I've been a part of Star Citizen since the very beginning—backing the project in July 2013 after following since the original Kickstarter in 2012. I'm also a Space Marshal. I didn’t "donate" this much money because I don’t care about this project—I care deeply. I want to see Star Citizen become a reality just as much as every other backer here, frustrated or otherwise. I've witnessed the highs and lows of this community, from moments of genuine excitement to outright frustration. We’ve weathered countless controversies—within these forums, across Reddit, and even through third-party journalism. I’ve watched a staggering number of videos on YouTube, both praising and condemning CIG’s choices over the years. But this… this feels different. There’s a deep-seated resentment now, one I’ve never seen before. And it’s no wonder why. The player base is being blatantly ignored. The latest changes, especially the Master Modes adjustments, sparked a backlash I haven’t seen since the disaster of hover mode. How a core gameplay system like MM could be overhauled with so little regard for the community’s feedback is staggering. I've watched all my Discord channels become ghost towns, my friends list emptying by the day. Everywhere I look, forums are buzzing with talk about a rapidly declining player base. These changes have fundamentally altered the experience for many, and it’s painfully obvious that CIG didn’t listen to its players beforehand. edit: I’d also like to call out the "pea soup" visual effect that you implemented, which another user pointed out so politely. Instead of giving us night vision, better scanning options, or even just the simple ability to turn off cabin/bridge lights, you opted for "pea soup mode," turning the entire game into a murky green mess. It's arguably the laziest design choice you could have made. Worse, it feels like you’re reducing render distance to make the game run better on consoles—a platform you specifically promised wouldn’t be your focus. And this explanation fits right in with the Master Modes decision, which reeks of being a console-friendly control scheme that’s cumbersome for PC players using HOTAS, HOSAS, or even mouse and keyboard setups. All of these are design choices you've made entirely disregarding player feedback to the contrary. But you didn’t stop there, did you? You went ahead and crippled the tractor beam, reducing its traverse speed and turning box-moving into a tedious, grindy process. I went out and bought a Logitech G502 Hero purely out of spite—because if I’m forced to spend $40, it’ll be on a decent gaming mouse, not on this arthritis-inducing, poorly designed tractor beam mechanic you sold as a “fix.” I refuse to engage in your arthritis inducing mouse wheel scrolling minigame on any level. And now, here we go again. You’re gutting the Corsair, and it feels painfully obvious that this is to push the next ship you’ll market as the new “flavor of the month.” And making the co-pilot the chief button-pusher? Have you completely lost touch with reality? These decisions are so out of sync with what players actually want or need that it suggests something far worse than mere incompetence. It reeks of internal disarray. Worse still, it reflects a culture of toxic positivity, the very kind of corporate blindness that’s wrecking Ubisoft. But the rot runs even deeper than that. We’ve been waiting over a decade for this game to move beyond alpha, and we’re no closer to seeing a finished product. Server meshing? Am I supposed to be impressed by a hundred players in a game that’s been billed as an MMO? The "seamless universe"? What seamless universe? Twelve years in and we’re still celebrating our second star system like it’s a major milestone. These are all empty promises while we’re inundated with more ship sales and increased monetization. Twelve out of my fourteen ships are still nothing but jpegs. You push more and more ship sales, yet never deliver what you've already sold. How long are we expected to endure this perpetual alpha state with no clear path to a full release? It feels like CIG is more interested in pushing out new ships and half-baked, barely tested content than delivering meaningful gameplay progress. Meanwhile, long-standing bugs and game-breaking issues continue to plague the game, year after year. Crashes, glitches, broken mechanics—they’re all still there, unresolved. And what’s the go-to question? "Did you submit an issue council ticket?" But the common reply is disheartening: "Why bother? No one reads them anyway." That’s a serious problem, CIG. Instead of addressing the core gameplay that desperately needs fixing, you prioritize disruptive updates like Master Modes—features no one asked for. Why are we constantly dealing with systems we never wanted, while real issues are left to rot? And then there’s Squadron 42, your perpetual shield. It's always “two years away,” like clockwork. Every time we ask, the answer never changes. You promised that Star Citizen would benefit from the work being done on Squadron 42, so where is it? If Squadron 42 is truly in its polishing phase, where’s the finished content that was supposed to have made its way into the Persistent Universe by now? We’re still waiting. And then, there’s CitizenCon. What used to be a celebration of progress has devolved into a hollow, commercialized event. Instead of offering transparency or addressing the community’s real concerns, we get more marketing fluff and the endless parade of ship sales. For the first time since I backed this game, I have zero interest in CitizenCon this year. I won’t be watching it, and frankly, I don’t care. The growing apathy from the player base should concern you, but I’m starting to believe you’ve stopped listening altogether. This isn’t just my viewpoint—it’s what’s unfolding in front of us all. CIG, you owe your community more than just a hollow apology. We need a genuine, heartfelt explanation. Not the empty words we’ve heard before, but a real answer as to why you continue to ignore player feedback. Without us—the backers—you have nothing. If you want an example of how to truly engage with your community, take a lesson from Coffee Stain Studios. Watch a few of their press releases and see what proper, transparent communication with your player base actually looks like. It's time to step up. -A concerned backer