Perhaps he's implementing this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_%28development%29

to game design?

Vague so as to not lock into a position prematurely?

I have to admit, the "you should be able to make peace" response made me smirk.

I do feel clarificated (<--- not a word) with regard to the new zones being opened up and how that's going to affect things.
Feels like a compromise to me in a sense, yes there are safe zones, but no safe zones will not be placed directly on top of rares.

Thus, there's still the safety but there's also a reason to fight when you get to the rares position... that's different than what we have in the current zones, but a step in the direction many were asking for. Not a leap perhaps, but certainly a step.

To make the new zones be fully contestable so then people can wait as long as it takes to implement the siege mechanics? That wouldn't really be productive either would it?

At some point I'd like to do the math on what percentage of the whole map 50 zones will be. My guess is maybe not that much which opens the possibility for different things in the future... which will be determined when that future comes closer to the present than it is now.

If people do come back with the combat fixes and new zones and other things... Some will pick up their current totems and move to a new location which will also open up the current part of the map... it's a process.

Dub omitted the first part of the answer that points out some of the things Trench was saying were not things Xsyon ever said would happen. I found that telling if you combine it with Xsyon's bio in which he says he wanted to create the game he's wanted to play since he first sat down at a computer...
Player input is obviously taken into consideration, look at thirst and hunger, BUT, at the end of the day, the man is working on the vision he originally wanted to develop. All things will remain in that context.

I personally find that very encouraging and reassuring.