Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What makes your characters stick?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-daily-grind-what-makes-your-characters-stick/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-daily-grind-what-makes-your-characters-stick/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-daily-grind-what-makes-your-characters-stick/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

If you're anything like me, alt-itis isn't a passing fad but rather, a way of life. I've never met an MMORPG that didn't inspire me to create a minimum of four alts (and usually many more). Even the original one-character-per-server incarnation of Star Wars Galaxies couldn't reign in my need to branch out.

Currently I'm rolling with a couple of rangers in Age of Conan, as well as a Demonologist that is surprisingly fun to play. In addition to my mid-40s sorcerer in Aion, I've been smitten by the alt bug there too, with time split between a chanter and a spiritmaster. I even went back to EverQuest II to check out Halas Reborn, and couldn't resist rolling a wizard, an illusionist, and a conjuror over the weekend.

The question, when surveying my army of alts, is which ones will be resigned to the scrap heap to make room for more experiments, and which will survive the cut and live to journey toward the max level? I don't know that I can pin down why some of my characters make it while others don't. Occasionally there will be a roleplay reason to keep one around. Sometimes a class is just really fun to play. Often I just fall back on my old standby of ranged DPS or crowd control. What about you Massively readers? I know some of you probably stick to one toon exclusively, but for those that don't, what is the deciding factor when it comes to designating a main?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What makes your characters stick? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaionaltseverquest-2everquest-iimainsmultiple-charactersopinionstar-wars-galaxiesthe-daily-grindTue, 01 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Gaming Iconoclast: Old (Un?)-Faithful]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/28/the-gaming-iconoclast-old-un-faithful/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/28/the-gaming-iconoclast-old-un-faithful/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/28/the-gaming-iconoclast-old-un-faithful/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park
Young men want to be faithful, and are not; old men want to be faithless, and cannot.
-- Oscar Wilde

The notion of having one main character or avatar that claims the bulk of one's play time and attention is fairly straightforward. It simplifies raid life for your officers, for one thing -- avoiding loot drama and similar chaos -- and gives your friends a convenient fall-back name to call you by on Ventrilo or in person. Even those folks who are able to juggle a large number of characters at or near endgame -- whatever level that might be -- typically have one they designate as their primary one. However, that character might not be their first, or favorite. That oddly enduring but tenuous bond exists for may gamers -- the one toon you keep coming back to, even though it may have shortcomings, or be badly-equipped, or not in demand.

In a similar vein to the previous installment of TGI, where we touched on the notion of changing titles altogether, we'd like to explore this notion of having a favorite character. Don't break out the Peter Gabriel yet, we're not going to be pining for lost love, or the one who got away here. Rather, let's take a look at what keeps us coming back to a particular digital minion despite the allure of new and different ones, both within a single game and among the myriad titles we can possibly choose from.

Continue reading The Gaming Iconoclast: Old (Un?)-Faithful

MassivelyThe Gaming Iconoclast: Old (Un?)-Faithful originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 May 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alt-itisaltsblizzardcharactersjoystiqfeaturesmain-charactermainssay-anythingthe-gaming-iconoclastworld-of-warcraftWed, 28 May 2008 11:00:00 EST