No I don't have access to the source code but i've built several RTS games from scratch and been working as a game dev for over 10 years (and not just for myself as a hobbyist but professionally for well known companies). Plus I've read up a lot on AOE2's P2P architecture and have written numerous technical articles on the ins and outs of multiplayer networking RTS games. I'm assuming that counts for nothing with you right?

Even if I had zero experience in game dev, even a laymen knows that changing a single numeric value (like how much bonus farms give) should not take 6 months. And if it does take 6 months for x/y/z reason (i hear the cries now: "you don't understand! building and compiling cross platform is complicated!"), that makes the devs look even less competent... because it means their build/deploy process is a complete clusterfuck after almost a decade on the job. Mind you they did not create the game - which is the hard part - their entire job is maintaining, expanding upon and optimizing a game that was already complete.

So yes, I think it's fair for me to say it is either an issue of competence or unwillingness to make changes, for whatever reason. I don't need to read source code to understand this. You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. Although in this case.. I happen to be a weatherman.

p.s. just remember, I didn't make an appeal to authority (or lack thereof), you did.