Personally, I think fixing the servers so they can accommodate lots of people would be a start (or that might have just been bad luck).
Also, people running events OUTSIDE of NW time, aka 8 or 8:15. If you truly want a 'living' mod, with a player base like NW, you need to make concessions in the form of time.
If events clash, you're effectively reducing your player base by 70%. I can't really think of an NW regiment that would sacrifice their slot in an NW LB over a Trench Battle (TB). Also, being responsive and productive in terms of adding what people want, or even taking things away.
One thing I find mightily annoying is the fact that the French LMG can hip-fire, when the German one cannot. Now, there may be reasons behind it, I don't know, but the amount of times when the NR60 have done a 1v1 within ourselves, that the whole squad was gunned-down in a sort of Scarface-like scene, by a hip-firing Frog.
On the point about pistols, I see no problem with it. As of yet, I have no problems with any of the weapons (except French LMG). When put into practice in an actual battle (I don't expect many of you to have attended one), it doesn't matter what weapon you have -- there is a 99% chance then when you're running to the enemy trench, with 50 or so guys following you, you'll be gunned down no matter what weapon they are wielding.
But yes, endorse maybe 2 or 3 events a week, deem them "Official", make them OUTSIDE of NW time, make them attractive, make them work.