Well, pretty much everyone knows how I feel about OOB, heheh, but I voted "Prefer it but it isn't perfect" instead of "I love it" since, IMO, it won't be perfect until we have SQL and a web-based shipyard based on the SFB/F&E Order of Battle. But that's just me.
Lyr, that was me that voted for OOB w/o stating why I like it, since I'm in the middle of writing why, heheh.
Chuut, I wonder about those active players you mentioned getting tired of the way it's been done, and the others that have lost interest. What exactly are their objections? Even as casual players they have had a chance to fly an OOB ship, all they had to do was ask. Heck, there have been times when we had a hard time filling out the list of available ships! And as to "just plain don't like being told what they can and can't fly", I suppose I can understand where they are coming from, but do those players really want to go back to the days of DN/BCH fests? I know I don't, there isn't any "realism" to it, and it forces those who prefer smaller ships to get into bigger ships just to be able to compete.
Yes, it's true that we have lost a lot of players due to the OOB rules, but to be perfectly honest, I feel those players were unwilling to compromise in order to make a better game for everyone, and that's too bad.