Recently I have seen the lowest number of players on CF consistantly throughout the day and night, since I started playing. Uptime and number of player commands put in the game by you guys (immortals) confirm this. Although you have access to complete numbers, it is apparent that CF is on a major player downswing.

With the recent deletion of two very loved immortals of CF, and the mass exodus of heroimms and lower level immortals, couple that with a number of older players ditching out on Glimo's, there is an obvious and glaring problem here.

This is my theory, debunk or flame as needed.

When I started playing, I played mainly for the social aspect CF brought with my friends. I played with 8 or 9 individuals all at the university and high school level. We talked about CF outside of playing it, and it made the game that much more enjoyable. Also, the percentage of new players sticking with CF is dramatically higher when they have others to bounce ideas off of or ask for help in real life. I would gamble that CF staying percentage is 80% if this is so. With newbies stumbling on CF, or through this website, or the mud finder website, its more like 20% at most. Massive cabal wars between actual RL factions were an every day occurance. On some of the immortal goodbye notes, people outline them in a seeminly enjoyable fashion. Although they did, at points take away from the roleplaying atmosphere, the wars themselves were the highpoint of many players.

Then CF changed, slowly over time. Rules came down about multi-charring, etc., all good changes, but then one change caused massive havoc and terrible repercusions for playing CF socially. Cannot interact with that other person without REALLY GOOD reasons. Equipment given over same-site but different player, for whatever reason, even is roleplaying driven, is a no-no, and anti-cheat code alerts and at the least, severe warnings are given out to deletion/denial/banning. This change, forcing CF into a single person "in a dark room in front of a monitor" kind of game has ultimately killed CF and its numbers.

As rules and commandments from immortals came down and their severe enforcement, many of those social players were scared off (including myself for a time). Now, I know I am not trying to get anyone else hooked on CF, mainly because of this problem. I don't want my current character to get tainted by a "newbie" actions. I am definately not going to show them how to play from my site, because that is logged by you guys (immortals) and compared for cheating and what not, hidden flags, etc. You cannot group with them online (in game) and help them, which is the most effective way of teaching and keeping them hooked. As I said above, the game has become a loner game connected between internet, "Underground" social circles.

The social aspect of CF is, on the surface gone, and in reality has been pushed underground, and is insanely frowned upon by CF immortals and staff (although even they take part in it), but that internet society does not rival real life social playing. And I must admit, my main enjoyment still with CF is swapping stories with the few individuals I know who still play in real life and hang out with periodically.

Older players think like I do, as I have talked to a few. Those I played with socially confirmed this idea with me when I discussed it with them. They won't play anymore. Its too tiresome to be summarily deleted because you are grouped with a couple friends for violating this "ambigeous rule". Younger players go through the tough knocks of cheating once or twice, and if they survive that, are too paranoid and become like older players. Older players, like me, do not have newer player friends to revitalize ourselves on the game, nor do we want to introduce "newbie" people to CF out of not only lack of desire, lack of wanting to expose them to this place, but fear, instilled directly from immortal set out rules.

For whatever reason, my desire to play is also waning. And when I see a sinking ship, I know it, as do many other players. Ultimately, CF is no longer a social, viable game outside of the internet circles. Real life friends and players no longer play out of fear, lack of desire to dance around your rules, etc. What made CF fun was playing with real life friends, talking ####, swapping stories, brutalizing each other and others. As with all games, football, basketball, there is a large amount of enjoyment that comes off the "court" so to speak. And CF has set up rules to deny that enjoyment, which has lead to downturn in players on a large scale.

Your argument of "this is our game and its private property and we make the rules, so don't come if you don't want to" is viable and great, except for one thing. Alienate too many players, and it will be your sandbox, and you and the 14 other immortals (if there are that many at that time) can fight each other to all content, but that certainly isn't fun.

What I have put up here is the opinion of 17 CF players that I know in real life and over the dreaded internet.