometheon for research modules (one of them requires 25 prometheon, the others a tad less). Artefact starbases require prometheon and durantium. Some missile/anti-missile modules require antimater, but the more advanced ones require elerium, just like beam&shields. Every mining upgrades requires durantium. Many of the industrial upgrades on planets require durantium. Almost no modules require thulium, it is mostly used for advanced mass drivers on ship.
Really, durantium is a problem, even if asteroids and resources are set to common.
