max 6 Characters per player rule

[Hellblazer]

I know this might be a touchy subject, but if there is no discussion about it, there can't be any change about it. But after speaking with Dorg, he suggested I posted here, if I wanted to make a suggestion.

From what Dorganath has told me, the actual rule was set from the time that the server had many "Actual" players. Here I make reference to one individual making characters, and not accounts it self. As per this rule, one player still has a maximum of six chars, even if he creates six different accounts.

With todays slow down, and we can't really deny that we have seen a drop of "actual" players in the last years (been here for almost 4 now), I was wondering why this rule was still in place.

I understand that at that time it was to prevent the load up of the databases vs the numbers of "actual" players x their number of chars, that were in those time, which made sense. But if we look at todays reality, we have maybe 20 to 30.. 40 max players. It's really nothing compared to what it was in the past.

So since there is less players that there was, is there still a need for this rule? Where, on the other hand, giving the opportunity to the actual player base to test new builds, new stories, could make their experience a bit more enjoyable and help them stay on this server even longer, maybe?

When I say more enjoyable, I mean it in the way that I doubt anyone has a good time making a decision of which of their loving char in which they have put literally hundreds of hours, will they choose to delete.

Suggestion being, let's abolish that rule.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

I have a feeling this rule will not go anywhere, because the MMO is likely to have the same limitation, as do mosst MMOs

[Hellblazer]

Probably right, but that's then. This is for now.

[willhoff]

Seems like a reasonable request.  Having seasoned players with new characters could help welcome new players who are looking for someone to run around with and show them around.

[Dezza]

I like the limit, its reasonable and yet it is limiting enough that you can have characters that you actually will pay attention to and focus on in some more meaningful way that having a dozen or so characters and not having any real focus on any of them.

[Script Wrecked]

This might be about having space to keep old, well established and developed characters, while at the same time being able to start new ones.

Having put so much time and effort into developing a character, I can see why someone would want to "keep" that character, even if they are only trotting them out on high days and holidays. To have nothing tangible to show for it after all those years of playing them can seem unsatisfying.

The counter argument to that is that characters should be played to their natural end. To be left with an artifact that you are not really playing and yet are loath to let go of is doing the character and the experience that you've had (dare I say "shared") a disservice.

All things comes to an end (even, one day, the current incarnation of Layonara).

Regards,

Script Wrecked.

[Hellblazer]

I like the limit, its reasonable and yet it is limiting enough that you can have characters that you actually will pay attention to and focus on in some more meaningful way that having a dozen or so characters and not having any real focus on any of them.

You could still do that without the limit.

This might be about having space to keep old, well established and developed characters, while at the same time being able to start new ones.

Having put so much time and effort into developing a character, I can see why someone would want to "keep" that character, even if they are only trotting them out on high days and holidays. To have nothing tangible to show for it after all those years of playing them can seem unsatisfying.

spot on to my thinking. Also what Willoff said was a very good extension of what I was thinking.

[Rowana]

Could you elaborate a little why you are making this request; what the purpose of raising the limit would be? You've already made a point about why it would be okay, but I don't understand why the issue is being raised exactly. We could go on about why it is or isn't okay, which is fine (what this forum is for, clearly) but delving a little deeper back might lift the fog a little more.

Thanks,
~row

[Hellblazer]

Well, basically.

I'm probably not the only other person on the forum that has chars that have a reason of being, even if they are not used extensively. I do use all of my chars depending on the rp that is asked, or even who is online and what we are planning to do, as time permits also, or when the persons chars that is friends/colleagues/involved with, is able to play. There for deleting one of them is not an option for me at least.

On the other hand, there is some neat ideas I have that I would like to be able to explore, but am unable to do so because of the present rule. Sure I could have simply made a new forum account, route the game and browser through proxies, use different cd keys and no one would be the wiser. But that is not how I am and I wouldn't resort to breaking a rule, even if that rule is.. well, as I see it mind you, obsolete.

There has been a few times I wanted to start a new char, when either a friend made a new one, or when I saw new players come to the server, to be able to help them out and have some fun with them, develop new character friendships and all. I understand that the level split rules has been taken out and that is absolutely good, but at the same time. Having a char that is maybe 10, 15 levels up from you can sometime make things too easy and you loose some of the fun. So having the option to start new chars, and keep your old fixes that situation. You then can keep the rps and stories you had going alive, and can make new one at the same time. Meet new people (new players) and try new concept you wanted, without having to sacrifice ongoing stories.

