I am curious to get answer on these question. Sorry, if this topic is kinda prohibited

1. Do new people come to CF and begin to play nowadays?
2. Where do they come from (what sources of players?)/how they are attracted (except those voting banners at the head of the site)?
3. If comparing with other popular MUDs (Aardwolf, Shattered Kingdoms) with more playerbase, why they have more players:
a. They "lure" newbies better
b. Their "hardcore" playerbase was much more and still so
c. They managed to keep players from leaving MUD somehow, so their playerbase decreases less

My opinion of these questions:
1) yes new people come to cf now though lots of different paths. Also you have a lot of veterans who play comeback chars like I haven't played in a while but I just watched Conan the barbarian and now I wanna roll a villager...

2) they come from banners... yes, but also from word of mouth, or myspace where someone lists under hobbies CF... who knows where they all come from personally I came because a friend of mine said this is the most addictive shiv ever. I was playing Journey to Exile at the time and was wondering what the heck is going on if there are no pictures? I have to say though that once a person gives CF a chance they are sure to like it.

3)Cf is the difference between MD 20/20 and Grey Goose... Other muds may have more people but they are there for several other reasons. Cf is strictly RP mud and since it is often times #3 or #4 on the mud list I would say that it is by far the best as far as RP strictly enforced mud out there. I know many people who have been playing cf for years and years... myself included with some breaks here and there. So if a person likes one of the ultimate in depth rp muds on the net they will stick around because the imms do a great job of both enforcement and reward for those who are good or bad examples for the mud.

>I am curious to get answer on these question. Sorry, if this
>topic is kinda prohibited
>
>1. Do new people come to CF and begin to play nowadays?
Yes.
>2. Where do they come from (what sources of players?)/how they
>are attracted (except those voting banners at the head of the
>site)?
Word of mouth is still our best advertising. More often than not, new players heard about us from someone else and wish to accept the challenge.
>3. If comparing with other popular MUDs (Aardwolf, Shattered
>Kingdoms) with more playerbase, why they have more players:
> a. They "lure" newbies better
> b. Their "hardcore" playerbase was much more and still so
> c. They managed to keep players from leaving MUD somehow, so
>their playerbase decreases less
I think there are some huge differences in the games and there isn't a comparison. I spent some time on Aardwolf and it is fine if you are looking more for a chat community with a medieval atmosphere. People, in general, aren't usually up for the steep learning curve or challenge that CF supplies. All skills being the same, I don't think the elite from either of those muds would stand a chance against the elite of this mud in a pvp atmosphere from a rp or pk standpoint. At least I never saw it at Aardwolf.

I am curious to get answer on these question. Sorry, if this topic is kinda prohibited

We don't prohibit any topics that I'm aware of.

1. Do new people come to CF and begin to play nowadays?

Yup. I see them all the time. There's a big difference between "begin to play" and "stay past level ten", though. It's hard to keep new players and turn them into vets.

2. Where do they come from (what sources of players?)/how they are attracted (except those voting banners at the head of the site)?

This is a shortcoming of our current system: we don't really know the answers to these questions.

3. If comparing with other popular MUDs (Aardwolf, Shattered Kingdoms) with more playerbase, why they have more players:

I think, for a lot of these MUDs, their playerbase numbers are sort of an illusion. On more than one, they don't have any restrictions (or don't enforce the ones they have) on multicharring. This means that, out of the 250 characters you see online at any given minute, there might only be 100 or so players actually playing the game. The other 150 of those characters will probably be engaged in some sort of spam-practicing event with whatever passes for a quiet mode on those MUDs turned on.

On CF, every character on at any given moment has a player actively manipulating that character.

Kastellyn the Devourer of Magic, Lord of Legends

*** Email me your testimonials or two-line blurbs. Help our marketing efforts! ***

If you read the reviews about CF, you'll recognize that CF is very in-depth and can be challenging. To answer some of your questions:

1. I believe so. I'm back for the matter after a long break (in between Wow and Dungeon Runner). So I'm considered new too, and slowly adding to the playerbase.

2. A lot comes by word of mouth. I did that but unfortunately I have very little converts. Most people are drawn by graphics and sounds. And you'll find a much younger crowd in the MMORPGS.

In my opinion, CF playerbase averages 25+ years old. A lot of us are married, have kids and also a working life. Yet the deep sense of community spirit is very strong.

a. CF is for newbies. Just that the learning curve is pretty steep as compared to the other MUDs. Also a lot has been revamped to make it easier for a new player to pick up. There is not much spoon-feeding. Beyond level 10, you are on your own.

Read the helpfiles, it is so important for new players. I find that most people don't want to read the helpfiles but expect answers to be given to them.

b. Perhaps. Maybe they found their niche in the MUD world.

c. Not sure about this info. The MMORPG has drawn many people away from MUDs. Yet in terms of richness and imagination, MUDs still rock.

It all depends on what you want - I played Dungeon Runner/Diablo because sometimes I don't want to think. Hack n slash.

Sometimes I want graphics, a bit of quest and a large playerbase - I go for WoW.

Now, I want to be creative and try different roles, ways, skills. I want to earn my kills and get my pk badge - Carrionfields keeps me coming back.

1. Yes. I've brought a couple here. They're still really new and getting the hang of things, but they have a desire to play, so I guess that counts.
2. See 1. I'd bet that the biggest draw is word of mouth. That's how I found out, and I know for sure that that's how the person who told me and the person who told them found out.
3. CF is _hard_. CF is PK-oriented. CF is RP-oriented. I don't understand the MMORPG mentality myself. I played WoW for a couple months and hated it, but it seems like people want something with no risk, that requires no work, and just want to generally horde shinies I guess. Other MUDs are more conducive to that kind of mentality than CF.