AC1 had shit graphics and a world that was too bland and weird. I just think it wasn't appealing enough on the surface. It was great once you got down into mechanics and actually exploring stuff. Most people (myself included) didn't give it enough of a chance based on surface appearance.
Why would I play one of three shades of humans and fight weird bug creatures when I could make a badass troll shadowknight in EQ and slay dragons?
It’s tricky. Everyone complains about things being cookie cutter but if you go too far from the standard fantasy tropes it doesn’t usually gel for people.
My buddy was huge into AC and I remember him telling all the cool stuff like leveling skills and learning spells etc and it sounded great. But then I played it and felt almost exactly the way you do.
I also remember hanging out with him for an evening and watching him play and he would run forever just to explore and he’d come across something but it always seemed so generic. Like a big fort with some things in it but no character. It was weird.