In order to make my case for how CF should focus on raising the baseline, I'm going to talk a little bit about some other things, but the goal is to frame the discussion in a way that productive dialogue can happen and so that the focus is placed in the right place.

First, let's talk about playerbase. All games have and need one. I'm sure history is littered with games that simply didn't survive because no one played them and eventually the rules and everything about them is lost to time. In order for a game to survive it must replace players at least as fast as it loses them. All games lose players, if from nothing else, death will dwindle the playerbase over long enough time frames. So every game must gather new players as fast (or faster) than it loses them to remain relevant.

Right now, with CF, it isn't totally clear to me whether we are trying to replace lost players. I think we all want there to be new players, but wanting isn't going to get it done. Which begs the question, why doesn't CF gather new players like it once did?

There are many reasons, but let's examine a few:
1) The Client Problem

Telnet used to be a backbone protocol of the internet. OS's came with telnet programs. Pre-web it was one of the main ways to interact across the internet, and post-web browsers could follow and handle telnet links, automatically connecting you.

None of this is the case anymore. In order to play a MUD you must first understand enough about what telnet is to get a telnet client. Even most modern Linux OS's don't come with telnet installed as part of the base OS, because telnet is a fundamentally dead protocol. It's insecure. It's low bandwidth. It is simply dead. Ok, what about that telnet link in browsers? Totally ignored. No modern browser AFAIK will try and launch a telnet session directly anymore.

So even if someone stumbles across CF, if they want to actually play, they probably need to download and install a MUD client or find the FMud link we have. This is an area where we can improve. Pick a client (FMud, or a download option) and push it. Otherwise, we're basically limiting ourselves to people who already have played MUDs and already know how to get/use or already have a MUD client. IF the MUD genre was thriving, that would be workable, but it is not, so we're going to have to address the basic client issue. How do new players get connected in the first place?

This is one of the hardest problems to solve, but if solved well, could open CF up to vast new audience, but in order to do so, we must lower the entry barriers, or viewed another way, raise the baseline of how one connects to CF. Give a new player a fighting chance by providing them with a good client experience.

2) The Mapping Problem

Would you play any modern, expansive game without a map? Of course not. That would be an exercise in frustration. How would you navigate a vast world (like, say, Skyrim) without a map? Most modern games uncover the map as you discover it. CF's world is just as large, or larger, but due to the client problem, you just have to remember how to get from everywhere to everywhere else. This is a huge problem for someone new to MUDs. I fixed up the diku wiki map, in an attempt to help, and that is something CF itself should promote. In the absence of a client that will automatically map the world for you, across characters, the diku map is the best we've got. Let's point people to it. It is far from an ideal solution, but it is the best we've got at present.

So let's take a look at a new to MUDs player, who's somehow solved the client problem on their own, and now logs in to CF. They're pointed at a map that is (frankly) to large to understand at present, but at least they can refer back at some point. This brings me to my final issue I'd like to bring up. Namely, the incredible difference between the low-end of CF play, and the depth that CF offers. I've brought up ways to narrow that difference before that involved (mostly) bringing the high-end down, like limiting how much legendary eq a single character can use, but that is problematic as it penalizes the current playerbase. So instead of touching the depth of the game, how can we raise the low-end? How can we raise the baseline?

Here are some ideas, in no particular order:

1) Raise the EQ baseline.

This item:

Name: a simple steel ring Area: Troglodyte Caverns
Item Type: treasure Wear: finger Material: steel
Level: 5 Weight: 0 lb 11 oz
Modifies damage roll by 1
Modifies hit roll by 1

Is not just worse than this item:

Short: a bloodstone ring
Names: red flecked green bloodstone ring
Type: armor, Wear: finger
Flags: warrior_only
From: Feanwyn Weald (LIMITED)
Weight: 5, Value: 12300, Level: 52
Material: onyx
Armor: 4 5 6 4
Affect: save vs spell -15
Affect: damage roll 3
Affect: hp 25
Affect: dexterity 1
Affect: strength 2

But many many times worse. I propose a formula is made to objectively rate gear and give it an overall "power score". Best gear need not be worse, but the difference in "power score" between best and worst should have a defined maximum. For these two items, I might give them a power score thusly:

a simple steel ring = power score of 10 (1 dam = 10 points)
bloodstone ring = power score of 100.
30 (dam) + 25 (hp) + 10 (strength) + 5 (dex) + 30 (svs. spell)

That's a 10x difference. The actual formula should probably account for additional things. This is a simple example, but for 1 item in 1 slot, being 10x worse is too much of a difference. Where the threshold is set (2x? 5x?) affects just how high the baseline is.

