The problem with the low numbers in Early War is not from the game play that goes on in there, it's from the lack of any real planes in that time period. If anyone is in a fighter, 9 out of 10 times they'll be in a Hurricane. The game play is a result of the low numbers, no one was in there to offer any resistance so the 'tards moved in. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the EW's biggest enemy is the planeset. Add more EW planes into the mix and you'll see more people come in and then you'll see a population that rivals the Mid War's.
Mid-War is fortunate because it has by far the most matched plane set of any arena and the population is large enough that it can effectively police itself and have a major influence over the game play. Because people are leaving instead of sticking around and fighting, the community loses this strength and is too weak to make any sort of impact and the few then dictate the game play.
The SOARs awhile back tried to bring their 'EW game play' into the MW arena and used the same lame style they perfected while milk running in Early War. Each time they did, they pretty much got trounced and in most cases by a lone defender. After awhile, they stopped trying and you rarely see more than one or two of them in the arena at any given time and never see anymore of their 'tardesque squadron tactics and timid fighting.
As Commander Peter Quincy Taggart once said on the bridge of his ship, "Never give up! Never surrender!"
ack-ack