As someone who started playing in december 2010, those times were shit. Everyone who doesn't think so hopped on the cRPG train earlier. What I remember is The_Finn doing laps through the infantry zerg horde and getting top score everytime, while being a mediocre cav player. I remember people completely outspamming me while they were wearing plate.
That system could work, if you did a reset every two months. Without the old players get too big an advantage over newcomers. Still I had fun those days. It was a different kind of fun. Devoting yourself to anti-Finn duty, and smiling when you hit Bjord_V in his gothic plate, and then quickly dash behind your own plated knights before he decides to attack you.
Oh and somehow there was a different mentality back then, everything was just more relaxed, the community seemed more mature or something. Could be just nostalgia glasses though.