I'm going to go against what seems to be the main message coming from people in this thread and say that I disagree with the take that balance is butchered. I won't lie, I (and a number of people in my circle of acquaintances) are definitely part of those aforementioned cap players who silently "quit" the game, but we did not do so because "caps are ruined". I'm very much not a fan of the whole dev hatred train that people seem to so carelessly ride on, and while I didn't think I'd be posting in this thread, I find it difficult to resist the temptation.
The real problem that's forcing people out of the community is the community itself. There's undoubtedly people who belong in the group of players who stopped playing caps - for reasons that I cannot comprehend - and it's many of those people who are ruining the game for the rest of us who actually enjoy it.
Because instead of simply understanding that this game maybe no longer is for them and moving on with their lives, they continue to log on with their only intention being to ruin someone else's fun at the game.
I am speaking to all those of you who firmly oppose the idea of logging on to simply roleplay with someone who's online.
And I am speaking to those of you who refuse to log a capital ship to fight a capital ship and instead prefer to bring a bunch of bombers to instead gank said capital ship.
You are the reason this game is dead, not the development team.