We've managed to make it slightly better by playing on a small map and having my friend host (he has the slower computer)- that worked pretty well for the first game doing that with only a few late game desyncs but this game it's gotten bad again. The only difference between these two games is my playing tall last game (as a megacorp) and wide this game- so more planets and more pops for the non host. Though there is a lot more activity on the slave market and refugees given there's a few exterminators and the like running about, too.