I'd like the multi-player version back please.

The stark reality is, the version of CF that exists right now isn't fun. People don't stop playing a game because it is too hard, or because they "got screwed", or because they lack time or anything other #### reasons. People quit playing a game when it isn't fun anymore.

I've been getting into D&D lately and I think there are lessons to be learned from what WotC did with 5e.

My only real suggestion is to straight up start over. Figure out what the core mechanics of CF are (limited eq, customizable classes, etc.) and rebuild something new around those that is age 6, or whatever of CF.

If you don't like that idea, here are a bunch more you probably won't like.

It's not useful to complain about the way the game "is". You either enjoy it (the players now, I assume), or you don't (me currently...maybe others who knows).

The game isn't going to change, and in a way, we don't want it to. We are different people than we were 10 years ago (at least I am). We enjoy different things. I used to enjoy games that "challenged" me...now I have enough of that in real life, and I'd rather play a game that is "fun". To me, being "challenged" isn't "fun" anymore, and so, CF just isn't a valid choice for my free time (nor will it be for the foreseeable future in my current mental/emotional/social situation).

I remember playing Counter-Strike back in the day because I wanted to be in the top 100 in the game. I never made it there (I think my highest was top 500), and eventually I realized I just wanted to prove to myself I'm decent at this game.

I've proved I'm decent at CF. A "C+" player, so-to-speak. I'm never going to be better or worse, so what's the point in continuing to play such a game where I've proved whatever I needed to to myself.

Hope all are doing well. Hope the game survives. Will probably post some other time but I may not, who knows? I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. And you know what, if that happens, I won't be looking back at CF wishing I had played an Emperor, or a Daevryn-tat'd char, I'll be wishing I hadn't wasted thousands of hours of my life on a game with no tangible benefit to my life (well, other than the fact that when I started I was doing too many drugs/drinking and CF helped keep me at home out of trouble...I am thankful for that).

tl/dr

Why do you come back and post if you do not intend to play? I'm not being harsh, I'm really curious. Your view on what is fun and what is not is fine for you. But the staff is changing the game, it may not be noticeable from your point of view but even the changes in the last year have been substantial.

I totally get it, this game is not about tangible benefit. No game is. To believe otherwise is insanity. If you choose to come back and have a little fun with us, that would be great. Otherwise, goodbye. Have a great time.

If you have trouble meeting your goals, just lower your own expectations! Life is so much easier this way, says the Sam.

Smaller mud? No - thats one of the draws

auto-where? What? Make an alias/trigger...lazypants :P don't ask coders to code something that you can code yourself with ANY modern mud client and 10 minutes of your own time :P

Wand recharges - The only thing I might agree with

Nuke AC - no... :P

Quests? Sure, I'd love a quest list - but expecting IMM run quests when the IMM group is small as well is a bit much

My main point wasn't to do any of these really, but that in order to survive CF really has to reboot and get back to the core principles that made CF fun. All the rest were fairly drastic pushes in that direction.

>Smaller mud? No - thats one of the draws

It isn't about smaller. It's about forcing PC's together. A game where I can be logged on for 1, 4, hell probably 24 hours without another PC ever being in the same area isn't really a multi-player game.

>auto-where? What? Make an alias/trigger...lazypants :P
>don't ask coders to code something that you can code yourself
>with ANY modern mud client and 10 minutes of your own time :P

There are many issues with making a where trigger. I also don't need one, see previous point about never seeing PCs. That said, the Imm folks have repeatedly tried to make Int/Wis count for more. Also, constantly typing where isn't an IC action. That isn't my *characters* perception skill, that is mine. It also removes some drudgery.

My model was definitely DnD passive perception. Why should my 15 int 16 wis fire giant be just as aware of their surroundings as a keen eyed elf, or a wise gnome? It makes sense and help makes certain races *feel* different. I would make the case that consider, combat status messages (i.e. gushing blood) etc. could easily fit into the category of things a high mental stat character would be better at than a low one.

>Wand recharges - The only thing I might agree with

This one is my least favorite, but does remove some drudgery in prep gathering, but only for mages.

