You know what attracts builders, at least initially, to a new toolset? Ease of use. We want to be able to make stuff quickly. At least, at first. (The Fester Pot school of area design undoubtedly takes years to master.)
Me? I'm pedantic, but also impatient. I don't want to waste years of my life painstakingly moulding vast swathes of geography, smoothing, tinting and texturing until I'm so weary of it I can't be arsed writing a plot to go with it.
The beauty of Aurora lies in its simplicity. Anyone can slap down a forest, dungeon or desert, populate it with characters, write a few snippets of dialogue and have something vaguely functional in a day. Will it be as beautiful to behold as the frosty vistas of Skyrim, or as philosophically thought-provoking as Planescape: Torment? Obviously not. But it works. And most importantly -- you built it. You. All by yourself. And that's why Aurora's longevity and appeal are pretty much unrivalled. It's easy to use, there are tons of tools to assist with the trickier bits like scripting and custom content, and hordes of bearded curmudgeons lurking on the forums only too happy to offer a little guidance where required.
Yes, Aurora's tilesets are all a bit square and samey-looking, but there are a myriad of user-created tilesets available to alleviate the monotony. (And you can work wonders with a few carefully selected placeables.) For my money -- until someone reveals a toolset that will do everything Aurora can do; one that doesn't demand a degree in quantum physics or the artistic talent of Michaelangelo to create something at least half decent; and one that doesn't function like some hideous chronological Hoover, relentlessly siphoning the hours out of every passing day until you feel you'll be sucking mashed banana and milk through a straw in a retirement village before you finish even one module... then I believe Aurora remains quite safe on its throne as the one toolset to rule them all.
Having said that, who knows what the future holds?
