With some trepidation, last night I installed the 1.4 patch. I was pleasantly surprised that it was very quick even though I have a crappy satellite connection.
I was worried I'd hate the removal of the local wheel. So I'm writing to express strong support for the change. Without all the blasted planetary minimax, the game is MUCH faster and more fluid.
I doubt if I'll ever use the governors, unless I masochistly play another Insane map. I have my own ideas on where to place improvements, and I'm happy the new system still permits that.
Good job, devs.