You are probably right, my example is not the best or not clear in the first place. I don't like the updates for Age of Empires II because a new developer studio is working on it. If the original team (known as
Ensemble Studios who established this wonderful franchise
Age of Empires) would have pushed the updates, then I would definitely play it. But according to the current situation - where other developers make profit of other's work - I don't like playing the franchise anymore. It feels like betrayal. It's truly a pity that Microsoft fired Ensemble Studios. But I can wait long since Ensemble Studios will never come back...
To make a reference with the subject here: Nadeo, who originally created TMUF, is now working on newer versions of the franchise. Not any other developer studio to pollute this great franchise. So there is no "betrayal" involved. I hope it makes sense to you now ^^
But don't let the bad & complicated example forget my core message: Move with time; play the newer versions of Trackmania to support Nadeo and thus to increase the chance that we'll see TMUF
2 one day, hopefully not in 2020
Anyways, I totally agree that Maniaplanet is not doing well. Regarding its amount of players and regarding its very own system & structure. There is a lot to polish & fix. But we cannot stick to old stuff just because the new things do not work out well, no matter how long it doesn't work well. But what we can do is to apply good aspects of the old games to the newer ones like you said with the "flooded menu"
Greetings,
Soprah