Well, after Incarna they said no more "Jesus-features" and instead they would focus on iterating on existing content. But they do not iterate on the features that need it the most. Odyssey's focus on the exploration system was completely misplaced, as the previous exploration mechanics were pretty fine already, and many other systems are in much dire need.
I can agree to some extent with your Odyssey point. However, the rest of the expansions have done a LOT of heavy and much needed work.
As for Seriphyn's list...
Crucible: Time Dialiation was a major and extremely needed iteration on the game itself. TONS of new features and low hanging fruit was tackled with Crucible too, and I think it's extremely narrow minded to call it "just a patch". Just look at the page for it. It's a HUGE list.
Inferno: A major FW overhaul, breathing much needed life back into that long suffering area of the game. A much improved inventory and UI system also solved many of my issues with the existing one, setting the stage for many further inventory iterations in later patches.
Retribution: Seriously? Calling Retribution a
patch?! It's one of the highest rated expansions in EVE's history! The crimewatch overhaul was a MASSIVE undertaking that was years in the making. They had to recode the entire thing from the ground up!
I think you might want to pull your head out of the sand if you're calling those three "patches". CCP has done excellent work with these patches, and just because you aren't getting brand new major features while others languish without attention. You can't keep your cake and eat it too. There's a massive backlog of existing content that needs to be fixed and improved upon before CCP starts throwing all their weight into brand new stuff again.
Think of it like a car that has engine troubles. Do you want a fancy new spoiler that doesn't really do anything, or do you want to fix those oil leaks and get your air conditioner working again? EVE is in dire need of many more expansions like the last four. Mining, Manufacturing, Research, Planetary Interaction, Starbases, Non-Security Missions, User Interface, and don't forget Walking-in-Stations. All of them need an overhaul or major iterations. That doesn't even take into account the multitude of other areas that still need work in some form or another (bounty hunting, wardecs, nullsec, client/server stability, etc.), or the parts of the game that cannot
ever be left to stagnate - Ship Balancing and Graphics.
There is way way
way too much work to be done on EVE still. You wanna know why you're so bored? It's because half the game is still broken or suffering, or exactly the same way they were 5-10 years ago.
