Thanks for the replies!
Yeah the last time I played was right before that one update where it got REALLY bad and a bunch of people stopped playing :/
Since then I had followed the progress and heard a lot of people saying it had improved, but didn't get a chance to try it. So that was a while ago, I think. Maybe two years.
It sucks because I'm not very well off, so it's hard for me to invest in a game knowing that if I don't keep paying for it that it'll stop being playable. I guess I just want to know if it's possible that, if there are times I can't pay, that playing would still be enjoyable. So far sounds like a yes though! I'll have to give it a go tonight and see how everything looks.