As stated by the team numerous times, 1.3 is the final major release. This time when it dies, it'll stay dead. The team has the power to avoid a train wreck, so why not do so? Why continue doing what they've been doing up to this point? Why did half the playing community leave after 1.2 came out? Why was there a huge influx of people who would play a week or so and then would never return again? Why is the team operating under the assumption that making 1.3 easier for new players will somehow make the game harder for pros? Why wouldn't adding what amounts to a lock-on system make the game easier for old players, and harder for newcomers because the pros have yet another advantage?
Yeah, ESF is as alive as ever. Forget the fact that there are more than 5 but less than 10 servers on a good day. Forget the fact that this forum is a shell of its former self, that there are maybe a dozen or so people who actually frequent the forum. No, that's all nonsense. ESF is doing as great as it ever has, and 1.3 will be the best version ever.
Stop kidding yourselves. Stop hiding information. Stop telling us we don't know what we're talking about and we're overreacting. Tell the public what you intend to do with the game so they can give you feedback and tell you what THEY, the people who actually play the game, want.
I'm a moron. I really am. Even despite being proven right time and time again, and even despite all of the evidence supporting my claims and my observations and opinions, I still can't help but hope you guys turn this around. This isn't just your game, anymore. This game belongs to all of us. We've been here for years, and we're still waiting for what was supposed to be one of the best mods in existence. Who knows? Maybe that time already came to pass with 1.0 and 1.1. Maybe I was wrong to hope the game would continue traveling uphill instead of walking off a cliff.
But even if I am wrong, I'll keep hoping until the game finally self-destructs. If that never happens, I can leave the community with a smile on my face. If it does, I can only walk away wondering what more we could have done to change your minds and fix what you broke.