yeah i don't think they're actually supposed to be mk IV. If the ships just said mk IV but had actual mk III stats it would be ok, but the whole waves are actually mk IV, from the very start of the game. Only had 3-4 waves from the techno so far but they were all mk IV. My playstyle involves taking a lot of planets, getting to high AIP a lot. I reach 210-230 AIP in just 2-3 hours which basically means that The Core would be easier to play in the long term than techno's for me atm. Not that it matters much for me since i just play 7/7 right now, but still something that should be looked into IMHO.