Now Like I said, I am sure there are other people that have ideas that they would like to explore but may not be able, for different reasons, to let go of a character after the amount of hours they have spent into them. Sure in the past if there wasn't a rule that limited the amount of characters a player could have, would have brought some database problems when there was maybe 100 or more players. But that's not the reality today. And as Willoff pointed out, this could also be a mean for the older players here, to be able to start a new without scarifying their chars, and spend time with the newer people, helping them, and trying out new concept they could have always wanted to try out but didn't.

[Shiokara]

Well, basically...

There has been a few times I wanted to start a new char, when either a friend made a new one, or when I saw new players come to the server, to be able to help them out and have some fun with them, develop new character friendships and all. I understand that the level split rules has been taken out and that is absolutely good, but at the same time. Having a char that is maybe 10, 15 levels up from you can sometime make things too easy and you loose some of the fun. So having the option to start new chars, and keep your old fixes that situation. You then can keep the rps and stories you had going alive, and can make new one at the same time. Meet new people (new players) and try new concept you wanted, without having to sacrifice ongoing stories.

Now Like I said, I am sure there are other people that have ideas that they would like to explore but may not be able, for different reasons, to let go of a character after the amount of hours they have spent into them. Sure in the past if there wasn't a rule that limited the amount of characters a player could have, would have brought some database problems when there was maybe 100 or more players. But that's not the reality today. And as Willoff pointed out, this could also be a mean for the older players here, to be able to start a new without scarifying their chars, and spend time with the newer people, helping them, and trying out new concept they could have always wanted to try out but didn't.

On the subject of helping out new players, I agree. It helps to take a player around and show him the ropes--let him know where the easier quests are, since a few of them (I'm thinking about the postmaster and Helmet of Armor quests specifically) are a ways away from the starting towns. Even the grave digging quest in Vehl is kind of 'hidden'. This is to say that a player has to do some rooting in order to find it.

I understand the argument that it reduces the challenge somewhat if your character is 10-15 levels over the player. One possible fix that does not include increasing the amount of character slots is to create a character and use the newly added function that causes you not to gain xp in battle. In this way you can have a perpetually low-level char that you can use as a guide for newer players. The idea is that this character stays low-level and does not grow with those players, though. When the players get into another range of levels, simply switch to a higher level character and continue to affect their RP lives that way.

While your low-level character may not be getting any husbands, wives, titles, or changing the world and what-not, you will still have the potential to affect changes within the new player's RP.

[Hellblazer]

I love the idea of the no xp thing. Although what happens mostly, at least for me. Is that the chars I make will follow a certain groups of friend, after they make them. I'm sure that is for any one that plays here.

Over the years that I have been here, I have always tried to have a diversified groups of friends. Feh is friends with certain people. Ty with others and so on. Sometimes friends from a group will also be friend from an other. It happens. But I really try to limit that. I don't mean limiting other chars to be friends with other people of different groups. But my own chars to be friends with always the same chars/people.

Which means in my case anyways, that when the newly found friends of the new char goes up in levels, to keep the rp alive, my char will follow them. It has went on at points that my char haven't gain true xp in a long while so I could keep in the same challenge zone as the others. Example here is my char Eslar, which I play very seldomly, because the people he was created to play with have different hours from myself at this moment. The only one of that group that plays on a regular basis is Phobo. Being that both chars (eslar and phobo) were created as support member of a group, they don't do well just by themselves. So when I can actually get a moment to play with my brother (our work hours don't mesh well) I will take one of my fighter chars, which unfortunately is much higher than phobo and causes other problems. And since I know that once our work hours will mesh better and that the other people of that group will have more time on their hand, the group will start trekking and rping more together once again. So it makes no sense for me to delete him. As it makes no sense to delete the others, as they all have their own little friends, rp, drama, trekking group etc. But that's one example out of the myriad of reason  you would find from one person to an other.

Your solution is a good one, but can not apply to all variability. Where of, relaying to the closet an old rule that doesn't really make sense (once again in my eyes) anymore to the reality of this server, would.