By way of introduction, I started playing CF back when it was possible to get PK'ed in the Academy. I don't know what sort of masochistic streak kept me playing, but you all probably have a bit of it too. Back then full loot was about as common as "look in pit." I quit playing in '97, logged back on in '01 a few times, but I've been playing regularly for the past few months.
All I have to say is: Excellent job. Now, we all knew that no MUD could ever be as RP oriented as D&D, but these days most of the talk is actually in character. Wow. Additionally I've only been full looted twice since December(and once I really did deserve it). Wow. Granted, there is still an exceptionally high number of psychopathic characters around, but it wouldn't be CF without them. Usually they're willing to RP a little after I escape and ask for an explanation.
None of this would happen if not for the tremendous amount of work that has clearly been done on the MUD in my absence. Kudos for everything that's new, including weapon specs, legacies, conjies, shifters, and everything else.
This brings me to the sad fact of the dwindling player base. Despite the fact that CF is twenty times better than it ever has been in the past (despite the lack of Entropy) there's still few new players. With all the changes I'm basically a clueless newb, but I've only run into two folks who were newer than I. That sucks.
From poking around the forums I can see that the playerbase ebb is considered a problem, but I don't see a lot of ideas to fix it. There's a lot of "howzabout whip specs also get detect hidden 'cause I'm playing a whip spec," but little about the real problems with CF.
I'm not saying that we need some wood-elf Al Gore to give a slideshow in the arena (excellent, btw,) but MUDs in general seem like they're destined to die a slow death. So, let's start using those brains (please realize that you are the only group of people on the internet with knowledge of grammar and spelling) and figure out how to attract some new blood to the mud. Granted, that blood will end up all over Eastern, but that's a post for another time.

Feel free to flame ferociously.

I know you've only seen me once or twice on here, always asking some ridiculous newbie question. You're right in that I am new, although not a newb. At any rate, here's my take and you can peruse it as you will.

First let me say that any piece of criticism in here needs to be taken as constructive. I stopped mudding at least 3 years ago after mudding since I was 11. (I'm 23 now.) I got a link at my house and just for nostalgic reasons decided to log onto an old mud and check it out. I actually clicked the wrong mud on my wintin connection #### (Where did that come from? What ever happened to #ses 1 carrionfields.com 9000 or whatever?) Anyway, I landed here and for lack of anything else to do became addicted. The place is awesome. I frequently do all my schoolwork for my two college classes during the day on sunday before they're due because I can't pull myself away from here during the week. You people really built a good mud.

As a veteran mudder and veteran PKer the commands don'g deter me, nor does dying. (Which happens as often as I kill something around here, for now) I haven't been full looted yet, although that doesn't really bother me either. Most places I come from, full looting was standard data. I don't really loot a lot unless I have specific need for something, but neither do I whine.

One thing I've noticed is this is not a very newbie friendly place. Sure, you can ask questions over newbie and get them answered, but there is a HUGE atmosphere of 'Things are meant to be learned for yourself.' around here. And some stuff is ridiculous. How would you EVER know to find it? I'm certain a lot of your players are drawn to the PK, but like me have never played a RP mud and are unused to exploration. I've never played a mud where it wasn't easy as cake to get to max level and just start focusing on the point: Killing. Exploration is crazy. I've grown used to it and have actually started to enjoy it, but I can't imagine a real newbie understanding. (use book on hole? I would have NEVER figured that out without help). And some stuff is so ambiguous or uninforming. For a real newbie I suppose it would be a matter of RP, to just pick a weapon spec and go for it. But as a PKer I'm so used to optimizing bonuses and characters and skills that I have yet to make a warrior just because I don't know what the hell to pick, or what stats go with what spec, whatever. You get the point. I didn't even know about the forums for a month after I started, especially the unofficial one. Everything is on the forums, and even most of that you can feel the 'explore and figure it out' attitude. Which isn't bad if you are capable, but you're not drawing any true newbs.

I know you've spent years cultivating this only the strong will survive MUD, and I love it so far. So don't think I'm bashing, just pointing out a couple of observations, most of which will be flamed or ignored by you old schoolers. It's all good. I'll be there to blick you soon enough. :)

Peace, and let me say once again that this place rocks. WAY longer than I meant to make it.

Are (were) you Dreth from SQ / LU? If so, you should bring Khaos and some other old heads over =)

Wow. Yes, I am. Who were you? That #### is down, has been for years. I wouldn't ever be able to convince any of the old pkers that were worth spending the effort to type 'group blah' on to come to a mud that had RP, let alone one that took more than 30 minutes to hit 50, and another 30 to be PK ready. Drop me a line, my contact information should be down here on the bottom. Email is also zachary.shepherd@us.army.mil

Welcome to the forums. Can you toss a short list of past characters so we see who you were (Here's mine, in case you don't know mine: Fungor, Agantas, Frearrir, Murgh, Theannian, Muug, Endalion, Myrrin, Mreeshai)?

As for dwindling playerbase, the answer is called marketing and it has it's own forum here. Have you read it through? If not, do so and toss comments around, I'd like to see some life in that forum.

Didn't read a word you wrote, use some damn white space. Paragraph breaks, anything.

nt