The pings are so high nowadays because all of the good servers have taken their business elsewhere. I suppose they didn't feel like catering to such an immature community. I know I wouldn't want to host a server for the people that play this mod. I can't go into a server without seeing an argument pop up over something stupid somewhere at some time or another. In Specialists, I have fun. In ESF, I get hassled because I can play better than most. The community's sucked the fun out of the game, and then it wonders why there aren't any servers around but the ones where the hosts kick you out because you beat them, whether it's under their rules or not.