CoA: The Problem with Alts
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Hey,
So I had an issue with alts today, it isn't my first, I'm sure it won't be my last. When alts get involved with anything, from RP, to plots, it can affect not only the player directly involved, but others that had no part, since stories often get told to other PCs. I am currently playing the Dwarven Defender PrC. Kin is my family, I /have/ to stick up for my dwarven kin. It's part of my PCs character, it's what makes him who he is.
When a dwarven alt gets involved with something and rolls through and influences my actions against another IC PC due to them acting scummy, lying, or whatever, and then playing 2 other PCs that day, it sucks. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the internal conflict and the struggle of abandoning kin as clanless if he is a scumbag.
The thing is, if you're playing alts, you're influencing PCs and the ways around you no matter what. I get that sometimes people play alts, but I would ask that if we can't limit this, can we please at least have some OOC consideration by trying to avoid high conflict situations or influencing other PCs decisions on throwaway alts, or alts that are one of twelve characters you're currently playing?
Thanks.
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I've seen a few people who create new pc's to run around the city and do low level quests at top speed and not roleplaying. Personally I just shake my head and keep going, but I personally can echo the above statement.
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The same can be said about characters that are consecutively short, but stir conflict only to abandon then stir it again.
I feel like the only way I can have fair play is if I assume people's mains are just forms of alts and just flatten them. If the law PCs side with them, then having fair play would be skipping to FDing law PCs until their are no law PCs attempting to back throwaway PCs that are just there to troll me.
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Dobby is hitting the nail on the head. It's totally fine to quest, because, to me, the game still at it's core just that -a game-. I have an alt too. It's fun to run around, test builds, kill shit, get loot, and the DMs have created such a fun atmosphere. However, when the alt starts moving towards conflict issues or plots, then I would recommend you make it your main or ease off the gas. No one is condemning intrigue, but if your plan is to, in the spur of the moment, be an annoyance that other people have to deal with… that's just not right. For us it's about the interactions we have -daily- on these characters, throwing a screwdriver into the engine isn't real conflict. Just try to have some courtesy!
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Well since the topic is about my character Bugnar, let me assure you that he is my main character and i made him just for RP reasons. No killing, no testing, no looting (at least senseless ones). I find it difficult to spare the appropriate hours and focus on the story (because of the new hours in my job), but i do make small steps towards it. Yesterday's event, was not just some "senseless conflict" of another alt character.
I was emoting most of the time, when i joined a party, or found another dwarf the following: "He seems a new arrival in the citadel and doesn't know much". Or i used emotes to describe actions or feelings.
I hope some of your concerns will go away after this. My intention is only to have fun RPing here and not ruin something.
Cheers. -
@Everything:
Having an alt character that gets involved has never made sense to me. I have several quest alts at various levels and it's never been even hard to keep them uninvolved, blankfaced and uninitiating. I don't think we should go as far as to have a One PC per Player rule, but I certainly think there should be some sort of guidelines on how to manage alts.I've seen a few people who create new pc's to run around the city and do low level quests at top speed and not roleplaying. Personally I just shake my head and keep going, but I personally can echo the above statement.
That's perfectly fine in my book, sometimes lowbies need help, and having fun is the most important thing
@TrashPanda:
The same can be said about characters that are consecutively short, but stir conflict only to abandon then stir it again.
I feel like the only way I can have fair play is if I assume people's mains are just forms of alts and just flatten them. If the law PCs side with them, then having fair play would be skipping to FDing law PCs until their are no law PCs attempting to back throwaway PCs that are just there to troll me.
Absolutley nothing wrong with shortlived PCs. They serve a purpouse. Stop antagonizing characters if you don't want conflict.
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@TRASH:
The same can be said about characters that are consecutively short, but stir conflict only to abandon then stir it again.
I feel like the only way I can have fair play is if I assume people's mains are just forms of alts and just flatten them. If the law PCs side with them, then having fair play would be skipping to FDing law PCs until their are no law PCs attempting to back throwaway PCs that are just there to troll me.
That entire second paragraph is extremely wrong. Please don't take this attitude in game as you'll probably end up getting characters wiped, or in extreme cases, just banned. "just flatten them" "Skipping to FDing law PC's" "PC's that are just there to troll me"
Those are all really not in the spirit of the game, and I'm pretty certain you know it.
As for the actual topic:
Don't get alts involved in things your "main" character is involved with. If you start to see things crossing over, you are getting into metagaming territory, and should if you can, choose which character your going to continue playing with, then go back to the other one once that ones career is over. (you can play another alt though, just apply the same guidelines)
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I should have elaborated more on the PVP into abandonment without resolution. There's a difference between a shortlived arc PC which doesn't avoid conflict when making it and what I was trying to describe (which would be a PVP antagonize-type). No one would have problems with alts and short spanned characters that don't start conflict.
Its not really fair for someone to become sniped with PVP against their long term PC that they can't fight back against 'cuz DJ Khaled say so with another one. Meanwhile no one else might theoretically be antagonized by the "stormtrooper" PCs. The idea of not entering conflict with a PC alt/short antagonizing is silly because it just creates artificial dynamics where people don't express their PCs because it is meta-OOC-IC advantageous to simply not roleplay and just PvE/plot.
