I can't decide whether it is arrogance or ignorance, but there are certainly quite a few irritations around. I haven't read the feedback on the Dutch forum about the AW changes, but I did see what happened after the cancelled FA when the announcement came about a week after it was cancelled and was done in a very casual "well, you know, stuff happens" way. I still get really angry about the whole situation and the fact that an event actually starts and bombs so badly that it has to be cancelled. And for Inno to then say that they would rather cancel it than let their valued players have problems, is one of the stupidest things I have seen in the game in a long time. It bombed because attention to detail is a constant problem now and no number of platitudes can explain that away.
I fear that we may be closing in on the situation we have spoken about often, namely that if you irritate people enough, they eventually leave. There is a lethargy that is slowly seeping through the game and unfortunately most people don't bother to visit the forum (much less comment) which leads Inno to believe that it is really only the few of us who do visit that don't like certain things. I think this will turn out to be the biggest mistake.
I don't know much about developing games, but I do know about marketing and customer service. I particularly dislike the way that players who have been around for a long time often suffer the most from the changes. People who are loyal to the game should be cultivated. Changes are inevitable, but then be honest and admit when you made a mistake. People still won't like it, but at least they will appreciate a proper explanation and feel like someone actually cares enough to give one.
The saddest thing is that giving feedback and ideas is becoming a waste of time. And I think this is the second biggest mistake - if people actually bother to tell you things they like and don't like, you should pay attention and not just carry on as if nothing was said. But hey, apparently in the world of game development you can do whatever you want and people will stick around. Right?