We seem to have very different opinions about the degree of success this game has enjoyed.
The game's flight mechanics, it's setting, and the freedom allowed to players, in the micro, and macro scales, can only be considered a success. I don't engage with ground/on-foot content, and I am still in it just for the spaceships. That's how successful ED has been to me.
I guess I can accept compromises more than others, but you can't fault a company for listening to it's Backers and sticking to their guns. 10 yrs on, and I am still buying up DLC from FDev. Just short of a whale over here, I want them to keep it coming.