Wow! I leave town for 12 hours and half my entire message index is filled by this thread!
Well, in answer to the original post, you're right, and so is everyone else here. There isn't a single argument made in this entire thread that hasn't been broached here before at one time or another or, in many cases, several times over. I've argued in favor of stability many times and am happy as a clam that the last stable build completely meets my needs. That - horror of horrors - 4-month-old build is newer than a lot of everyday software I use and nearly bug-free. A1 is a volunteer project and I commend the development team for continuing to work on it and make it better. If you don't like the way it's going, acquire the skills needed to be a developer yourself and contribute to the effort. Complaining to an all volunteer effort about their direction is no different than the newbies here who say 'I have a great idea for a scenario - please develop it for me.'
Is E0 really the future? Although I have been incredibly impressed by its progress and have had to eat some humble pie about my earlier comments on it, the fact remains that it will never be a real Marathon engine. Not unless it can open, import or convert existing Marathon maps. Show me any evidence of an E0 map editor. A1 has one - it's called Forge and while it doesn't address all our needs, at least it exists.
Yes, there are differences of opinion and the continuing discussion here is evidence that Marathon is very much alive and well, whether it's the original games, A1 or even E0.
