Spears are seriously awesome at all levels of play. Give them a chance, you will be shocked by how good the feel. Especially when paired with the spear book series.
Empty jars no longer exist, they wanted water to be a struggle early on, and it is. By mid game water isn't a struggle at all. Late game when you need duct tape for all the things, but honestly there are ways around it.
The wood frames still exist, you just need to select it in the shape menu. They added tons of block shapes. Building is definitely improved because of this.
Next you'll probably complain about learn by looting mechanic. The community is split on this, but I've been enjoying the change to crafting.