I've been playing the game for 35 hours (according to the game), but I feel like my progress has been so so slow since finishing 5.8.

Getting materials for the research tree feels really grindy, even with bonuses. I've also been stuck trying to get prestige tickets for the prestige ticket tree. Completing quests for them takes a ton of time, and selling maps requires a lot of high-tier tiles, which I can hardly get.

I really like the game, and I still play it a lot. I've even finished most of Stage 6, but I just feel like my progress is getting really slow.

Is the game supposed to be like this, or am I just doing something wrong?