The issue with number one, that I've found in my dealings with Ages, is limitations.
Age builders, on a general scale (key word here) do not have access to A) extensive and thorough practice of Age-creation tools like Blender, B) high-detail tested textures which will mirror the feel of "official" ones and C) the benefit of general experience in all fields concerning game-development.
Considering what some people have to work with, most of the Ages I've seen rank somewhere between "fair" to "good" out of my personal exploits.
Some Ages, like Ahra Pahts, are a great step in the right direction: A community-wide effort towards making a very dynamic and expansive Age that all people can enjoy.
Yet even Ahra Pahts has its faults, and I can't say I blame anyone for not finding anything. What I've seen generally though is that size does not always mean success. A condensed space that is meant to be practical needs to be heavily and almost meticulously detailed to fit the "mood" of the D'ni culture (if that's what's being aimed for) and it takes time to make even a small Age hold a light up to some of the content Cyan can put out there in terms of "realism." On the flipside, a very large Age, even one such as Ahra Pahts, cannot be overly so. A large Age needs direction, or else it is often met with confusion or distaste by most who don't understand it's purpose (a la Minkata, anyone remember?).
Let me give a small example (constructive criticism for Ahra Pahts). An Age that is large, yet condensed into small spaces can be good. However, AP is almost so large that it becomes impossible to know where you are, where you should go, or what there is to really do other than explore specific shells. The shells themselves are based off of community effort, so again, you get a range of quality based on that sliding scale I mentioned earlier. The Nexus in the Age is a step in the right direction, but again, you'll likely have everyone flocking to two or three shells if this goes Live, with so much extra space that either isn't used or goes to waste in an overly-expansive Age.
Back on Ages in general, even worse is when people do not explore their own Ages to the extent where they can predict user behavior. I found myself in many an Age attempting to short-cut my way around a large open field or overly-complicated small space, only to find myself perpetually stuck, unable to get back to where I was, or falling through a missing texture or clip with no "panic-link" spot below me.
To just sum things up and keep to the topic title: MY fear is that people will end up sacrificing quality which can, most likely, be solved in even the most minor cases by simple exploration. Explorer Ages aren't meant to be perfect, but I fear I've been spoiled by Cyan. I'd like user-made Ages to have purpose and detail. Not "detail" to the extent of using high-detail graphics or using Cyan-graphics for Cavern Areas to make flat walls look "authentic." No, I mean detail of immersion. I've seen people call things "realistic" which I wouldn't even call "cardboard." And I don't mean to be nasty when I say this, but I think that pushing each other to succeed and make better Ages by being honest is going to be the best way to move forward.
Test things yourself. Look at what other people say and work on improving it. Go into your Ages and look at what people have noticed and what you can notice yourself. Improve by improving yourself, and in turn, help others to improve themselves.
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