In my opinion, the mobile version of the game at the moment is a natural step in the development of the project. Although it may be painful and require difficult decisions, it allows the project to reach a new level.
I am not accusing the developer of being outdated, but after watching the game for a long time, I believe it is stagnating and will eventually lead to a slow and painful death. This is something I would not want to see. Of course, there will always be players who started playing many years ago and are still playing, but they will gradually leave. At the moment, the game is not attracting new users and hardly retaining those who have found it.
Yes, the spirit of the old MMOs is important, where players have to manage everything themselves - this is significant. However, I fear that this does not meet the realities of today's world. The pace of life has changed, and the game needs to adapt to these changes.
UI/UX issues should not be an insurmountable obstacle in this case. Currently, there is a vast array of different patterns for implementing certain actions in games. Mobile gaming is constantly evolving, and it is already difficult to imagine anything that cannot be implemented on a mobile platform.