I have played one or two MUDs in the past, notably Dark Mists years ago.

I find that the learning curve at CF is steep.

I am a level 12 healer. I have died maybe 8 times to players and around 10 times to mobs while seeking out a shrine. It wasn't until level 12 that I realized I was missing some spells I should have had, most notably, gate. I come to learn there is something called EMPOWERMENT which basically says you don't get certain spells until you choose a god and that god chooses you. So I went to the WIZlist and chose a god, and sought her shrine. Today I find out that my "sphere" (Honor) is different than the spheres represented by the Goddess I was seeking out. Only a god of your sphere can give you supplication, I was told today by an immortal.

Well that makes sense, I guess... maybe on some level.

But there is no God representing HONOR.

So while I fight mobs by myself (no point in leveling before I know the areas) earning 50-70exp per kill and a meager wage, what could be worse than being a level 12 healer waxing it in a 5-10 area waiting for the level 14 A-P to show up and gank me while I'm in the middle of the fight? umm.. nothing.

Yeah, it's cool most of my armor comes back down the tube. I get to realize over and over that it isn't likely I'll live long enough to fill up half of my armor slots.

You can tell me I shouldn't have chosen a healer class, but I will say I wanted to play a healer. I still do. But as far as allowing me to choose a sphere which will likely receive no support from the gods (no empowerment appears to equal a weak healer), carrion fields sucks for that. I was shown a list of like 50 spheres!! Do you know how much time I spent looking over that list before I finally chose one? A while. And now that I've chosen one, I can't go back, it's locked in, and I can't gate or haven and who knows what else I won't have access to down the line. I had a DESCription and a ROLE way before the "aces" who wanted me to group with them to super-level 7+ levels in like an hour. So I'm at level 12 getting owned and without the gold to pay for a stockpile of practices.

One of the cool things CF has is the different door sizes. Stacked up against this other lameness, though, it doesn't make much of a difference to me.

Anyway, this is my perspective. You CF elitists probably won't care but pretty soon you'll be reduced to playing a who's-who roleplaying game with your five nerdiest friends. Just make sure you rotate the areas around so to break your auto-walkers and introduce some effort into the mix.

I walk slowly. I do not want to use any form of auto-walking/running, even if/when I do know the areas really well. I want to play a fair game and this does not appear to be it.