This strikes a cord with me for sure. I loved this game during that time, started a few months prior and was building up my arena team and just having an all around good experience. Maybe NF was riding the coat tails of previous management, when they finally took over, their lack of experience was on display, and the game nose dived. After the beginning of the year, arena dropped. Like I said in Nickos post this game just wasn't ready, I came in as a ghost and completely locked it down. The devs clearly were not happy and executed a series of system changes to slow down grinders, while swinging the nerf bat left and right. Total confusion and chaos on their part. The rest of the game suffered as a result, and it continues on.
I remember a Sparton post week 1 of arena defending the system they implemented by using me as an example when I passed Nicko basically saying any unknown can excel, so I think in the beginning they had gamers in mind and good intentions. Looking back, it's pretty hilarious now.
They destroyed the game by trying to destroy gamers from arena. The problem is other more popular games have hundreds of people just like me, they didn't want any single player winning so they went against the gaming grain instead of attracting more people and went with trying to invent a new PvP style system and meta strategy, which affected all aspects of the game and failed miserably.
Let the players play and give up on your broke ass PvP system, test your updates more thoroughly so less drastic changes are needed a few weeks later, this solves my main qualms. Maybe the game just has a planned life cycle through the tour and there is no long term plan, no end game, just get some cash and get out, money grab as you say. Sure seems that way, but I'll continue to hope and think otherwise and that they read these posts until I see the servers die.
If I didn't love the community and the potential of the game I wouldn't waste my energy on these forums. Some hate me, some love me, but for my love of everyone's passion for the game, I'll step in when needed and try to offer constructive criticism. Devs will listen, or run their cheap cash grab strategy while putting a stop to gamers, until this game officially sinks, depends on their end goal.