I completely disagree! No map is finished... Look at how much Atamara has changed. Dont forget that Coria was/is in the CE block too. So not only the north has changed. Sooner or later there will be more changes. And we as players are the only people that should make the changes happen.
As soon as game features/GMs interfere more with the game, I will quit this game. I already see some of the features limiting the game. Make a new island (war islands) if you want resets. But resetting a place where I have built fictional history for 7 years makes sure that I have no ties and can quit without hesitation.
But that all is off topic. The topic was about forums. Delete it and some other place will fill the void and the circle is even smaller than it is now. OOC communication and discussion will not end. Atleast the forum is public and people have to consider their thoughts a bit more than in IM conversations.
Most players stick around for 0-3 years, so if the goal is to increase player count then they are who ought to be taken into consideration. Players who've stuck around for 7+ years are statistically not very significant.
Even from my own perspective, as someone who's known this game since 2005 or so, I care nothing for the so-called history that you and Tom preach. A sense of history, like that of any fantasy setting, is of course important. But that sense is functionally the same whether it's based on eleven years of game play, just two, or entirely made up. It's not like the game world would seem any less fleshed out if it were younger.
Again from my own perspective, my main concern is game play. What I care about are Islands that are at peace most of the time, constantly leaking players; players who are functionally inactive, never bothering to write or move; geopolitical structures that have, for the most part, remained unchanged for years on end. Those things are what have an impact on my playing experience. History, the type that you speak of, has no bearing on my enjoyment at all. It's documented on the wiki anyway.
