Yep. That’s definitely when I stopped being interested in playing as much. I wasn’t even that social a player (I was never in a guild), but I loved the feeling that I was in a virtual world full of people.

That crowd in the city, coupled with the worse trace options- back when mounts were for higher level players and were very expensive - made the actual quests feel a lot more remote.

Special mention to the griffins/hippogirffs. One of the greatest moments of joy I felt when I got on one the first time and could still look around as it flew.