*Feel free to correct anything I say if need be*
From what I understood, SNKP was going through some financial issues and managerial problems, so releasing the game earlier would probably not have been the best idea...... even if that meant we got the game earlier. I completely understand that it's frustrating that the console release took as long as it did, especially without any notice of what was going on for those particular months. I was pretty upset myself. The thing to keep in mind is that it's better that they took their time to make sure the game is good than rush to put out a piece of crap. I see it as a privelige that they are making the effort to get our opinions and feelings on the previous takes of 13 to make sure it's good. Yes, the game has been available to the consumer for a while and maybe should have a bit more to it than it does, but for all we know, most of the stuff we are complaining about is probably there and to be revealed at a later date.
DLC characters are a bit of a pain to download and pay for, but we all need to make money somehow right? From their point of view, they are making a game that a vast majority of the community is happy with (which is a HUGE step up from most companies nowadays that make mediocre games to make a buck), make movements in the right direction to make it even better and plan to add even better things in the future. The least we can do is shell out a few extra bucks to help support them, which in turn, helps us.
On top of that, it wouldn't be a great idea to rush or delay extra things in the game any further, especially considering there are people out there wouldn't haven't even been able to touch the game yet. It's funny how if the game was released earlier, people would complain that they should have made sure it was good. Now that they took the time, people complain it took too long. We don't know their agendas and all the things that happen behind the scenes, so who are we to complain? it has been said a million times already: you can't please everybody.... no matter how good something is. In regards to the stages... i'm sure that is the least of people's concerns when it comes to competitive play. Sure, a nice looking stage is always nice, but i doubt having a couple simpler stages would make or break a game, especially for die hard fans like ourselves.
My point is, SNKP is doing what they can to ensure a quality game and while they have made a lot of good moves in the right direction... nobody's perfect. They are putting in efforts that they frankly don't have to put in, let's show we appreciate it by helping support what they made for us.