i do agree with Rilla on Sci-fi or fantasy all the way through even with a persistent universe as it was inevitable that arbitrary balancing mechanisms would be put to use.  Even if said balancing didn't address the technology issues that plagued say, a knight versus a gun man and don't bother to die to the rock paper sissors balancing which tech magic mundane had.  

 I also feel like I was part of the problem due to the network making other worlds too soon when it would have been better off as some political organization within the Sci-fi world than as its own civilization.  Honestly the Mylian Belt and the Network in general pretty much showed why you don't allow a group to make their own planets.

Probably would be better to limit groups to a set few factions whose culture and MO would be influenced by who joins them.  So for instance a general "communist" group which whose lore is developed by whoever joins it.  In general probably make world building something you must build inwards instead of outwards.  The GMs set the major factions and planets, the players than work within that being able to add species and abilities/technologies to the world.  In that regards having only 3 worlds was actually one of the better calls.