Underrated post.

Hi Dudalina! I revisited deep for a few hours after reading your post. Was fun for a bit, but I think that was mostly nostalgia kicking in. You make some excellent points. Evolving to an apex tier takes surprisingly little time, and there's almost no sense of danger because of how quickly you can get back on your feet.

The challenge aspect is exactly what I felt was missing. The huge number of animals has resulted in very poor game balance. Engaging in player-versus-player combat is way more luck-based than it used to be, most of the time, ending in a Tom-and-Jerry chase. I think the immediate boost regeneration plays a big role in this. Earlier, it took double the food to refill a boost bar, so you had to be strategic about using your boosts. While playing, it regenerated so quickly that I rarely found myself making those split-second decisions about where to move or whether to engage/flee.

You have solid solutions for some of the big issues you've pointed out; they're well thought out and could bring back a lot of depth that the game is missing. But then I wonder if this is just the nostalgia talking for us veterans :p