Another simple example is weapon average. The minimum weapon average *should* be something like 18 (for a good material + good damage type), or something like 22 (for a steel slashing weapon). Not... 6. That weapon only serves a purpose for skill practice, but a new player wouldn't know that. An all item database would go a long way toward allowing people to put together good gear, but an even better way to raise the baseline is simply to make it so you can't put together terrible gear. You can still outfit your invoker with damroll instead of HP, and that is probably a bad choice, but at least you won't be wear fine leather.

2) Remove skill practice as a mechanic entirely.

I propose having all skills acquired at level up at 100% (remove the percentages from view even), without practice. Practices go away entirely and trains are doled out in a new way. Gone is the difference between 100% defenses and 75% defenses. A new player is no longer at a disadvantage because they didn't know to spam up skill X at level Y where it is easy. Instead their character is just as powerful as they always could have been (skill wise). This also dovetails nicely with 1 as you don't have to have an average 6 weapon if you don't need to spam up defenses.

3) Fix the Academy.

During Orctober I convinced a co-worker to roll an orc. They made it all the way to the CF story room and read the stories. Great! Right? Except they never actually experienced any of the actual game. The Academy right now is aimed, at best, squarely at an experienced mudder. When you leave the Academy, you are still not experiencing CF. In fact you still have hours ahead before you get to level 11 and truly enter the game. What player, new to MUDs, would spend hours on what is basically a tutorial where you just read what to do? Very very very few. In many ways, the old Mud School was vastly superior. It taught you the basics of movement, combat, and a few other core principles and then threw you into the game, including PK. There should be a path through the Academy that is 10-15 rooms, brings you to level 11, outfits you in workable EQ, involves you in an Arena style "PK" fight, and boots you out, ready to enter the world and start grouping and playing.

This is already too long, and I'm going to stop it here, but if CF is trying to attract and keep new players fast than it loses them, changes must be made. The baseline must be raised because no climber goes straight to K2 and succeeds. They die. We need a training wall that is actually fun to climb, but also gives you the skills necessary to make K2 a possibility in the visible future, not a frayed rope, a pat on the back, and a "Good Luck"

If anyone is interested in discussing this in a high bandwidth fashion, I'm willing to talk at https://discord.gg/5P3vPeP

Leveling and defining the war a bit better.

1. Leveling

Right now with the player base, there is too much segregation. Don't get me wrong, the diversity is awesome with a player base of 50+, but when you barely peak 20-30 a day it becomes a struggle when there's a huge disparity between ranks, religions, and wars that separate people.

Suggestions
a. Remove some of the factions that separate the playing field a bit. Keep it simple, have a cabal with an opposing enemy, magic vs non-magic, evil vs good, order vs chaos, yet within them you can still keep the side wars going like non-magic chaotic killing magic orderly and so on.

b. Change the coding so that 1 person leveling by themselves get more XP so that when you are surrounded by 7 other people that all hate you for xyz reason, you can at least progress at a decent rate of speed. Yes warriors or classes with decent tank/attack capabilities will benefit the most but at least poor conjurer without servitors or necromancer without zombies can have some benefit to killing one mob at a time since nobody else will travel with you because that hate one of many aspects about you.

2. The cabals that are out there are just far too spread out in the war. There is too much diversity for such low numbers. Play an elf conjurer, Outlander hates you, Empire hates you, Scarab hates you, battle hates you. random person who would travel with you normally hates you because of insert role about conjurers.

I don't have a much of a solution for this except to stop separating so many things. When you have the GvE and OvC and Magic v No magic, people can align a bit easier and more parties can be had.

Side note, isn't it amazing that CF is so awesome that you can have 'political' conversations about the game itself. End side note.

