Sightseeing hardly used zones... and questionsFollow

Ok, i noticed that there were some folks that have said that some zones dont get any traffic. This was true even when I was playing back pre GoD. I remember times when I would have a zone to myself for weeks on end. Some of my favorites include...

Clan runnyeye mines - hope this is close to the name, i have a bad memory. This place has about the same xp as the caverns on luclin, but with no traffic and better loot. The moldmaster drops a variety of things, and the rest of the loot mobs are easier than the normal goblins.

Befallen - i can honestly say i never saw another player in here besides the ones i would bring with me. It isnt for uber high levels but it is still fun for leveling and decreases the monotony.

Soloseks Eye - the goblins here are fairly powerful for being so dated, the lava is nice to try to not fall into, and there is even a basic merchant in the form of the gnomes.

Steamfont mountains - besides gnomes under level 6 or so, i didnt see much here. The caves with the necromancer and minotaurs in the northwest corner are pretty fun, and some of the sights around are neat. Plus no one has yet to figure out why there is an invisible npc rogue that sometimes attacks you which is very high level.


now for some 're' newbie questions before i get the game again..

do all the races start in gloomingdeep mines like the trial version now?

how much is it per month and per year for eq? did they drop the price?

is the fironia vie server still as active as it once was?

thanks

Oh wow never knew this! And been around since 2000, interesting tell me more (if anyone knows) about this rogue