Let me begin by saying that I am by no means some old timer on this server. Still, this server has slid downhill pretty hard since I first signed in. Most of the community members that I have come to love and enjoy playing this game have left, either by their own will or forced off the server for some reason. Now that I'm on break from university, I have some time to myself. But every server I've checked (except survival, never could get into it) has/is 1. Fewer players (on each server and AEM as a whole) 2. Less talkative/feeling of community So is this still a community, or is everyone playing their own SP world that happens to be saved on a server?
Well some players keep to themselves more so than others and the overall size of the community yes may be smaller but I have found that since I started playing here after the drama and ownership changes if you are not a complete ass and want to be a part of the community of people who do still play here they happily welcome new faces which as we try to regrow is all I would hope we are. I don't know if this truly answers your questions but I hope it helps.
Pardon me for not seeing things the way you guys do, but these 'dark ages' have been looming for close to 2 years now.