Not sure what direction the game is taking. Like many new developers, they seem to take their cue from core players. Also like many new developers, they begin changing the very things that made it Unique and enjoyable to the core players. I would offer this penny wisdom. When you hear that your core players want things to be "harder" or "more challenging" you are making it that way for everyone, including brand new players.
Many of the same players who ask for the difficulty and challenges will later ask for “quality of life" items. In terms of development hours, you are making it ha