I've been playing the game for 11 years now, and from my own experience I can say that there are always so many things to get into in toribash, I've hopped on and off playing competitively right into replaymaking.

So, I suppose meeting cool people is another factor, if your friend enjoys replaymaking then you'll give it a go as well, and maybe slowly blend into that part of the community as well. I think that's the most important part, because meeting the right people will definitely make the game more fun