Sure there are some bugs in the game that can get annoying , but you are all playing a game that is meant to be fun , the way you and your lost friends are and have played the game is why it has lost it's fun factor for you.
People want to dominate titans ,dominate the arena, dominate pvp all these things come at a cost to other players,, how many of you would give up a titan kill to see more people playing the game or first place on your pvp ladder or an icon in the arena ?
Player greed is killing this game Hoof and his team are doing a great job people here need to remember they are not here to pander to your petty self interests .
I don't believe it is all greed, what you are talking about is Motivation and Player interaction.
SE didn't used to be only about greed, but a lot about beating other players to a loc, sweeping huge amounts of stam into it, how much has Malphas ever dropped? The drops were worth a bit, but even so not anywhere near the amount of hits needed to get one.
The difference of FS has always been the player interaction. Leave the game be, leave the players be, let people sort themselves and each other out a bit without always interfering from above.
Forum with player mods used to be a very lively interface, lot of direct player to player, these days you can't even mention someone's name unless it's praise on the accomplishments, and who ever looks there?
As OP says, clear up the bugs, get some basic events going, give players some leeway to express themselves again, cut down on report buttons and up on expressiveness.
This place used to be a village, some games, some brawls on the village green, in the pub, some big discussions in the community hall, some self appointed councillors, and kids could learn, and even old grandpa might kick a football every so often.
We now have a village green patrolled by cops, with everyone sitting on the benches, and most definitely not walk on the grass. Maybe feed the ducks every so often, with politically correct birdfood. And march all together on a straight path to the exit.
Surely way less interesting than watching a live community going about their businesses, whatever they are.