I get why some people don’t like it and like everything else there are tradeoffs, but I totally agree. I think there are things Paradox needs to improve with their model and there are signs they’re starting to with games like EU4 (moving important DLC material into the base game so it can be expanded and built on without requiring the purchase of said DLC in the future). I also think it means the state of the game looks like a sine wave in terms of polish, AI ability, etc as new mechanics and features get rolled out and that’s going to frustrate some people a lot more than others. Thankfully, you can control what version you’re running on Steam if you prefer to wait for the polish, but I get the complaints.
But man… I love how these games evolve. EU4 has kept me heavily engaged every single year since 2013. I just looked on Steam and I’m horribly embarrassed to say I have 1,455 hours in it. That’s so ridiculously high compared to any other game in my library it’s absurd. I loved the game when it came out, but it would not have kept me coming back for more if they had left it after an expansion or two.