I was never inspired to vote (or even post) until I read Val's post. Hell, I even donated some $. This game has saved me ALOT of money over the years that would have been otherwise spent on booze and wimmmin.

Then again ... can I get a refund?

Seriously, a larger player base would be good for the mud but CF is about as newbie friendly as the Boogum. Its one thing attracting them to try the game, its another to keep them.

Humble suggestions:

1. Know who your target audience is. Its not fly-by-nighters. Its those who take their gaming a little more seriously than others. Someone said "This is chess, not checkers". Very apt. Make it clear in game listings, reviews etc that the game is NOT easy but fulfilling in the long run. Don't kid yourself telling others there's a "slight" learning curve. Use descriptions like "challenging".

2. Stop being so anal in the newbie channel. Sure, we can't discuss quests etc. But there are nice ways to say things and ways that just put people off.

3. Experienced players should try to be a little nicer to newbies who its within (or a promotion of) their characters to be nice to. These small gestures or taking time to explain things (when fighting isn't so heated) can go a long way.

4. Ranking is hard for newbies. Maybe cut down on the xp discrepancies between groups of 2 or 4 and the ideal 3. Sure, keep 3 as the optimal size but don't make the difference so marked. Maybe just for groups of 2? Its finding the numbers that's difficult. Alternatively, add more XP quests available to all levels. I'm sure I don't know ALL the xp quests but thats just it, I'm NOT newbie (although I die like one) and have no idea of them all. Make them more accessible.

Nothing that hasn't been said before so I'll stop ... there's more and there may or may not be the resources or inclination to implement things.

Be nice.