Summed it up as best as could be.
@SquakHawk
My harping on intuitive & effortless design has gotten worn and tired at this point, but I think it's worth bringing up again in this conversation. @Lojo613 and @Srihit the solutions on the nail - grant players maximal freedom and use plugins to deal with the fallout as much as feasibly possible.
Every step we remove from the roleplaying process is another foot into the bureaucratic, out-of-character meat grinder. The reason we hold organic, free-build projects like the Fringe or the Whispering Crossroads in high regard (or any regard at all) is because of the free spirit of roleplay they embodied and thrived within. Nobody remembers build quality. Everyone remembers the experience.
I think it's important to question the paradigm used to make decisions in map design. I believe that instead of trying to perfect a system that players can exist within, it is more important to design a system that relies and thrives upon player-led interaction. In praxis, this would look something akin to a map without pre-builds or even roads. Players would be encouraged to stake their claim, and Story Team members would lurk in the dangerous corners of a still unexplored map.
Without the creation of a perfect "present" of a map ready for players to consume, players will actively be thrown into the mix to shape the landscape and story of the map. Staff resources would be directed to designing a map in size, story, and geography that would facilitate the most roleplay and engage the player with their environment. This is in essence a completely different approach, but I think it merits some discussion.