Dissapointing!
The objection would be that this was a small team project. Well, the project started in 2005... They did sell copies of the game meanwhile but after 3 years they could not come with a real betterment of the game, beyond a mounted combat sim?!? No excuse here.
Ah, but about changes... maybe as a former modder of this game I should mention some ideas that until I've brought in discussion and modding on their forums in the spring of 2008 were very hardly to be found somewhere: -- being able to declare yourself as an independent lord, advancing as a king and later emperor, improving the overall written dialogue lines, naming your own forged kingdom as "rebels"... After I've made my mod, named "Rebels", those ideas appeared in the main "Native" concept of quite subsequent versions, but of course -- passing as their own ideas! Pure coincidence? Doubtful. And I bet I'm not the only case. In fact it's the merit of some modders that this game has not gone to the dogs completely...
Nevermind that. Errare humanum est. Forgivness is always a better solution than continuous struggling. Let's hope they raised their funds enough to come with something much better in the future, something deserving to be called a role playing experience. They've shown they're capable of it.