Well, As a newcomer I should reply. Your arguments are just weak.
Client does not matter, try many and find out which is suiting you best. Maps are not good for a MUD, where real benefit is gained from exploration and areas explore exist. Everyone should be assassinated by blademaster at least once.

System of limited items is ok, chromatic flame is not, but it happens. Stay around more, try to be careful and conservative and learn learn learn. White down your logs everytime with a client, they are priceless.

Skill practice is good. Wish to be strong - pay for that by your time spent into mastering. Strong but clumsy races are not so good as they are supposed to be, but its a well-known problem and as I believe will be fixed sooner or later. The only one wish for that - not to broke something else while tweaking "Big Friendly Giants".

Be ready to help and don't be shy to ask for a help IC.
Maybe one more thing - when you creating a char and answering the question "are you new to carrion fields" it should be visible to others later. For example "who new". Just for not pressing so much on them by pk-oriented players. Its not about pk or looting restrictions, just to let players know that they could be not so harsh this time.

What we really need is more players ready to help. Just for take you like a child by hand and show you things you are curious about or should really know. Very few there are able to do it. I tryed CF two or three times before and every time gave up with toughts "I'm too old for this sh*t". This time I liked CF as it is, thanks to a few people I was playing with. They helped me much.

Join Fortress or Empire. Clanless you would not be able to learn as much as clanned in game mechanics, prep gathering and pk strategy. If you don't like to fight too often, join Fortress then, Empire has much more foes.

Way to go!

You must be new if you don't think a new flag on players would make them more of a target for people.

At least I don't hunt newbies more than once in their lifetime.

I wouldn't hunt them down as well.
I realize that not everyone of active players will do the same. As I understood, every veteran player knows other veterans' styles, habits, manner of speech etc. So, most of the times people knows who is who. Do you wish to be a douchebag killing newbies and looting all valuable shinies from their corpses? You have such rights, but I personally disdain such a behavior. You may say that it fits your role great and I will answer that full sacin' douchebag fits everybody's role even better. And hunting down such a person alone or by the gang would entertain every involved person, bringing tons of fun. And one more thing, very important one. All of us are expected to be good for the game. Vast online numbers factor is very good for the game too. When new player comes it's the first thing he or she is taking into consideration, how many players is online. If the online is pretty low - player would just pass by without giving a try. Well, we don't need just an every newcomer to stay here, we want CF to stay challenging game, not the kindergarten, but we shall give a chance for a player to become interested in it and accept a CF'c challenge. So, just give them the damned chance to cope with it. It's not too hard, isn't it?

You are self-admittedly a newbie yourself, so I'm not sure you saying you wouldn't do it really even matters, but since you're hot to trot to throw it at me as though I would, I'll bite.

Sure, if you flag newbies as such, I will exclusively target them. I also know several players who would too and several others beyond that who would say they wouldn't, but would anyway.

Welcome to CF.

Also, self-reported newbie has concerns that make no sense as a newbie. Perhaps they simply believe they are a newbie, but aren't what I mean when I say newbie.

and not because I don't like you personally, I think you're genuinely interested
in making CF more accessible, but your proposals of going about it are either
short-sighted or will have opposite results to what you expect.

Before I go into the meat of my post, let me examine my basic premise which
is: CF as it stands now can not appeal to new players that are not familiar
with MUDs. It simply won't happen, even if all your proposed changes took
effect. The reasons for that are numerous: short attention spans, a generation
of players being conditioned with short feedback loops (immediate rewards)
or eye candy or immersion through graphics and sound or (worse) VR, games
that are designed for the lowest common denominator and so on.

Effectively, what I'm saying is that the vast majority of the new players you
want to attract are _far too dumb_ (in a conditioned sense) to appreciate
what CF has to offer. The only counterpoint I see here which _may_ improve
matters is a fully custom client that is *glitzy* and can pull some of these
ppl in to the degree where the game can unfold. I've posted about how I see
this ideal client in my mind before. It's based on OpenGL, has dynamically
generated ambient environmental sounds (wind/rain/lightning),
you still see the game text but there are graphical effects in combat
(think of combat verbs likes MANGLES, DEMOLISHES and so on being shown
in an animated/explosive/whatever fashion), there is a dynamically generated
3d map you can overlay at any point (that also does auto-movement for you)
and so on and so forth.

