well, i havent left since the thread is locked i thouht id share my .02. i am stroe guy, the guy playing with one hand. i am a veteran player who at one time had been thru every corner of thera. been back long enugh to see how the landscape is unfolding. a coupl points i have noticed:
- battle is too strong and have nothing to do. they need an enemy.

ppl are bored bc of lack of fights. in the past the majority of fight s happen before hero. we should target hero range being the new battleground.
looting is pretty tame these days. i read the limited item thread a bit back, i still think item limits are a bit strict. i can barely get a sword to save my life. it seems to be harder to gear than in times past. maybe bc i missed a long time of game development and dont hsve the knowledge anymore. im not asking for another set of strange bracers, maybe like gleaming silvers for example just dont seem to be in the game.

ss someone catching up backlog i dearly miss locate. i see something i hsve to depend on someone telling me where it comes frm which depending on the pc/align may or may not happen.
exploring all these new areas is harder
in conclusion battle needs a new enemy from exiting cabal?bring back arcane sect? spice up empire.

setting up hero range Pk fights. the game has always been well balanced.
with the playerbase so small it had gotten really hardto rank. ive run a number of support classes that just log out due to no help (mages) would have been cool if i could for example spent that time collecting magic items thrown iit in the veil for xp solorank that way. i know we want to encourage unterction but i think we need alternatives. otherwise hero range will sray sparse. as i write this there are 6 ppl online if they were a;; heros something interesting could happen.

bring them back and you probably have a game again.

CF was first and foremost an RP-enforced _player-killing_ game. Reading some of the recent posts,
I can't believe how out of touch with reality some IMMs are when they think that RP flair and a Steam client will make any difference.
What would make a difference, is going back to what made CF fun for the vast majority.

Some personal notes:

I've never been accused of cheating or had any problems with the IMMs.
I've always played long-lived characters, one at a time.
I've had multiple cabal leaders, been tattooed and rewarded in different ways and to the best of my knowledge others enjoyed playing with and against me. Most of my CF buddies have left the game for similar reasons:

+ PK edge points were a way for players to guide their own character development without depending on IMMs, doing what the game is built for: Killing other players. They promoted constant fighting and increased strife. This led to an active, immersive, emergent game. Yes there may have been downsides, but I clearly believe the good (far) outweighed the bad. Plus, everyone had an incentive to play regardless of timezone or presence of IMMs. If there were enemies logged-in, you had reasons to play since you could grow your character via edges.

+ Taking away skills and spells/scrolls/abilities that had an emergent quality to them and led
to interesting situations while encouraging player interaction. Transmute metal to wood was a GREAT ability. It was removed. Big mistake.

+ The absence of immortals who contributed to dynamism/asymmetry in various ways. Ray/Nep were great for the game. Ray had a big following and lots of players logged on just because of her and Nep contributed in various ways. Introducing broken, overpowered skills and taking advantage of weird builds were great for the game since they cause strife and ultimately induce players to play more.

+ The closing down of areas that attracted lots of players. What did you expect would happen?

So basically, the game has moved in a more IMM-controlled, shoehorned, sterile direction with predictable effects. If you want a dynamic, healthy game you need to tilt the balance towards players. Encourage unpredictability and emergent situations that do not require IMM oversight. Give people reasons to play. Let them grow their characters by doing what the game was built for: Playerkilling.
I won't hold my breath.