Hello! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
I sympathize with the feeling of being uncomfortable as the game changes. It sounds like your main critique of the current version of the game is that it's not as unique as it was before. I agree with you about that! The reason we're streamlining like this is because it makes the game easier to understand for new players. Everything we make simpler frees up room to make other parts more complex / interesting. Rest assured that we'll be adding more complex, interesting and unique things in future updates!