As someone who recently passed their one year veteran mark AND as someone who recently returned after a LONG break, I agree that it has changed a lot. I don't have a route on quite a few maps, and I feel like a lot of them (Destiny's Shiver, Chernobyl etc) don't add a lot to the server. On the other hand, a few new ones have turned out well (SG Highway, Valleyside) with Valleyside even rivaling the popularity of SG4. I don't really care about the chest system, but I have noticed that I have never, not in my last 300-400 games, had any issue with hunger, which seems a little odd in a server called the SURVIVAL games.
I miss SG Ancient Japan, which I assume was removed while I was away. I also get annoyed that my records sometimes miss a game. But besides all of this, I think MCSG is heading in the right direction. More mods and more servers are put out each day. Also, the decision to make dia donor permanent is awesome.
This is interesting. It would be a nice use for my spare ingots when I already have 5 flint and steel or when I need arrows.