haven't been able to keep that CF spirit up since they made the change. I went though hell(not literally but it was a 2-3 year project for me real time wise since I don't play a bunch and I didn't trade info for locs until I got the the last couple) exploring to get a mostly complete wand list (figured I had about a 3/4 chance of being able to find my full set) and was getting ready to roll up a chaotic conjurer the week they threw in the wand changes. It pissed me off because I felt I had just finished jumping through their hoops to play a competitive type mage (most of the the time you don't want to rolepolay an obsequecious coward, but roleplaying a BA without the ability to back it up doesn't work either) and they changed the rules on me just as I was reaching the "finish line" so I could finally play the game the way I wanted to.
I still love the mandatory rp aspect of CF but I just haven't had the heart to stick with any character since then and still feel vaguely pissed off and betrayed about the whole ordeal. Bottom line is the grind and time and randomness makes it not fun for me so I haven't played seriously since then. Maybe I will get inspired with a non-mage concept at some point but thats a whole new learning curve far as gear and tactics go and I don't tthink I want to deal with it either.
What I really hate is that other than the three damned wand system I like almost all of the other changes they have made recently.