I totally forgot to reply here:
We moved those perks simply to the user card to reduce the clutter on the left side. (Simply click on any avatar and you'll get more info)
There are plans to add achievements, etc. but there are still some things to do before we can introduce such new feature.
Activity is indeed a problem and it both the community and us who is less active.
I wish UGX could offer more things and also bring back contests & giveaways but apparently time is very limited and most of the effort goes into site maintenance.
It would be up to the community to organize things. We (UGX) have nothing against new staff members, who can take on and keep the community happy and together.
(But community management isn't something you can do in an hour...)
Like
@gympie6 said, we have a Discord where lot's of discussions went on.
I feel like forums aren't just that popular anymore and reddit, discord and steam pretty much took all of the cake, while our Forum remains to be the place for modding related things.
I'm always open for suggestions and new ideas.