While PL doesn't feel the same as its "heydey" there are still dedicated players on here and some that have been playing for well over a decade that I still see online. PL needs a steady stream of events /updates or something to keep morale going, Imo. The Halloween event has brought a lot of people back and reinvigorated the market, at least for now.

Call it oldie bias, but I think PL has stood the test of time longer than other games, O&C being one of them, and that game was larger scale than PL.
What I'm saying, definitely try PL and see if it's your thing. Thanks to the Devs having kept our game going this long.