It was ok. I like that the world has a very organic, living feel to it. As far as MUD's go, it's really little more than an improved EQ - and not by much. The quests are all shallow and repetitive (courier/kill) that require zero real thought or creativity. They're well written, but they still have the 'been there, done that, got the t-shirt' feel to them. The design and layout of them is quite good in many cases. Going after Van Kleef was really impressive when you finally got to the cavern and ship.
I did a lot of travelling (finished as 28 NE druid) and really enjoyed the zones, Duskwood in particular (I'd love to see a Halloween themed party there). Booty Bay was fun too - bought me a parrot!
Leveling is insanely fast and needs to be halved, if not quartered. I agree the contest was an absolute joke and easily rigged. Regardless of that fact, it proved that leveling is way too easy. I got to 28 in just over a week without even really trying that hard - and most of it solo. The fact that people were 40 plus is just ludicrous.
I was surprised at how much it's crashing at this point. There are still a ton of issues that need to be resolved, but I've been jonsing for a good MOG for a while so I'll probably pick it up at retail and play it untill Dungeons and Dragons Online gets underway (that will be the game that raises the bar for MOG's!).
"We only came to kick some ass. Rock the fuckin' house and kick some ass."
- Tenacious D
"And then, suddenly and without warning, it turned into a real-life case of hungry, hungry hippos."
- Stephen Colbert