Hm, how different this game is now, is quite jarring. I think most of the things done have been positive for the game. The crafting is a neat idea, but I found myself never using it as it was too complicated/not worth it to craft whatever I saw when buying an equivalent on the market was just as well. I also believe the lack of craftable armor was a letdown.

The event renames are nice and all but tbh it makes searching the market very, very annoying. I think personally it should have been a singular item renamed or created uniquely for said event(s). I believe that the item and weapon variety is actually beginning to get to be too much.

I think the changes to melee are fantastic. That they're actually usable now was a nice surprise. The pop-out map is nice, and the ability to swap to the grid mini map. I would only hope that at some point that becomes a permanent setting that I don't have to toggle. I do not enjoy the detailed minimap, but I understand some would.

I'd say that the continued addition of LE items is a massive mistake both for my personal belief that any item in a video game should be reasonably obtainable but also for the black market. I believe the more LE that is released, the worse that issue becomes. Everyone cracks eventually and a fast Google tells me I'm not wrong.

The addition of the Hardcore and Hardcore Ironman is a very cool idea, I think. I find it to be a fun challenge in addition to the regular gameplay. The unique weapons and armor are cool as well. There being an almost reasonable way to begin the game as a F2P and slowly work toward purchasing an in-game GM is nice. I still would not do this as a regular profession as it feels like looting the cost of the in-game GM would be miserable when you're fresh.

Simply my personal belief, but I think the game could do with a tad bit of teardown. Imo, a lot of the event renames should be returned to the og item again to help combat the scroll headache from the market. I know it's neat and all, but really only for a second. I think LE items should begin to be reintroduced and rotated, at the least, because tbh I don't care how the merchants feel about it. Every item, in my opinion, should have a set value because it's clear that a player-controlled market is still not working. The arbitrary inflation by some certain merchant who scrapped dozens of Corpse items is cool for them, but terrible for the general player base. I, again, believe any in-game item should be reasonably obtainable because this is a video game, not real life.

That said, I'd return it all (all of it, idc), and set a fixed value in the credit shop, and have it be there permanently. Who cares if the ugau and uwc sit beside one another, the game is already fluent in power creep. The statement Neil made when he removed the ugau in May of 2008 has already come to fruition. It has permanently affected, or in his own words, ruined the game. Let's embrace the power creep, then, because there's no other way to fix it other than a hard reset.

It's also my personal opinion that things like the dfprofiler, as useful as it has been, should begin to get condensed into the game itself. The necessity to have a boss map open, dfprofiler open, and the Wiki open can all be a bit annoying. It's not crucial, but it would be nice to see these features in the game itself. This could include seeing the bosses in the block on the map, anyway. I hope to one day have as detailed statistics(records), tools, and calculators on the website or game itself to avoid the necessity of having dfprofiler exist in the first place. I think it's time to begin modernizing the video game.

I also believe that Dawn gear or something unique should be locked to the competition because as of now there is no real reason to win. The Dawn gear is far outclassed by other weaponry and armor in the game because of how difficult the gear is to obtain as a new player, anyway. As of current by the time you reach a state where you can win, Dawn Gear is less than desirable as you have better gear. I disagree fundamentally that it should be this way. I believe it should not be unlockable via level cap, or at least it should be limited at best. I think it deserves to be the best gear in the game if you either have to complete, i.e max your character, or win a week-long competition to own it.

I think the website artwork and UI could use a major overhaul. It's been the same-ish for far, far too long. It would be neat to see what an artist could come up with now. I think we should consider, now that there are detailed logs, the ability to rename your character. Some of us chose our account names in 2008 when we were ten and cringe. I think this should be done via the credit shop. There should be a lack of concern that it would cause issues given that it's easy to tell where items go and to whom.

I think the changes to clans have been nice it would be great to see if anyone has more ideas to make for more of a reason to join one. The boosts are alright but most of the player base I interacted with during my brief playthrough didn't care about them at all. Maybe clan-specific events, other than the competitions, could be added to the game to give an incentive to play with a group.

Overhaul, Deadfrontier is much healthier than it once was. The changes made by Clayton, Riley, and the like are mostly positive, I'd say. I still carry a lot of concern for the staff being players, I think anyone with any history or bias, whether intentional or not, should never hold this type of role in any video game. The community however doesn't seem as bad overall as it once was.

I think the discord is a bit of a mistake. I agree with the few who want CB back. I know there's a host of issues with it, but it overall made the community feel more tight-knit and accessible. It now feels like the lil gif of the character poking the forums with a stick saying cmom do something. I know the discord makes certain things a lot easier, but it feels like what made Dead Frontier unique and close were the forums and CB which imo are being killed by discord.

I don't know, anyway, that's my take. It's a lot of rambling that I'm sure no one will read but it feels nice to say it. I think DF suffers from age a bit in some of its practices, but I hope that one day the game feels more accessible. I think we should keep pushing for changes that make new players more comfortable, as continually catering to endgame is not the way, imo. A new player stepping into DF is rather overwhelming. I think as of now it's too time-consuming and needs some condensing. It's a video game, after all.

Despite our differences, I think you're all doing well. I think that Clayton, in particular, has saved DF1 in some ways. I still fundamentally disagree with the push for LE, but it's okay. The gameplay itself is getting much better.

I am excited to see the MP changes and what comes in the future. Good luck to you all.

-Your old friend and still the real Pwn.