Little suggestion: What do you think about a real timeline in the upper screen that show you your current state in time. It’s moving from left to right and you can invest more ressources to go faster if you want or less ressources to go slower.
You would start in the first age and it’s moving slowly in the next age from the first second of the match. You will spend x amout of ressources every few seconds and you can increase or decrease the amount at any time in your main building instead of clicking a simple button.
So you have to manage your ressources but it also feels more realistic and natural to advance into new technologies etc. I think it would feel a lot better than a simple button and countdown you have to wait for.
Just a simple thought. 
Can’t wait for later today!