It's unfortunate that you didn't find help with ease, but basing all of PlaneShift's community on the few encounters you did (or didn't) have isn't very fair.. :} There are so many helpful people around - maybe it was just bad timing? Scheduling? I hope you'll have a better experience next time.
Not everything is a big secret. In fact, we have very few of these - mainly quests, and exits. Giving clear answers on the forums allows people to give up too easily and stop exploring on their own. Following people in the DR works, if they refuse to help you outright.
If there is anything else you need help with, the forums are the place to go. There is a ton of useful information here - about game mechanics, the PlaneShift world, technical problems, development. And we are very willing to give you all the info you'll need, as long as it doesn't involve the above-mentioned spoilers.