Yeah, I'm only criticizing the art direction. It's ultimately the developer's decision. As a player, I'm simply giving my opinion on the new lighting changes. I don't like them, and some other people don't either. I just have a small hope that they might address some of the points I mentioned in my other comments.
I only started playing in v1.7. What attracted me to this game was the idea of using AI to reduce the time needed to create CGs, allowing the developers to produce more content and greater variety. So it's not surprising that some people focus their criticism on that aspect.
Of course, there are probably a lot of free players. In the end, I think it all depends on whether the direction the developers are taking appeals to the people who are interested in this game. We're just a sample of potential customers, and our feedback is simply one part of that.