I don't mind the occasional saga-like "It was better in the old days" world, but it does give that feeling of extreme stagnancy, and it's almost obligatory in high fantasy -- possibly because so many people emulate Tolkien. It gets old -- dual meaning intended. "Oh, ho hum, let's see what you call your long-extinct wonder civilization. That you've never bothered to study. With technology you never even tried to emulate or reverse engineer."