Hi!
Thanks for the kind words and the detailed analysis :) You make some excellent points!
It's a trivial matter for AGE (the logic/ruleset engine) basically like turning a switch. However in the context of the entire UADOM game, it's actually quite complex, and touches on a lot of UI/UX/Controls decisions.
So far we feel the benefits of this decision outweigh the costs. There's no way around it, some people will enjoy it less for sure.
Sucks to be in that group, to which we can only say - we feel you. I guess we're all gaming fans and each of us has experiences where our beloved game went in a different direction than we expected (I'm looking at you Vermintide 2!).
Still, we'll continue in this direction as we feel it's the best for the game as a whole, both in terms of completing the project and it's longevity.
If Thomas ever decides to release an AGE-based game again, with a different approach to UI, or even purely ASCII, then who knows? :) As for this project, this particular features' fate is sealed.