>Nuke AC - no... :P

I really don't understand why anyone would care about AC at this point. Honestly if the AC for every item was set to 0 and the stat totally hidden from score/identify/lore, would gameplay actually change at all in a meaningful way?

>Quests? Sure, I'd love a quest list - but expecting IMM run
>quests when the IMM group is small as well is a bit much
>

Global Imm run quests are fun, but they tend to drag on and involve only a handlful of people. My honest feeling when involved in the past is that it was more for the Imm than for any character involved. Something like go kill hard NPC X in area Y that's appropriate for your group is immediately gratifying for the people involved and could be incredibly low time cost of the Imm involved. I don't recall saying anything about a quest list, just that low level quests should be fixed to be group focused, no individual focused.

My lowbie mages can solo rank with good AC gear and a sheen of stone wand.

Even my melee classes can benefit from having good armor at low levels, because at low levels having a decent AC means mobs that you can actually rank on or spam skills on don't hit you nearly as much, or at all.

Next time you try a lowbie mage, go get yourself the AC rings from the docks, and a sheen of stone wand. Add on some heavy armor that you either find on the ground (black iron from Velkyn, for example) or that you convince a higher level to buy you from the Galadon or Seantryn shops (plate armor).

AC might not mean anything at hero, but sub 15-18 or so it is king, at least for those who can't find a group.

I already knew this, but perhaps someone else will benefit.

My suggestion to lower armor use skills was to account for that no longer being a viable option.

nt

.

This is like totally a thing in DnD and why shouldn't it be in CF? Talismans probably should to. You use the last charge, maybe it blows up, maybe it's just inert and will regain a charge in 24+ hours. Maybe you don't spend your entire life farming preps and instead just gather up a few and then spend them carefully and way for charge regen... Assuming no thief lifts it from you, or player loots it, or anything else...

Seriously, just get rid of it. Material and type is all that matters going forward for affecting armor use.

All armor use skills now go to level 1. Armor use is another defense on par with, say, shield block. Hitroll helps bypass defenses to varying degrees, probably in the order in which defenses happens, i.e. low to high effect: spin/distance, parry, shield block, dodge, armor use

Gearing for hitroll would be a viable build.

Gain %'s in skills spells with level. No longer improve any other way (other than maybe level up bonuses?).

Honestly, since the changes to defenses and the penalty to learning for mashing on low level NPCs the benefits of spamming skills hasn't changed one lick, but the time investment has gone up such that if you do put in the time, you are that much better off.

There is a reason professional athletes abuse steroids. They work and they are worth millions of dollars. We are just as degenerate (if not more so) perhaps you should remove the drug, not just make it harder to get.

Short (~15minute tops) Imm given quests for groups of adventurers that give 1-3 levels upon completion.

All quests are better/easier/faster for groups. Especially low level kill X number of Y quests. Honestly this should be in place already and I'm not sure why it isn't. Do we really all need to kill rats and spiders solo? Does it matter who gets the killing blow on the wolf, so long as it is dead?

You can choose to automatically turn on exp gain.

Is affected by the number of people in the area with you. More = better. Avg. time to hero ~250 hours. If you really want to idle that long, you can have some crappy hero. All deaths give XP holes (unlimited ones) while using auto xp.

The crazed goddess of love Bria's (I don't remember or care if she was a love god) power has gone wild after her death, attempting to squeeze people together to make them hug. Any area not visited within 6?12?24? hrs becomes totally inaccessible until next reboot. With scheduled weekly reboots, this doesn't exactly shut down anything long term, but let's be honest, there are giant swaths of Thera that serve no purpose other than making it that much less likely to encounter an actual human.

My typing where habitually isn't a skill. Hell, at this point it isn't even necessary. That said, wouldn't it make more sense to tie it to say, Wisdom, and have it happen automatically based on that score?

25wis = where every 1.5 seconds or 15 pulses (or some other nonsense)
15wis = auto where every 5 seconds. I'm just not very perceptive.

Manual where now works like eyes of the eagle with associated lag. Greater enliven is still worthwhile as it works on the auto-where.