I'm using my ooooooollllllllddddddd Jonni handle for this because it is fitting for what I have to say.

I'm fine with CF dying someday. All good things come to an end. As I login to CF and see the numbers steadily dwindling, it no longer truly bothers me - bores me at times most certainly but 'old age' has given me the wisdom to realize that it is a new age in gaming and we collectively are living on the fringes of a dying breed of entertainment.

First, I'd point out that the culture has changed dramatically in my old-ass opinion. What truly led me here to CF if you want to go to the very very beginning happened years before I even knew what CF was.

What led me here was a combination of 'choose-your-own adventure' style books I liked when I was a kid, those old text-based dungeon crawler games back in the day,years and years of role-playing games where people sat in a college dorm, drinking beer and ACTUALLY ROLEPLAYED. There are tons of little cultural predecessors that mentally prepared me and likely many of the 'old farts' who still enjoy CF to find this game enjoyable after so many years.

Many of those things simply do not exist for the younger generation or are far less culturally significant. Today kids (yes those are KIDS to me now) literally have millions of ways to kill time and they all sport graphics.

I stayed with CF once I found it (during my early years in college) because it was the one MUD (I'd played a handfull before finding CF) which sported a unique and compelling combination of top-level RP, FUN, and consequential PK.

Other muds would have players with names like (BigballZack) or people running around LOLing and what not. CF took aspects of RP most other Muds ignored and encouraged an atmosphere where the playerbase took those things seriously - but still left enough wiggle room for some fun riffs (like a thiefly riff off the Sopranos for example).

I agree with trying to attract new players but I'm not betting on ever seeing a big surge. I'm far more interested in being able to leave as many marks as I can in the game that I've dedicated so many years to. For example I know there is a bottle of wine (Gapverdi special or something) that brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

Thus I would love to see ideas on how the playerbase can leave little permanent 'real estate' marks in the game so even after CF gasps its last gasp, perhaps somewhere online Years and years from now I cxan still login and have me a drink of Gapverdi special.

Planning on Retirement - call 1-800-GAPVERDI for all your retirement needs!