MMORPG.com heaps some praise on Shards Online for being as open as it is to player-created content:

Shards Online is a game that in its understated way is going to change the way MMOs are developed by bringing the community to bear in a way that has never been done before. Citadel Studios is committed to creating something different and unique that places the powers of creation into the hands of the people who love MMOs so they can provide experiences to players who are oftentimes disappointed by the genre these days.

Even in its pre-alpha phases of development, the Shards team and its server admin community are hard at work to show off not only a gorgeous game, but to shine the light on the vast amount of potential and possibility that exists because of what modders will have access to when all things are in place.

…

“Shards is all about the freedom to create and explore beyond any economical means. It’s run by players, but not by companies looking to make money.” [Player-creator, Chris McKillroy] expanded. “The interesting journey is the journey about the shards created by people who are not constrained by money and profit. It is about freedom.”

When speaking of the overall malaise and dismay with the current crop of MMOs, [Derek Brinkman, CEO of Citadel Studios] said, “Dismay in the MMO community is due to the fact that the whole theme park thing has been beaten to death. But nobody is taking it to another perspective. Why did the devs always have the best idea for a game? Ultimately they decide what the best is. In Shards, it’s the communities that make that decision. It’s not one guy, but the community that forms around a given ideal like RPers or hardcore PvPers. In Shards, it doesn’t matter if you’re the minority. You can do it yourself, or you as a community can make it happen. We give a voice to the people who feel they don’t have it. It’s a modern interpretation of what an MMO should be.”

I’ve not tried Shards myself. But, if any of you have done so, feel free to sound off with your impressions of it.