There is no change you can make to your games, no matter how clearly obvious or beneficial, that will not anger some of your fans. If the change doesn't make someone angry, it didn't matter.
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As you can see, I have changed just about everything. Repeatedly. Graphics. Style. Interface. And the game system underneath. Everything has been redone, and, as I learned more, redone again. And while not all of the changes have been beneficial (and were then re-changed in later games), the process has been one of evolution toward betterness.
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And every change earned me angry e-mails and lost customers. I've gotten more, "Why have you forsaken me? I am lost to you forever." E-mails from customers than I could ever count.
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Case Studies From My Own Experience
Switch From A Flat View to a 3-D Isometric View -
Switch From Hand-Drawn To Rendered Graphics -
Removing the Need to Identify Magic Items
Removed the Need to Carry Around Ammunition For Bows
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Now the more contrary among you might be thinking, "Well, maybe people complain because your so-called improvements actually suck. How about that? Huh? Huh?" Not likely. Historically, when I made major augmentations to the engine, I've seen increases in sales. If the changes I made sucked, I would not still be in business. So give me the benefit of the doubt.​