Now, I didn't think I'd end up typing to this, but I'm going to mainly because I've seen this repeated millions of times.
For one, I agree there should be more advertising to the game, but I don't think anyone is facing the reality of the situation. It doesn't look like Raz will be making any changes to the FORUM or the GAME. There was a time many months ago where myself and Raz worked briefly on a project to build a new forum for Feral Heart players on Wordpress, because let's face it.
This forum? It's more outdated than the dirt in my shoes.
Unless this forum got an upgrade like it would've had (before our project came to a screeching halt), many players aren't going to be that attracted to coming here. The forums are old, and their only current use right now is to play the game or archive threads and create tutorials and submit maps and enter contests. If the game got frequent updates, I could see the forums being used quite a lot while using discord on the site. But.
This is not Discord's fault, and will not be my discord server's fault. The only reason FN, which I assume is what you are referring to, is gaining people seeking help is:
1. A lot of people don't get quick help on the forums, and my discord is optimized to take reports via tickets for the MIT's or other staff for quicker responses.
2. You do not get quick or fast updates on the forums anymore, and this discord server is able to respond quickly for updates and news if necessary.
3. A majority of the community FH has lost over the years is mostly present on Discord. Leaving people to talk and interact quickly while the game faces issues or server problems.
Until FH actually makes a few changes in game and over the forums, people will continue to use discord. We cannot force people of the community to do anything, because morally, that would just be wrong either way. I have never once agreed with having anyone force a community to be guided a certain way, because that sort of mindset is immediately how you lose a playerbase. The discord you refer to is not official anyways, and I have already linked and guided many community members to the forums to get their news if it is necessary.
The game is a lot more important. You're right.
But to be quite frank with you, this game is at a standstill and at the moment, isn't functioning and a server master unwilling to help it right now. Perhaps instead of directing our attention to the community, we should be directing our attention to a bigger source of the problem.
People cannot and will not play a game that's not functioning and hasn't changed in ages.