CF is, and you can argue this if you want, but I'll point to the CF "clones" as evidence, a genre all to itself. CF got this way by being an innovator. Suplications for priests, the dynamic nature pk, customizable classes, are all some of the innovations that made CF both popular, and fun to play. These things have not gone away, but they haven't been built upon (as much) of late as they once were. Lately, the overall trend has been in refining game mechanics, adding depth, making the game more stable, and an explosion of content. However, in my opinion, this had made CF as a genre into a very mature genre. This isn't neccessarily a bad thing, as the article suggests, as it does satisfy the hard-core playerbase. However, this playerbase errodes naturally, not because you can only play so many FPS, but because you can only play so many hero's under the same overall system before the desire to play yet another one wanes. As the hard-core playerbase errodes, and the semi-hardcore find themselves being pushed out, the game loses players overall. No matter how newbie-friendly the game gets, there are less complex, easier to get into games that have essentially the same features out there. They won't have the depth, but then as a newbie, you generally can't see how to ever remember how to get around all of Midgaard.... depth isn't really a big attraction.

I mentioned (complained) in an earlier post about a lack of big changes of late. I'm trying to use this article to show that an innovation of the kind that made CF what is it today is just what CF needs to not only recapture the imagination of the retired hard-core, the discontented semi-hardcore, and hook the newbies might be just what the doctor ordered. A new class, a cabal shift, etc. How many of the retired elite would return to check out a new class, or fight a new cabal? I would say that these things have always sparked growth and reintrest in the CF community and I'd go so far as to say something alchemical that allowed some sort of trade profession thing would also attract a whole new type of audience who enjoys exactly this sort of thing.

This is already long winded, but I hope with what I've explained (or tried to) that you can read the article in the context of CF and see that it does make some applicable points. Nintendo can't innovate within the same game because their games aren't dynamic. CF is. It's a strength, but if it isn't used, then the game becomes more and more stale until only the super-hardcore elite remain.

Laearrist

None of this is meant to be sky is falling ####, but rather to offer a helpful incite into where CF is, and where it needs to go to become even more successful.

Also, it wasn't really meant for players, as we can't change the game. The imms who have read and understood and put aside any personnal bias will *hopefully* be sparked by it's insights to push those big projects despite us discontent assholes who suck the enjoyment from their jobs. Of course, for me personnally, if I didn't care, I wouldn't complain, but that's always hard to see when someone is ####ting upon your hard work. <-- That's something like an apology... take it... it's all you're getting