One Character?

I just watched the interview between Markee Dragon and RG. The biggest concern I have coming out of that video is the one character remark. I understand why they are considering only one character, but I would like to switch up things I do in the game. Why not instead have one fighter type character and one crafter type character? Or will your one character be able to gain proficiency as a mage, say, and an alchemist? Or do you have to choose between the fighter skill and the crafting skill completely?

Yes, please get rid of the leveling grind. I think that once I learned how to 8X8, it lessened my enjoyment of UO.

 

It sounds more of a use it or lose it system. You can shift your profession, but slowly you will take away from your original. They are definitely working hard to avoid people powerful in everything. I'll probably be in the minority but I like the one character philosophy. This is something I'm sure they'll figure out later, but on the developer forums I will push for the single character with the option to pay for more ($10 or $20 more for example). That way families that have a few people that want to play don't have to buy a game for each of them.

If you don't like the one character system, I'm sure there can be a "reset" feature which will bring you back to near start, but with all of your housing/items.

 

With respect to resetting your skills, I'd like a clarification on that. LB said the game would be more like UO than WoW, to use his example, but if i devote some skill points to sword, and some to magery, at a later date can I simply shift that all to swords or all to magery? In UO it was simply a matter setting a switch to mark a skill to go up, down, or to lock it. I'd hope that is true here, because as a new player, I don't know what my end state should be.

 

One character.. well that does me in, total alt-aholic, I like to RP different characters and often come up with new story lines for them.

 

I like to focus on one character anyway. RG is saying that your character is an extension of yourself, and I am only one person, lol.

I'm not completely against others having alts if they want them tho.

 

I like having alts too. I hope they can work something out. Guess I could buy another copy.

 

I don't have a problem with this as I have always played the Ultima games with just one character. As RG explained, you are taking yourself into the game. And that's what I've always done. The Avatar is a representation of you the person sitting in your computer chair.

With UO, I only had one character until 2003 and that was only because to be self-sufficient, you HAD to have multiple characters.

I'm just guessing here, but I suspect that if they stick with the one-character model, you'll be able to be/do whatever you want with enough "points" to do the skills you want proficiently.

 

This is also implying its a classless game system, just with 'tiered' levels of skills... something like TSW?

 

I like just one character, like a Paladin, Smith, Miner.

Only having one crafting profession per character acct, will promote a better player economy I believe. In the beginning, would likely be bartering with each other for goods and resources.

 

Indeed, I think the main reason for this is to avoid auto-sufficiance in players. They don't want players to have a blacksmith working for their warriors.

 

I have mixed feelings about this whole idea. On the one hand, in other games, I do like having alts and trying different classes so, from an "alt-oholic's" perspective, that sounds bad to be stuck to one character. So my first reaction when I read this was to think "Seriously? That sucks."

However, you have to remember in a lot of other games, you are forced to pick a class at the beginning of the game, and if you change your mind, too bad, you have to start a brand new character. Having one character in this case might not be so bad since, if you have a "warrior" type of character, and you decided you want to start using more magic.. you just go for it, you don't have to start all over. You'll have to balance your skills of course, but it's not like other games, where you would not have that option at all, and starting a new character would be necessary. I guess the only disadvantage to that, is if you decide to try out being a "mage", and then decide that you like being a "warrior" better.. then you have to go and build up the skills you prefer, instead of just switching characters.

As for having only one crafting skill, that doesn't bother me very much. It isn't going to be an MMO, and I don't really have time or the desire anymore to have 3 different "crafting" alts just to support my main character or provide for a guild. Plus, I'm mainly interested in the single-player campaign anyway.

I haven't actually seen this video, and I've been out-of-the-loop on news for the last couple of days, but based on what I know about it, that's my take on it

 

The more I think about this the more I want to change may pledge. Currently I am at a very high level and feel that one character will stop me from playing the game as much as I might with having the ability to have a few characters.

I have always liked being able to log into a crafter then to a warrior. But not the same guy. This is down to the way they dress and what items they carry. I also do not want ot have to retrain a guy all the time.

Now I agree that someone should not be a good guy on on hand and on the other be a bad guy. But this could be tied to the account not the the characters.

Let someone go kill people but tie that virtue to the account. If the person then would like to go..lets say chop wood.. then let them but the virtue of the account would be the same.

Maybe even the name could carry one but playing a different character. I feel having a limit of maybe 3 or 4 characters would be better.

I feel by having only one character the game is limited from day one. This is why I am thinking about changing my pledge down to something lower then a town house. I do not think it would be needed..well maybe if I could rent out space.. but think I head there will be a AH so vendors might not be needed also........

To many questions that are open still.

 

On Guild Wars 2, I had 5 characters that all looked alike. Most were crafting mules, but it helped create an illusion that one character was doing it all. Different people have different preferences.

 

If players were allowed two characters instead of one, this would allow a combat character and a crafting character. This would totally change the economy and the quality of meaningful interaction and trade within the grame in contrast of a one character system.

It's just one of those things worth sacrificing for a more 'real' feeling world.

 

Besides the "one character" idea being beneficial to the balance and economy, you also need to remember that this is a story-based game. You will be moving through a plotline. If you have more than one character, I imagine you will be replaying scenarios, cut scenes, quests, etc...doesn't sound like fun to me.. this was not an issue in UO obviously, but this game is not an open, plot-less world.

 

If everyone is a crafter, crafting becomes relatively worthless. Few people are willing to devote themselves to crafting, make each crafter that does more valuable.

 

Well if this is a story and I am just moving though the game then I really should drop my pledge from a house to the $30 range. No reason to have a house if you are just going to move though the story.

 

It was mentioned in one video that some players may just want to craft, explore, etc. and ignore the main story/plot altogether; which is fine. It also sounds like the content will keep flowing with new story lines, so as the first one ends, new ones begin. I think it's too early to tell what we're getting, but I'm seeing it as your typical online RPG with crafting and housing being vital to an in-game economy. The difference is that there is going to be a lot of effort put forth to make an evolving, content (story) driven world. There will be a lot of opportunities to grow your character and make your mark on the world through these. But you can sit back and play the humble crafter/merchant if you'd like. Humility is one of the eight virtues after all.

Seems like there are a lot of assumptions from pledges about how the game will be. I'm holding off until more info comes out before I decide upon my pledge. We have nearly 3 more weeks and the supply of new info has been pretty steady. I like everything I've seen so far. And I have huge hopes for a Richard Garriott game unfettered by a corporate publisher leash.

 

Well, I would think one could make a modest pledge based just upon what we have heard so far. There is always time to bump that pledge, as you see fit, as time goes on.

 

One character sounds good to me actually. I like it for quite a few reasons. But if you can have an unlimited number of accounts, then there really isn't a character limit is there?

I like one character limit because it would reduce the amount of mule characters out there. This destroys in game economies. It would also force the player to make more decisions based around how he would like to play rather than just making a character to service every need and push to the main character.

I think we have to remember, Portalarium are not looking to create a traditional MMO here, they are going in a different direction.