Having competed the tutorial and about to start a custom game, I have two issues with the game:
- Are you aware that the game is trying to establish an outbound internet connection with a Unity address? So my firewall tells me. To block the attempt doesn't have any negative effect, but without a firewall players would have no idea that this is happening. It's probably not a far-fetched guess that Unity would like to collect data from my PC - which would very likely be not compatible with EU laws (unless actively and explicitly approved by me).
I noticed a similar attempt when playing another Unity game, and the developers removed the attempt (compiler option? - I don't know) after I had informed them.
- Is it true that a custom game is limited to 30 expeditions? Is there a particular reason for this limit? Is this an Early Access setting? Are you planning to make the number of expeditions a selectable option (including an unlimited number of experditions)?
I will play a custom game and see whether or not I consider the limitation acceptable or not - in general, I don't like limitations of this kind.

1. We are not collecting data from your computer, but the game has cloud saves, that's probably why your firewall can. We don't use unity analytics due to the mentioned reasons. Nevertheless, we are going to look into it in detail. Same with achievements, which are not available in GOG version for now.
2. Yes, the custom game is limited to 30 expeditions. Yes, there is a reason. The whole game is designed and balanced for 30 expeditions. In career mode, it still will be 30 expeditions permission (but we can not tell you details) for one mission. We could deliver you an option for the custom mode to set a lower number of expeditions, however, the experience would be worse. We think about Archeo in terms of missions, which have 30 expeditions and same goes for custom games. Changing the number of expeditions would cut off the End Game or/and the Mid Game and player should discover that in a certain timeframe there's need of changing the tactic.
We couldn't let new players enter the world of Archeo: Shinar with the ability to start a custom game with a limit of turns on 10 expeditions because it would ruin (or at least drastically change) the gameplay. One would not train explorers, because it would be wiser to just change their attitude to get the best result but there would never be real consequences due to the small number of expeditions. Same goes with the random events. Some of them are bigger structures and need time to deliver the outcome of your decisions (even if you get notifications and effect after making a decision, it probably will have more implications in the future).
We don't say NO to giving players the option to change the number of expeditions in the custom game, but we wouldn't feel ok with this before the career mode is released.

Best Regards
Artists Entertainment

Thanks. I don't think YOU are trying to collect data, and I don't think it has to do with cloud saving (unless the data would be saved in a Unity cloud). The address is config.uca.cloud.unity3d.com, IP: 35.241.26.53:443 (according to my firewall). There are a number of mentions of the link address when you search the internet, and I found this sentence (probably from a Unity guy and in answer to a corresponding query of a developer using Unity): "There is another setting to disable HW statistics within builds, which can be found in your Player Settings, under Other Settings -> "Disable HW Statistics".
Perhaps this discussion explains it: https://answers.unity.com/questions/1328961/why-is-my-game-connecting-to-configucacloudunity3d.html.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this looks very much like Unity is collecting data from my PC, and you can prevent it via a setting. If it's a setting I change change myself, perhaps you can tell me where that settings file is.
Let me repeat that unapproved data collection (even by a 3rd party) is illegal in many countries, among them the European Unity.

Regarding the expedition limit: If you feel changing it would damage the game balance and possible spoil player fun, then you are probably better off leaving it as it is. To be honest, I was surprised that you discussed fewer expeditions, while I was talking about more expeditions, even an endless mode (for single-player matches at least). To avoid confusion: I'm not interested in shorter games, in fewer expeditions. As I have not yet played a full game of 30 expeditions, I can't say if or how the limit will impact my game experience.
For the Early Access phase, however, the limit is perfectly acceptable for me.