Since I don't see that happening anytime soon, the pool of players CF
has to draw from is full of people used to MUDs. It's a big pool, even today,
so let's examine your points based on this understanding now:

1) The client problem becomes entirely irrelevant. People used to MUDs
know how to use MUD clients and have their favorites.

2) The mapping problem is a real problem. A comprehensive map of CF
(be that the diku map or something else) should be easy to find and use.

3) I don't agree with changing current equipment. It's probably a lot of work
and it becomes an irrelevant issue if a _comprehensive_ EQ database that
has everything besides area-explore stuff becomes available. Players will
cherish the ability to search through it and put together their own sets
in order to create their own builds.

4) Skill practice is not a problem to people familiar with MUDs. I think it's
already at a good point, no need to get rid of it. Getting skills at 100% will
break the game in many different ways.

5) Academy.

I fully agree with you here, the academy needs a complete overhaul.
The fine leather quest is too obscure (everybody graduating from the
academy needs to have solved the fine leather quest) to ppl that don't know
the details, and the combat that takes place there is basically #### and
doesn't give someone a feel for the real game.

So I would suggest a pseudo-arena experience there that a new player goes
through, that temporarily makes available to him all skills/spells his class/race
combo will eventually have. In terms of RP, it could be a mystical
experience that the player goes through after eating a psychedelic substance say
(like the rites of eleusis) where a dream is induced and the player is thrown in
the arena to fight a scripted, tough NPC with most/all class/race skills/spells
open for use. The game may prompt the player or give hints to him
as to suitable actions that can be taken during combat. The scripted NPC
could be different for different classes.

This would give the new player a taste of what CF will be like if he progresses
enough, surely wetting his appetite to continue with the game.

I have more things to say, but they're all focused on attracting players that
are familiar with MUDs (or players that have stopped playing CF due to
recent changes *cough*).

You say my vision is short sighted, but then ignore that MUDs are a dying genre and focus only on attracting people who already play or have played MUDs. That seems short sighted to me.

but they're still around today, and will continue to be around for the foreseeable
future. The pool of MUD players is big enough to bring CF back to its
glory days and the changes required to make CF more appealing are within
reasonable bounds.


Your proposals will make CF a different game altogether, with dubious results.
Barring an overhaul of the type I described in my previous post (which is still
speculative and may very well fail to attract people not familiar with MUDs)
it is far more prudent to target the pool of players you're already familiar with,
esp when faced with limited resources.

>Before I go into the meat of my post, let me examine my basic
>premise which
>is: CF as it stands now can not appeal to new players that are
>not familiar
>with MUDs. It simply won't happen, even if all your proposed
>changes took
>effect. The reasons for that are numerous: short attention
>spans, a generation
>of players being conditioned with short feedback loops
> immediate rewards)
>or eye candy or immersion through graphics and sound or
> worse) VR, games
>that are designed for the lowest common denominator and so
>on.

I have heard a lot of people say this over the past couple weeks, and I really, really disagree with it. But I think this might be a big enough tangent to take to its own thread.

> CF as it stands now can not appeal to new players that are not familiar
> with MUDs. It simply won't happen, even if all your proposed changes took
> effect.

I think it could help. There are probably some people, maybe only a few, who might stick around if only the learning curve weren't as steep as it is. To the extent we can minimize the period of time where a new player is absolute meat, dying over and over again and feeling powerless to do anything about it, the more likely said player is to stick around. Because it's no fun being the guy who does nothing but get destroyed on a regular basis and find himself half-clothed and barely able to afford food.

So there's that. I started playing in the time of full loots and roaming permas with mercs that did 'get all corpse'. Gear typically consisted of a set of red dragon and nightwing cloaks because you couldn't keep any reasonable set for long. And that huge challenge, that constant uphill was a huge draw for me. To overcome it, to master the difficulties, etc.

What we're really missing is like 50 more people, which is nothing. Now, I don't know how we're getting them, but I do know it's possible even from the short-attention span generation if only they can be shown the insane challenge of this game. Maybe nine out of ten will go back to WoWs, but the tenth will be a keeper.

