That's Great Elder Dogclapper Papa Syther The First, Chosen of Fur, Listener, Shadow of Shadow... to YOU, peasant!
Speaking of!
Old dog! Please, grant me permission to clap some cheeks!
I did go through the spoiler-channel, but after ~15 minutes of scrolling it had precious little to show for it.
I will say though that you do seem to know what you're talking about and I could've just gotten unlucky with my timing.
Either way I will take your word for it and check the Discord more often in the future.
...Secret discussion threads and channels? Disgusting, where?
Ah, while it would be a lie if I said I wasn't at least a little bit curious, I'm gonna stop myself there and not push further.
Still, while I'm not convinced that the Dev completely broke off from the community and hopefully probably still reads some stuff, be it on Discord, here, or somewhere else, it really wouldn't hurt to at least have some kind of confirmation.
Could be something as simple as a small (maybe even in-game) message where he confirms that he is indeed reading through more than just the initial update craze.
Leaving a game as grand in scope as this without some measure of >friendly< community back and forth, even if it happens behind closed curtains, is a war crime.
Negativity is something you, sadly, can't just escape, especially in a time as judgmental as ours. But I've found that the positive parts that can, and will, come through with projects like this are more than worth it. They allow it to thrive.
Hate and negativity are inevitable, but inevitability goes both ways.