Reloading meters indeed, comrade. Turn them on in the settings menu, they're distributed freely to all, in a brotherly manner.
To change planet names, go into the galaxy view and use the "notes" tool on the planet, then just alter the name. You'll see how.
And no, snipers are good - for sniping. Ever since they were rebalanced, they've actually become very useful. You can, for example, use them to take out specific highly threatening units like munitions boosters, or those that are too fast or too cloaked for your fleet to catch up with them. And the more you have, the less time you have to spend watching them reload. And hey, what's 700.000 units of crystal...petty change, that's what.
Nope, GTs and HBTs are unlocks, and I hate spending knowledge. In fact, I tend to spend none at all, and to get by on ARSs and Fabricators, until my expansion can go no further without unlocks. Also, when I open pandoras box and start spending knowledge, I immediately turn to knowledge-raiding every planet I have supply to. EVERY ONE. Which takes hours, and which is less fun than actually attacking.
And when I do spend knowledge, it's usually on mkIII fleet ships, RC Starships, Forcefields, and various support ships.