I'm thinking general awareness will help, as in think of your nephew and try to introduce him to this. I do admit that CF in 2017 is pretty niche, but I do know that it's about the only game I'll play for the foreseeable future. No graphical MMO's can compare IMHO, but you need a certain mindset, a certain appreciation and a person who likes a real challenge. They still make them.

Outside of the creepy psychos (and maybe including them too) this group of players (who are like 95% vets, admittedly) are a very intelligent set of people capable of performing quite amazing feats at the limits of human abilities and you're all like superheroes. (Well, if we agree to exclude Shaapamatic 2000).

True. But I was worse than useless in PK for a long, long time. And I'm not even that great now.

I don't remember exactly when I started playing CF, but I know I was playing when the address was "maple.can.net" and I know for sure that I was playing by 1998. My first hero character that I remember was a half-elf warrior in Knights: Ilmare. I suspect I started playing around 1996, but I don't remember any characters from back then. I do know that I never, ever came close to PK'ing anyone.

The first character that I remember actually PK'ing someone with was Niamh, a Sylvan air shifter. That was in ~2001 when it was almost trivial to have barrier for every fight and flyto hadn't yet been nerfed. So it took me five years before I got my first PK, supposing I started in 1996. Or, counting from Ilmare, it took me about three years. And bear in mind I still wasn't competitive. That was just a single PK.

So, basically, if we can shorten that period of "total uselesslness" that newbies have to pass through, that almost surely a good thing.

>1) The Client Problem

In my opinion nobody should be playing with plain telnet or using a browser-based client. It puts them at a big disadvantage and getting stomped regularly makes the game less fun.

My recommendation:

1. Identify a small set of "preferred" clients for Windows and Mac. Linux people are almost surely savvy enough to find and/or compile their own (e.g. tintin++). These should be clients that a large number of players are already using and that are known to work.

2. As part of the character creation process, if someone indicates they're a newbie, show them a blurb about clients, how they're strongly recommended for maximum fun, and include links to download the various clients identified in step #1.

>2) The Mapping Problem

I don't think this is a big deal, but I think it would easy the ramp-up time for new players to provide a "bird's eye view" map of Thera. No detail at the area level; more a view of how all the areas fit together.

My recommendation:

Get a volunteer to create a "world map" similar to the one that used to exist on the old Dio's wiki, but better looking. Instead of each area name being a hyperlink to an area-level map, each name should link to the associated CF help file when one exists. This will ensure that a brand new player at least has a general overview of where things are in the world.

>1) Raise the EQ baseline.

This would be a huge pain in the butt and has the potential to introduce unforeseen balance issues. I vote no.

My recommendation:

Include more items in the built-in item search on the official site. I would use the following criteria. An item should be searchable unless:

1. It's from an area explore,
2. It's "at or above" a certain level of scarcity,
3. It's a quest reward.

At the very least, items should be included that are limited but are in the "most common" tier, e.g. iron broadsword from the drow sub-commander.

I'm fine with requiring players to discover the properties of "rare" limited items, and all items from area explores, via in-game means.

>2) Remove skill practice as a mechanic entirely.

I'd have to think about this more. At the very least, it could change the dynamics of classes that "charge" you excessive practice in exchange for a lot of power. Assassin kicks and invoker spells come to mind, but also others.

One riff on this would be to have the skills come in at 75% at the rank you can first practice them, then "automatically" go up by some fixed amount with each new rank you earn. This would probably need to vary by skill. Some might be 75, 85, 95, 100. Others, that currently take longer for people to master, might be 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100.

One down side to this is that it removes some of the disincentive to delete long-lived characters that have already mastered a bunch of skills. If I know that I can have that same row of 100s in ~25 hours by just powering to hero, then I'm that much more likely to rage delete my long-lived hero and roll something new.

>3) Fix the Academy.

Here are my suggestions for the academy:

1. If you indicate you're a newbie, have the code force you to "graduate" from the academy before letting you advance to the point where you can no longer enter. "Graduating" should probably include finding all the fine leather. Give automated hints as needed.

2. Include some "coaching" on various things that are basically a necessity. Impress upon newbies the benefits of carrying return and teleport potions if their role allows. Also detect invis if that's relevant.

3. Show them a blurb that directly references the item search functionality on the official site. Include the actual URL.

