Since the first 6.2 beta, games on gifted or normal, it seems the Iconians are lagging way behind in terms of technology and development. Well, normal is way too easy for me and gifted gave me problems with the Krynn before the last patch iteration, so maybe I'm just too strong for this level (and there were bugs in their tech tree)... But I keep giving them research tech in my games, and yet, it's as if they don't developp. I'm miles ahead of them, ahead of the other races too, particularly the Thalans, but not so much ahead of the other races early on. See the Drengin, on normal, early on, they have ships & fleets that are closely matched to my own. Only at a later stage can I developp better tech and beat them with no sweat, otherwise, I need more ships&troops to stand a chance (wich isn't a problem at normal).
So, in your games, how does it go? Especially with the latest 6.2 (.97.7) are they ever a powerhouse? are they evenly matched?