I agree with the OP and @Timberwolf. The game feels really empty. NPCs are lifeless, towns and cities feel empty with "fake" crowd sounds in the back eventhough there are barely 10 NPCs doing nothing in the town/marketplace and etc.
Quests are repetative and boring. Seems like no improvement has been done on that part. So far the game feels like polished Warband.
I'm asking again, will there be brothels, prostitutes, women-slave trades in the game? There should be. This is supposed to be a realistic mediveal sandbox.
Btw, for all those who argue over carrying a long-sword on the back, you guys are free to give it a try. Just buy a toy sword or grab a long stick, put it on your back then try to draw it over your shoulder, if you can of course. It is just physically imposibble and kills the realism a lot in my opinion.
I'm beggining to think they don't show us anything "big" because they don't have it. I agree with other users above, if things have down turned and we will have to wait for a long time too, at least they should be clear and say this out loud instead of putting false hope in us.
I played M&B 10 years ago and absolutely loved it. Now, I can see that people get angry, but no one seem to know the reasons why there has been a delay.
I'd like to understand what the rumors are.
There are no rumours per se but Taleworlds hinted back in 2016 or 2017 (can't remember now) that the game would be in player's hands in some shape or form. That obviously did not happen, and the fact that in 2018 we still know nothing about the release date makes some people speculate about what might have happened.
Actually Armagan Yavuz stated multiple times (in Turkish) in last year that the game is almost finished and they are planning to release the game in this year.