Troop training speed up

because then you'd unlimited instant troops and people could just train enough to put them under the free troop time and rinse repeat until they were out of food/food tokens.

 

I think improving the curve would work well. If lower research / TH players could make troops slightly faster it would slightly impove the balance.
Overdoing it would have a negative effect.

 

That’s why we have barracks to upgrade and build

 

Are you suggesting the barracks effects being reduced and the base speed increased?
That does sound like a feasible solution to the end effect I’m suggesting.

 

Building and upgrading barracks improve troop training speeds along with research under the army strength tree