If people want to play multiplayer M&B where everyone uses similar quality gear, has similar stats, and it is all skill based, then play native. That's exactly what native multiplayer is.
The whole point of the RPG element is to be able to have an advantage over other players based on grinding levels and gear. The direction cRPG is heading is one where everyone wears almost equal gear due to upkeep, and almost equal stats around lvl 30.
At the mod's current rate of progress, and largely even now, cRPG will be like playing native with custom looking armor and clothes. Essentially this mod will be the Mount&Blade fashion show mod, with a community and stat tracking. I call it cFashionshow.
Lets not get into heirlooms, which is the only thing not making this mod cFashionshow.
And if the decision is to take away all noticeable gear and stat advantages, than ok. But at least don't fib and call it an RPG mod. Even now leveling to 30 and buying gear is meaningless. Call it cFashionshow or something else.
This is not at all how I envision the 'philosophy' behind cRPG. To me, and from what I've gathered from ( very old, admittedly ) comments from chadz is that cRPG has taken over where TW left some weeks before Beta ended ( and largely stopped working and improving on WB ). cRPG continued - and continues - fixing all the major balance issues ( of which there are many ) while also adding a nice customization feature reminiscent of the SP character development system ( leaving 'some' elbow room for build differences ), and also adding the occasional neat, new feature all while maintaining the original, highly player skill-based game mechanics that makes the M&B series what it is.
The 'World of Warband' that some seem to want is in ways the opposite of this, where the reward lies in mindless grinding rather than trying to become better at playing the game - just like most of the other auto-pilot MMOs out there. Now when you hit lvl 27-30 or so, which you can do in a few days, you are more or less on par with everyone else if you know how to play the game, and looms and such only makes a marginal difference. Then it becomes a game about personalizing your character theme, build, equipment and fighting style while getting the best out of overall balanced mechanics.
Btw, I don't remember any native clan at this time.
Some of the first people I remember playing with in cRPG ( within weeks after first release or so ) was people like Madjack and I think Plazek from 22nd, Eiríkur and Titan from Shieldings, NaglFaar and Bjord from Einherjar and at least Okin from IRC, four old Native clans, but some of these were playing under aliases. Eiríkur was for example Muhammad Ibn something, but Madjack was just Madjack I'm pretty sure.
