Welcome!
1. There are more players at high levels but you should still be able find groups at lower levels too, although they're more commonly in the popular leveling areas (look at the guides section of the wiki for explanations on where these are.
2 & 3.
http://www.project1999.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=130053 has info about improving the graphics, and Duxa's UI is really good (there should be a link in the thread I posted).
4. Click the EQ button which should be in the bottom left corner of your screen, go to skills, and click hold 'Sense Heading'. Put it on your actions bar, and bind it to left or right. That way, every time you turn left or right you'll automatically use your Sense Heading skill, which will improve over time and tell you which direction you're facing. Use that in combination with the maps on the wiki to find your way around.
There is also the /loc command, which will give you co-ordinates for your position in the map. Again, check them against the wiki maps to work out exactly where you are.
Good luck!