The add points to the home page.... which is... bland. Basically it's got some recent news, and the poll, and the menu, but there really isn't anything for grabbing new players attention. I don't have any ideas off the top of my head, but there should really be something else there, like a short intro or something. Especially if it's got some eyepopping graphics to go along with it. Poll the playerbase, they can suggest stuff I'm sure.

...someone should write up a description of some sort to put above the announcements.

Something along the lines of a backstory and a description of what CF is like. And stuff.

Splntrd

Like some sort of Flash intro? Don't know about you, but I always click past those.

I don't want to point out other mud's websites but you can be graphical without being overly gaudy. Guys like you, me and probably Valg/Nep/Sebeok (programmers) prefer clean, well placed spam-click-free content over fancy elaborate graphics. But, there's only so many over 20 engineering types who are going to be looking for text based games to play. You have to appeal to the fantasy crowd as a whole. And in that case, this site isn't eye catching enough to hit that crowd well.

I agree with you to a large degree; I think we have a great game, and I think the main page of our webpage does a poor job of selling it. It's the kind of page that's useful to current CF players but does little to sell it to people who are seeing CF for the first time, either via one of our banner ads, a google search, friend's recommendations, whatever.

Certainly, there are less cool games that do a better job of selling themselves on their web pages.

I'm thinking one first small step would be to have some text on the main page that would explain CF to some degree and make it sound cool. Basically, something you could read even if you'd never played a MUD before and get some rough idea of what CF was and why it's cooler than other games.

So the question for everyone is, what would you mention? How do you convey the essence of CF in that vein?

The color scheme is just...bad. Table's borders shouldn't be showing. There isn't enough graphic content. Phrases like "Multi-User-Domain" shouldn't be part of the graphics, if there at all. I'm not a great design guy, but there's a number of really cool templates you can modify to get a better looking site. However being this a game, you'll probably have to do better than that.

There's a lot you can do, I just don't know what resources you have available. I think though a text blurb would help, its really just a start.

I like the colours on the homepage...
Brown-black is quite refreshing compared to all the million pages that try to slam you as many colours as possible right in your face.

How about a page which is updated with really good logs (rp or pk or better for both) that are _short_ but cool. For instance, Jhyrbian's end-of-his-Inn-story where he told the guy he was getting assassinated and then the successful assassination.

Some sort of blurb to get people interested... and a... wait for it......... Highlight Reel! Be immortalized as the gnome warrior who punked 4 raiders at the giant. Pull off the best assassination ever! It might not bring in the non-mud players, but people who've played other muds might see something they like and get interested...

NEW CONTEST!!!

Submit the best logs EVA!!! for use in promotion material.

Coming soon to a contest forum near you.

I think pictures for each class and race and not just a few would be nice. As a visitor, I'd check those two pages out first, and pictures do much to impress and put ideas into your head I know i would go through each race and class one by one just to take a look at the imagery.

However, having said that, this is afterall a text-based game heavy on Rp and Pk, and those are the points that will eventually sell. Users will feel cheated if we have too many promising pictures only to stare at a text-filled screen later.

So as suggested by others, text blurbs and interesting rp/pk logs will do much to draw the different facets of the crowd. I think it just has to be laid out nicely, short and sweet, on the home page and updated frequently.

Unsure if it's too much work, but maybe a 'log of the day' thing will be interesting? Where players submit a log (with a limit to number of lines, to cut away long-windedness and compact all the action) they think highly interesting, and have someone to select the most interesting log of the day, and update it on the blurb on the home page.

Logs featured can probably be a week behind at a time. Players and visitors might be excited at having their char featured on the home page, and might want to try the game out with max rp/pk mode turned on. These can be archived for reading pleasure.

As it is however, the forums and pages are getting more and more cramped with information. Perhaps it can re-arranged slightly to facilitate any other elements so that it will catch the eye more easily?

Just some thoughts is all!