> *) To be fair, we need to make more changes on this front,
>introducing more high-end items that do this, before this is
>overly feasible. But it's possible in principle, whereas
>previously it wasn't even that.
>
> **): CF ripoffs tend to try to emphasize this fact often
>enough.


** (two stars first. There are two, it must be more important!). I guess I'd agree. AC is busted. But the system has migrated to the point that the initial "implementation" is obsolete. Sooo.... yank it. It's a vestigal 6th finger. ####it, cut it off. People can't call it "broken" if it doesn't exist. And, in practice if not in name, it doesn't exist.

* Good point. More variety is a good thing. Introducing true armor as a consideration certainly adds another dimension. I think we both agree on the magnitude of the project. I guess my whole deal is run a virtual ROI on the project, and on the other projects that would use the immstaff time. Perhaps FOI is a better TLA (Funstick on Investment)

*** (three stars. For the hell of it) Totally divergent topic, but somewhat related because of gear. As CF has matured the ratio of players/roomcount has continually decreased. Are you absolutely certain this is a good thing? I guess same deal with players/objectcount.

Why NOT remove skull/garnet rings? Add a +1 dam -5 mental, + 1 dam -5 spell, +1 dam + 10 hp, and add a +2 dam. Make all 5 equivalently hard/easy to get, and make all 5 be from different areas. Give people more flexibility, encourage more exploration.

Hell. Why not remove aldevari? Why does the room count have to grow grotesquely in comparison to the playerbase? Don't get me wrong.. I think aldevari is a great noob area. I think it's well written. But there is something to be said for having TOO many options.

Anyone that has played long enough can remember the days where it didn't really matter which area you went to, you'd always find 1-10 other people in it. These days.. it can take you 3 hours to check all the spots that an enemy group could be levelling (by which point, if they're good, they'd have levelled out of your range!).

It could be delusion "golden day" memories, but I'd guess that ten years ago we averaged 60-110 during evening hours. I'd also guess that our room count has more than doubled (perhaps more than tripled), while the playerbase has remained the same. That makes it a different game... today you REALLY COULD level from 1-51 without ever seeing more than 2 other players in the same area. Is that REALLY a good thing? Does all RP/PK _require_ raiding/defending/camping the eastern road? Bleh.