Sorry but I really don't think you know what you're talking about. A project that started in 2003? I'm pretty sure San Andreas was released in like 2005. San Andreas Multiplayer isn't really "bugged" and it's completely debatable that Lua is an easier programming language than Pawn. Pawn's syntax is just as basic, if not more basic, than Lua's and doesn't use state-based scripting. Plus, a compiler is helpful because you can see whether you have made any areas before you playtest, and you tend to get more precise reporting of your errors and such. I find that much better than launching the game, reloading the gamemode, finding out something is not working for no apparent reason and then having difficulty finding what it is. However, yes, Lua is a much more powerful programming language. You can do much more with it. I will probably be moving on to MTA over SA:MP soon (I've dabbled in MTA before) though, but this post is just incredibly biased.