Relax Zeo. My new computer is only 4 years late, and I shall save the ESF clan-community with its arrival! I'll... host... 40 servers. Yes.
But seriously, I predict good things once I get it operational. Maybe it's too late for the clan scene in this mod until the release of 1.3. Waiting isn't so bad, and I know I can get people interested in other games to pass the time.
Personally, I'm probably going to play this game right away when I can.
The "Vets" these days are, as I gather, mostly the stragglers from the clan community of yester-year. They're still newbies in their own eyes when compared to long term players that they knew and played against. It happens with many mods- sometimes, the old players end up leaving earlier than expected/wanted, leaving things in a state of panic.
Don't get me wrong- they're mostly great players and a load of fun to play against, with, or even just e-chill around. If you want to see the best North America has to offer, check out pretty much anyone from ~kai~ or Zen, but specificly Gon, DarK, Loki, and Saru.
That's not to say there aren't any good players out of these clans, but in terms of "vet" status the only other people I think qualify are a few mods, and I don't even have any idea how long they've been around being *comparitively* new myself (A little over one year into the community, playing for around 6 months now.)
Once I get my computer operational and am able to play the game again, keep an eye out. I offer help to anyone who asks for it beyond the basics, and I'm usually up for a match. If you want to see the vets, check out the Zen and Kai clan servers when (if?) they go back up.