I completely agree with your points. Server merges are one of the biggest reasons many players lose interest – it feels like all your progress suddenly becomes meaningless when you’re placed next to accounts that are years ahead.
The point is not that you literally lose everything overnight, but that after merges, some guy with 25M Battlecruisers shows up and you have absolutely no way to defend yourself. From his perspective, you’re basically the same as an inactive player – just another farm target. This is what kills motivation. It’s not about being lazy or not wanting to grind, it’s that the power gap becomes so huge that active players are treated like free resources instead of competitors.
There really needs to be some common ground when it comes to scaling noob protection. The strongest players shouldn’t be so overwhelmingly dominant that they immediately crush the motivation of anyone starting a new account on an old universe. Otherwise, what’s the point of a merge if someone who used to be top 10 ends up not even in the top 200? At the very least, there should be some kind of protection that scales with account strength, giving newer or weaker players a bit of security from those who are far stronger. That way, the game remains competitive instead of discouraging.
As for expedition scaling, sure – it makes sense that the more you invest, the more you get back. But realistically, look at how much it takes to reach Astro 35, 36, or even higher. For a free-to-play player, reaching those levels is basically impossible – maybe in 10 or 20 years. That’s where the game pushes you toward spending big money. If expeditions scaled with the top player instead, then even free-to-play players could feel some meaningful progression. It wouldn’t just be a system that rewards only the biggest spenders, but something that keeps everyone engaged.
Regarding rewards for Astro, it’s just a small boost for other players coming into an old universe. It would also be nice for veteran players to feel some recognition from the game for being loyal for years. I understand that the developers need to make a living, but logically, it would make sense to target a lot more players, not just the 40–50 who are constantly active. If you look at alliances, the same core players just move from one universe to another – basically the same group of people playing all the time.
As for the part about 3D graphics, if that’s really what you want, go play something like EVE Online or a similar game.
much love
dont know how to put proper post on forum? or ur 