I just think there might be better ways for etiquette since people seem to have expectations and overall in certain situation there's conflict that isn't quite as satisfying with a character that has nothing to lose when they are the only person in the conflict that gets to have risks and may lose resources or other advantages. People do seem to begrudge players for this kind of thing and some times it is just plain unfair or unfun on the receiving end when people might be perceived as rolling a character just to harass someone. Other people seem to have some sort of feelings on that kind of thing.
Sometimes its not and the person is being serious legit or isn't even intending hostilities on the PC at all. Ye can have interesting new characters have antagonistic conflict, but they can't be interesting if they aren't going to be played.
I think that sometimes an extra step must be made to make the conflict enjoyable if the PC is just dipping out into nothing. This isn't really something that feels innate, but just learned over time from just seeing a lot of RP on both sides.
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COA encourages alts, and by few means are they a bad thing.
Personally, I have about 4 or 5 alts laying around in the event that someone has a level loss spiral on their current character, or they're leveling a new one. Sitting around for an hour in Arabel waiting for someone to at least interact with is dreadful, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. When my character is at level 10 or higher, I simply cannot quest with them, and while I understand why it's intended so that high level NPCs can't train-wreck lower level quests for all the financial gain, I would hate to just chat with them ICly, then do nothing with them from there on out. If I have no pressing business on that character, I log out, grab that alt, and run off with that person looking to quest.
The problem I think, is not that alts are permitted. The problem is that people are getting too invested in a character they will dedicate little time to. And it should be encouraged to COA's playerbase to drum up these 'alts' with a less aggressive, stand-off demeanor.
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@TrashPanda:
Not entirely sure what your point is, I read it as alittle contradictory. Not entering into conflict with an alt is not silly to me. Not expressing an Alt is not silly to me. I don't think an Alt character should have a deep polarizing characterization. I think it should be a blank face joe that no one really pays attention to. But that is, of course, my oppinion. I can tell you that keeping with this policy has kept me away from being guilty of the annoyances listed in this topic though, so it's obviously not a bad policy.@Kindersareawful
Precisely my point. Keeping "quest crush" alts is just one way that we more experienced and competent players can share our abilities to make the server more enjoyable as a game for people who struggle in lower levels. It really doesn't matter to me if the other player is playing someone who is or will become an enemy to my main, what I see is a player who's struggling to have fun because there isn't anyone to beat ye olde Mininum Party Requirement and it makes me sad to see people not have fun. I tend to look at my alts as Generic Recruitable Henchman NPCs. -
typo, it was from the perspective of someone entering into a conflict against a polarizing alt or whatever. but generally the viewpoint is like you said, except yours was more of an alt perspective. so im kinda agreeing. multitask prose too hard.
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Well first off.
Don't tell others how to play they are playing this game for there own enjoyment not to enable anyone else.
If you don't like playing with characters that sprint to and from quest area's then don't play with them if you find them immersion breaking.
The fact other players are playing on this server using a few different characters that aren't getting overly involved in anything,then they are adding to the population not harming it,you don't like it don't play with them.Think thats all that i wish to say on this matter peace out.
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I'm not ordering anyone to do anything. This is nothing more than a friendly request, Amy Veln.
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Amy, do you read these posts before you reply? He's pointing out how it can be teoublesome, not issuing commands. The only orders I see thrown around are from you in your reply.
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The thing is, if you're playing alts, you're influencing PCs and the ways around you no matter what. I get that sometimes people play alts, but I would ask that if we can't limit this, can we please at least have some OOC consideration by trying to avoid high conflict situations or influencing other PCs decisions on throwaway alts, or alts that are one of twelve characters you're currently playing?
So.
The thing is, if you're playing alts, you're influencing PCs and the ways around you no matter what.
There is nothing wrong with this reacting in the game world in character is perfectly fine and expected,if a player is playing 50 different characters there is nothing wrong with it so long as the different characters are not overlapping influences.
I get that sometimes people play alts, but I would ask that if we can't limit this
So this first part of the sentence is acknowledging the fact that players can play as many character as they choose.but the last part of it leaves the implication that there should be a limit
can we please at least have some OOC consideration by trying to avoid high conflict situations or influencing other PCs decisions on throwaway alts
The second part implies that the minimum action
at least
of a player playing more than one character should be to avoid conflict and plots and or effecting the game world and the other characters in it,it also makes the claim that the characters are throw away meaning they are valueless.
or alts that are one of twelve characters you're currently playing?
The last part is telling players of more than one character not to cheat as meta gaming knowledge between characters and big brother them which is also already against the rules.
Which i do agree with.So yes i have read it and it is the second paragraph that made me write what i did.
Im done with this thread try reading it yourself next time People.
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Good, you read it and still completely misinterpreted it. Thanks for the quotes though!
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I hate alts with a passion for anything except killing time with questage.
If an alt starts shit, i ignore them, unlessit's somewhere where ic an safely kill them, in which case, i will.
If they're on a quest, they'll have last pick of spoils etc…..
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Let's keep it civil. Violators will be balored.
This thread tl;dr: Stick to your main PCs as much as you can. Alters don't be dicks. Raging goblins are OP. 'nuff said.
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Nope. This thread is going nowhere good. Gonna lock it, refer to the great hominid for general advice on this subject.