I don't know how much proof you need.
Its obvious the nerfing & the changes put forth by Bitzsam has been a total bust & failure.
Did you think Bitzsam had a valid reason when he made those changes?
If so why is the population shrinking?
The point of the game is to expand not stay constant or shrink.
If theres close to no change or negative change what was the point of the changes?
At least the guns back then were a lot more fun Cripple cannon, Morano Thompson, etc.
Every game developer wants to see their ideas spread & more people using their product.
& Bitzsam if hes being honest with everyone & himself would have to say that the changes he made were entirely & utterly & plainly pointless & totally regressive in the broader view.
Bitzsam credit to him has great Graphics but in terms of understanding what people want & creating a runaway game is a total disaster.
Graal Era before the changes was just a dumpster but now after the changes its a Flaming Dumpster & its only a matter of time before the game slowly burns to a pile of ashes.