I would rather not be at war with all other nations at all times. Not sure how it would make the game better either.
I am also like the idea of making long range attacks more doable and think that bringing the islands "closer together" would be awesome. I am not sure if either of these would help the player density problem though - though they might.
The density problem is really a very tough one. Given the resources available to the devs there is not a whole lot that can be done that will give quick results. I really think that focusing on making the game as fun as possible with focus on ease of use, player empowerment and beginner friendliness is the best thing to do. Not that this is some groundbreaking insight - everyone knows all this already. It just helps me to remember that this is a volunteer driven project with very limited resources and that patience is essential.