4. Show them a blurb that directly references the world map described above. Include the actual URL.

Since you're willing to engage and think about these things... Let's pretend you could give a newbie perfect knowledge. Basically copy the code and hand it to someone who had never played the game before. It includes everything, including a searchable item database and a map that's integrated with your client and works flawlessly.

Does that new player run a positive PK ratio? Are they guaranteed to get empowered? Virtues? The forms the want? How long until they can compete against beront's latest dagger spec STSF emperor?

I think even with perfect knowledge, a new player is going to make terrible choices in PK. Panic and fail to use a prep that keeps them alive. Fail at empowerment due to inability to roleplay their character. Even with perfect knowledge, they have a mountain of experience and skill to overcome. This doesn't even go into the fact that even a perfect map isn't as good as the one in your head that you don't have to look up...

If you gave that same level of knowledge to a veteran, they'd actually get more benefit than a new player... I'm just suggesting we try and give them a fighting chance. My suggestions aren't perfect, but, hey, at least I tried.

I am not sure how your 1+2=3. How do the changes you suggest equal a increase player base?

Let me explain. If you set all skills at 100%, how does this not break the mechanics of CF? I for one, don't want every assassin I fight to have 100% throw/ground control at lvl 24. Every giant warrior to start with 100% in all spec skills. I want to be competitive with that warrior for over 100 hours before he perfects flurry. How does this not ruin the skill mechanic on Invokers? Want every invoker to be a 7 path elemental mastery? How does this change not leave shifters in the dust unless you want to change form competency too?

Also, starting with 100% skills makes it seem like an MMO to me. I play CF, not WoW or any other varient, because of the unpredictability of the fights and the only thing I can blame is myself if I lose. In an MMO, all skills being the same, monotonizes the game. Once your class has a template, that is all that is played, until a major code change. CF cannot keep up with those code changes, and would turn into just mashing the same series of buttons to tank, maximize dps, or heal... I don't like that CF.

Throw on higher weapon averages and better/easier to find gear, and this makes all non-melee classes (except Invokers in your scenario) obsolete. This in turn would prioritize Battle, cause no one without a good prep base (the newbies you speak of saving) into fodder.

1+2 does not equal 3 here. I think the changes you speak of are intriguing, but require far more balancing then imms would ever be able to undertake, and ultimately would kill the game.

>I am not sure how your 1+2=3. How do the changes you suggest
>equal a increase player base?

They don't. How does making the game more accessible by raising the baseline competency of a new player attract new players? It doesn't. The hope is to make the new player experience better. Let's pretend that CF was a Steam game... what sort of reviews would you expect from a new player? I'll be honest, I would expect absolutely terrible reviews.

>Let me explain. If you set all skills at 100%, how does this
>not break the mechanics of CF?

Everyone has 100% skills. Do you think 100% skills breaks the mechanics of CF if only some have them?

> I for one, don't want every
>assassin I fight to have 100% throw/ground control at lvl 24.

This change isn't for you. You are focusing on those against you having perfected skills... So do you.

>Every giant warrior to start with 100% in all spec skills. I
>want to be competitive with that warrior for over 100 hours
>before he perfects flurry.

If the only thing balancing a skill is that it isn't perfected... how is it not complete unbalanced when it is? Also, to be perfected honest, there is already a mechanic for this which nearly ever spell follows. Maybe 8 hit flurries aren't possible at level 31, but flurry scales with level instead of skill %.

> How does this not ruin the skill
>mechanic on Invokers?

You mean that thing where they sit in an out of the way area for 100+ hours interacting with no one? Totally ruins that.

>Want every invoker to be a 7 path
>elemental mastery?

They already are, or should be, because affinity counts for nothing (that really matters) and the only thing preventing you from being there is your willingness to grind it out, just the same as giant flurry at level 31.

>How does this change not leave shifters in
>the dust unless you want to change form competency too?

Shifters have perfected skills and spells too. I fail to see how they are negatively impacted over anyone else.

>Also, starting with 100% skills makes it seem like an MMO to
>me. I play CF, not WoW or any other varient, because of the
>unpredictability of the fights and the only thing I can blame
>is myself if I lose.

Well, yourself, and your skill %'s, and you gear, and the RNG, and preps, and the perma you are fighting, and emporer powers.

