I also found a very warm reception and helpful playerbase, even my forum question recieved an almost immediate positive response,
Some complain there is no PvP.......But They don't understand the Monsterplay feature.
Using this I found the PvP system there is excellent,
Monsterplay is the Pvp sytem that takes place away from the 'main' game where players fight over map locations. Of course the new players have low level characters........so you have the option to enter the zone with a high level Sauron/saruman character such as Warg/Spider/Orc (creep). These fight the high level players who enter the zone with their 'normal' characters (Freep).....I spend as much time in the PvP zone as the normal world.
In the game world they are introducing player housing/neighbourhoods in the next patch...there you can purchase and decorate it with items crafted by other players
.
The community there is young, but full of experinced and passionate gamers who care about their world as much as any other.......
It's a game some love, some dislike....that is always going to happen,
I am one that likes the place, and a a bonus I see players from the old SWG....and Ryzom there
Besides, where else can I grow the best pipeweed available..........
edit - don't feel everyone ignored you in the first three hours Jayney, That is the zone where everyone is concentrating on learning the game mechanics and options.......Even I was too busy with learning the game to talk for most of the first two game sessions. This is the zone where the ONLY people you see are new.