Maybe some of you’ve heard about the evolution theories of Darwin about how human kind has developed itself. Well i’m not going to talk to you about all that. I’m here writing a column expressing my questions to the outer world (a.k.a. the crossfire community) on which i’d like to have an answer stated by you
ALL. This means from high skill to low skill, to not even playing this game anymore. See this as an interactive theory.
The red line throughout this entire text will be a very simple question:”what’s next?”.
I’m planning to write you some very stupid retorical questions along sided some questions who could be really decisive and valuable to us all.

First of all i’m going to pose you the actual ‘problem’. I myself don’t see it as a real issue, since it’s not a real one. But that’s only a personal opinion. I’m sure there will be many among you who see this as a key question, and that is why i’m going to pose it as complete as possible. It louds like this:’What are we going to do with the future of ET’.
It is clear that we have gained great losses with currently released games such as ET: QW, and a much larger one CoD4. There has been a topic including different sorts of intel about the actual numbers of players which still stick to ET, and the community that now supports games as CoD4. But are those losses that great as they seemingly are? Because I myself haven’t really felt a great impact. I know there are many players swapping to these games, and leaving ET for what it is, but on the other hand can we say that we had a real huge playerdrop by this? I, myself, personally share the opinion that there will be many of them who are just trying out the game, and many others who will eventually stick to ET, holding CoD4 for those moments there is nothing to do on Planet ET. Nevertheless i want to stress the fact that we have had many great losses due to CoD4 but for now i want to see this from a relative point of view. We will only know the exact impact when a new CB Opencup will show up. Then we will be able to compare actual results, and statistics which mesure the amount of clans.

Furthermore, we may have had a playerdrop, but does that have any affect on those who really want to continue playing this game? I rather have to disagree on this one. I myself think a smaller community still could work out fine. We’ve seen many OC seasons which included over 200 clansignups now, but isn’t the same amount of fun possible with only over 100 clan signups, or in the worst case only with a 50 man cup? Maybe 50 is a bit dramatic, but sometimes looking from a negative way on life could give a positive result in the end!
You maybe think that this is all what i’ve got to say about this second issue, which again isn’t a real issue. Eventhough i want to continue on this one for just a bit more. Wouldn’t it equal the ‘fun’ or even be more funny to play with a tight group of motivated players, in stead of a large group which doesn’t have a positive look on the future of Planet ET (yes, eventhough i’ve said having a negative look could sometimes give a positive result, don’t mind that for just this once ). Wouldn’t it be cool to know who you are playing against a bit more, than just having to play against yet another ‘noname’? Wouldn’t it be easier for the cheatbusters to bust a hacker if there were much less people to be watching on? Wouldn’t it be much easier to get more coverage for matches if you don’t need a 10 refs on one day, but more like 2 refs?
Yes, the game would seemingly lose its big size, would maybe lose some of its prestige, it would lose much. But it would also gain a lot! I’m leaving this issue in between, since i’d like YOU (the community) to answer it for me. If you are not up to doing it, you just put it aside, but one day you’ll have to make a decision, and it will eventually end up to what i’m saying: “Do i want to continue with a small and ‘happy’ group, or do i want to swap to a large, and non-friendly game?”. This might all look a bit childish, but don’t forget kids, the internet is serious buisiness!
As a last point on my agenda, i’m up to writing just a little more about the so called ‘skilldrop’. At the beginning of this Eurocup, and whilst it was (= is) being played, all sorts of shouts concerning ET has had a large skilldrop gained popularity. I’m not here to neglect that, nor to say it are lies. It has been visible to everyone who has just a little bit of interest to this game, that there is a big amount of so named ‘high’skill players who left this game. Eventually people are saying things which come close up to this: ET has no skill left. I say this in a quite extreme way, but some comments posted by people i know ended up to this. I have to agree with skilled people leaving, but you have to see it from another point of view aswell. Competition isn’t dropping out at all. There are coming up new teams, which now want to have that title aswell. Teams who before had not the chance to gain this title, now see they come in a closer range to it. This happens to several teams, which eventually will increase the competetive feeling! Yes it will happen on a lower level, but after a while that will be a general statement, and those so called ‘lower’skilled teams will become the new elite.

As a conclusion i’d like to tell to you all, how easy it is to break down the statement i made. I myself can come up with tons of ‘excuses’ to eliminate this theory. So if i’m already able to destroy my own theory in which i really believe, it should be even more easy for you to do so. Nevertheless it should be clear that isn’t the goal i’m trying to reach. I’m trying to let a question pop into your head, and i only got the good hopes that you are able and willing to give a solution towards it. And last but not least, i’m also trying to put a bright light on the future of ET. It’s simply because i’m a bit sick of all those ‘apocalypses’ we’ve faced now.







P.S. To not harm anyone’s ‘ego’ i’m adding this little remark. This Eurocup is still being played by ‘oldskool’ teams, regarding clans as imp., MoD, JAET, stfu... But those are combined with newer teams, who will in the end gain experience aswell.