Put another way, if everyone had perfected skill %'s, do you think beront would lose to a new player? How many hours over how many character, even with every skill perfected for free, would it take before they could compete 1 vs. 1 against beront?

>In an MMO, all skills being the same,
>monotonizes the game. Once your class has a template, that is
>all that is played, until a major code change. CF cannot keep
>up with those code changes, and would turn into just mashing
>the same series of buttons to tank, maximize dps, or heal... I
>don't like that CF.

That CF can't keep up with the code changes of an MMO is a sad joke. One of the few advantages of a text based medium is that it takes, comparatively, little time to make coding changes and they are generally simpler to make.

>Throw on higher weapon averages and better/easier to find
>gear, and this makes all non-melee classes (except Invokers in
>your scenario) obsolete. This in turn would prioritize Battle,
>cause no one without a good prep base (the newbies you speak
>of saving) into fodder.

So the only thing that makes non-melee classes competitive is that melee classes have #### gear? That sounds like bad design to me. I wouldn't make a class that can only excel if their opponent is unskilled. Also you are wrong, about all of this.

>1+2 does not equal 3 here. I think the changes you speak of
>are intriguing, but require far more balancing then imms would
>ever be able to undertake, and ultimately would kill the game.

Balance in CF has always been a see saw rather than a weighted scale. Inaction will kill the game more surely than the worst change I can dream up. More slowly, maybe, but no less surely. The other nice thing about changes... They can be undone just as easily as they can be done. This isn't generally how CF does things, but I assure you, code can be rolled back to previous versions.

All I can offer are suggestions, and ultimately, if you play the game now, these aren't designed for you. Not one suggestion is meant to improve your (or my) experience one iota. I don't need the diku map. I don't need help perfecting my skills. I don't need to be hooked on CF faster, or help hitting level 11. I don't need a better client, or better EQ, or even a searchable database. I might find some of those things useful, but they aren't going to make or break my ability to play the game competitively.

Changing everything is a bad way.

I don't think I would play the game you describe here.

Would you find the game more enjoyable with more players? How would you suggest CF attract and retain players that a new to MUDs? Cause there are only so many mudders left, and even if we got them all... That's still a dead end unless more people are entering mudding than are exiting, and I don't see any evidence that is the case.

To some extent, I don't care if you would play the game I described. Any current players value is less than that of 2 new players, but I'm curious how you think these things would negatively impact your enjoyment of the game, short of just not wanting more players, I don't see how you play changes significantly.

Editted to add: Do you actually play now? Seems like it has been a long time since I've seen a Jhyrbian character, but I've never kept close track of who plays whom.

...but others, like setting skills to 100% upon creation...meh.

IMHO, you don't advertise this game to mudders, you need to bring in people who don't know what MUDs are, that's the only way to fix the playerbase. I didn't really even know what a MUD was until months after I was playing already. It was a random link on a BBS that I clicked on and it was fun.

Turning it into counter-strike type game is the opposite of what we should want.

I'm on and off with my playing, I don't claim my characters mostly because they're not worth claiming.. I'm just here for the nostalgia.

Counterstrike isn't good for CF. But the current timesink isn't good for the most of the players as well.

I think a hybrid solution should be there, something like skill gains could be increased x10, and XP gains x10 too. So it wouldn't take that much time to reach hero and invest so much time into the game. We all have families now, work, business, children, etc. And if it would require less time, CF would be way more attractive and possible to play for many players who simply can't allow to throw so many hours away.

nah, 10x bonuses make it trivial, I think the happy medium would be double XP weekends every other weekend on a schedule, even once a month 2 days of double XP would be great for the game.

It's the skill improvement, especially for the flurries and evades of the world that needs to speed up.

Specifically, ranking can be fun. It probably involves other people (if you aren't worried about skill improves). It puts you are risk of PK. It fosters RP.

Almost none of those things are true of skill practice. It's generally solo. It's in places people won't think to look. It's pure grind of the worst kind.

If you aren't getting pk'd its pretty therapeutic.

You're spreading your game changing ideas pretty thin here lately. I'd probably stick to one good idea and keep pushing that one instead of rewriting CF nine times over four times in a week. =P