Hello GPG/Stardock/Frogboy...
I'd like to start out by saying that I really enjoy playing Demigod and that any criticisms here are not bashing the game or the development team, or the publishers in any way.
As a longtime computer user and gamer, I've seen a trend in games and application development in general, where corners are often cut in order to get products "out the door". It may be good for cost savings for developers/publishers, but I find it terribly annoying as a consumer of products. I'm not saying that this is what GPG and/or Stardock has done with Demigod, but with this viewpoint steadily solidifying over the years, I've become more and more interested in having working and bug-free software, no matter how sparse the features are. I want the developers/publishers simply to release working *fixes* over any new features, no matter how cool they might be.
We all know that Demigod has had its share of issues since release and we also know that GPG is diligently working on them. The one thing that slightly disappoints me is the list of "new features" coming with the upcoming patches. I'm disappointed, not because of the content, but because it feels like additional features are being treated as more important than fixes. More than anything, I want playability in my games. I want this above all else... above new features and above fancy graphics. New features and fancy graphics slow down development and make games generally run slower. Playability should be the primary concern for game developers/publishers. Once that has been achieved, then certainly expand upon it, but never at the expense of good playability.
This is so important to me and friends that I game with, that we have started to play some of our older games again, while we wait for the newer ones to improve/stabilize. We still do enjoy playing Demigod, even with some issues, as most don't seem to be bad enough to cause us to avoid the game, but there are times when it can be very frustrating when things just don't work as expected, which impact gameplay and detract from the fun that Demigod has to offer.
In any internet community, especially with gamers, it is expected that there will some very vocal and likely impolite members. As professional companies, nobody at GPG or Stardock should take rude comments personally. Punishing a community that supports you is not an appropriate response. I applaud that you are all trying to find ways to limit the impact that abusive and impolite people can have on the community. To some extent, a better working product will appease most naysayers, but there will aways be thoughtless bundles of rage out there, ready to lash out at anyone or anything that catches their attention, whether it warrants such offensive behavior or not. As professionals, you guys have the misfortune of sticking your necks out there and making yourselves public targets. It's the nature of business. I hope you can maintain the right balance between maintaining a good personal rapport with your customers and keeping yourselves isolated from the mindless ragers that would take advantage of your vulnerable position.
Demigod is a great game and I'm looking forward to GPG getting it finished so that we can all enjoy it in the full glory it was intended. I just wanted to throw my opinions out there for you to see, so that my voice counts towards future plans in improving existing games and the creation of new ones. Playability is key and everything else is gravy. Gravy is delicious, but just don't over-do it, or we might just all choke on it... 
-Zen
