I couldn't find the article you mentioned (perhaps you can help me locate it) - however dogfighter.com mentioned the debate here on the AH message board (concerning the OAE).
Chase "Scharmers" Dahl writes:
----------
It seems that there are a lot of "Warbirds is just fine the way it is, so shut the hell up" people out there. (Perhaps you have even heard me refer to them as "Warbirds Queens".) whoopee, if that is what multiplayer sims are all about -- keeping an accepted status quo -- forget it. This guy Ishmael, while hella long-winded, definitely brought up some good points about making things a little more spicy in newer multiplayer sims. From what it sounds like, the boys at HiTech don't give a damn, and are just content to make Warbirds 2.
-------------
ISHMAEL