I find this mod way easier than it was before. But because of that, it lost some of its charm. Personally, I don't give a f about casual players and I really don't see a point in making mod easier and less serious for everyone. There is already native which is like that. It's made for people who want to play for half an hour per day, who want instant gratification and can't suck up the fact that you have to invest few hours dying and hiding as a peasant.
Pre patch, I was never higher than lvl 31, never had more than 18 str or agi and never used best gear (I've used plate but not the best armors out there). I did good on battlefield and I especially cherished those moments when I managed to kill some 40+ lvl guy. This patch took away that pleasure away from me.
I personally think that crowd who likes this mod best aren't casual players. I also think that people who spent most time playing this mod aren't much interested in Strategus (browser based game). Since I find upkeep system to be important part of Strategus and not just a way to balance things (balance could have been achieved in so many different ways) I must say I'm against upkeep in any form. I like grind, hate me for it but as soon as someone else make mod like crpg used to be I'll switch to that mod. I'm pretty sure that most players like full servers (which this patch doesn't encourage anymore), total mayhem on battlefield, op lvl 40+ black armor noobs and even op archers. Very few players are interested in Total War wannabe which seems this mod is bound to become.
