I am wondering what major upgrades have been made in the past 4 years. Not looking for detailed stuff, more like are their new ships, upgrades, have the graphics been improved to keep up with modern hardware, etc.

I am looking forward to checking the game out again. I seem to recall this was a pretty feisty and fun community :)

Bizket

-new ice, yos
-semi-conquerable Deneb
-conquerable stations
-war convoys that blockade Serco/Itani greyspace wh's based on who wins Deneb
-a few new ships (Corvus Greyhound, several moth variants, Raptor [I think], Constellation and Teradon capships [I think], Centurion Superlight)
-player-controlled turrets on player-controlled ships
-shielded cappies (can't remember if that was before or after 4 years ago)
-prototype capital ship stations
-fogged sectors
-ion storms are foggy
-various other texture improvements
-full Android version
-a few prototype super-dense fogged asteroid sectors
-crafting
-PCC members can create missions to test and submit
-prototype craftable player-controlled Trident
-various new weapons (shield turret that launches bubble things that block incoming projectiles, firecracker turret that launches annoying little conc missiles, Gauss MK3, BioCom mines which are craftable mini-nukes on a massive prox fuse, some more stuff can't remember it all)
-Capships in convoys
-lots of hive changes, can't remember what the new AI system is (Kourier?), Hive split into 3 different independent factions in Itani, Serco, and Grey space
-Newbie starting-sectors
-Uber-turrets scattered about protected space wormhole sectors

Those are just the things I could think of off the top of my head. What am I missing?

Yarr.

-Racetracks record top times and monthly winners
-New and improved user interface (more organized inventory, buddy/guild management, sector notes etc...)
-New badges for the accomplishment system
-Bounty hunting kills appear in the news tab along with articles and daily trade reports
-New 'Super High' background screen resolution

-FPS cap, now CPU/GPU run cooler
-Ownership Key System in raw implementation, for player-owned Cappies and Stations

-same ol' trolls though :P

Welcome back!

-More bugs
-More broken promises
-Android version to generate 20 more subscriptions
-New features that are also broken
-AWESOME new nothing to do
-AMAZING lack of new actual gameplay and content

Forums are almost as bad as the in game morale.

Impavid likes to pretend he really hates the game for some reason. He wouldn't be browsing the forums so much if he really did, though.

Probably Impavid hates himself and is a masochist, and chose to play Vendetta for the rest of his live, while he really prefers to play WOW!

Anyway, he is pissed off because he was censored while Lelecter said similar things and escaped...

In-game morale can be High, average or low, depending on where/how you are playing.

I've been lurking, and not actively playing either, so I have an odd question:

Has the ultra-wall-shaking-*turbo*-bass-earthquake sound been reintroduced (as an option)? Its got to be one of the better sound effects in the game :)

Wait, they used to have that? Sounds awesome. + To uber turbo sounds back (if it isnt still in and I haven't noticed it...)