As for PVP not getting love... I'll say again what's been said before -- combat of all stripes has gotten the most love out of every profession in this game. Exploration, trade and mining mechanics are almost exactly where they were 2 years ago when the SRV was still new. Passenger missions is the only real new thing under the sun I can think of at the moment, unless you count ice mining which is literally mining, only ice, so I kinda don't. The mechanics are not fundamentally exactly the same, only the scenery is slightly different.
In the same timeframe we've got several new PvP options, a couple new weapons classes, ship launched fighters, and a whole mode CQC for players who like to fight.
And we get... passenger missions. I mean it's not like that's not a good thing but at the same time compare that with the repeated love and tweaking that the combat system has gotten in the same timeframe... you guys don't know how lucky you are.
So if progress and new combat metas feel sluggish to you, think about economic players and tell me how the game has changed for them. Has it changed at all? Other than a gimmick or two, not appreciably. And that in a far larger time frame than the last major shift to combat metas. And this for a game where "space truckin'" is probably THE most popular game mode, and the one it's best known for.
Tell me again who's not getting the love? You guys hashing out PVE and PVP arguments are completely ignoring the people who don't want to do either one. It's finally gotten to the point that FD is finally getting around to throwing economic players a bone, and you guys are complaining because for the first time in 2 years you're NOT at the front of the chow line! Imagine how that feels for us?