I totally empathize with this and am by no means condoning “poking” you or other devs constantly.
I do wonder if there is a way that issues like this one (i.e. a long-standing issue the community brings up frequently) could be handled differently, though - not that you guys are doing anything wrong by not updating us constantly even when there’s no news, but I wonder if there’s a better way. Back in the days when Salty streamed, she could field questions about issues like this or give us small progress updates on a more regular basis. The community could feel more heard and have a clearer picture of what was on the devs’ radar.
It’s hard when we give repeated feedback on issues like this, get told that feedback has been passed on, and then never heard about it again. For example, a month ago I asked about a 5-year-long frequently voiced concern regarding in-game World Event scoring and got no response. I don’t mean to draw attention to that specifically - I get y’all can’t respond to every post - but this is representative of a lot of long-standing concerns we raise. We get told they’re passed along, then it’s radio static for years on end. While I may not agree with people pinging you or other devs regularly about it, I do understand their frustration.
I wonder if there might be a way to have more clear communication, whether through Q&As every few months, developer livestreams like back in the day, quarterly “here’s what’s on the devs’ radar” posts, or something along that line. I know that company time is limited, but clear communication could really go a long way in the overall health of the game and its community.