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Question regarding alternate characters - Printable Version

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Question regarding alternate characters - Rila - 09-22-2014

If I wanted to roleplay a character other than my main, is it good practice to actually create that character in-game? This wouldn't be a random background character in Rila's story, but an actual standalone character with enough backstory and personality to fill her own Wiki page.

On one hand, if I were to ever participate in realtime RPs, it's probably less confusing for other people if I actually looked like the person I'm writing for and had a matching name to boot. On the other hand, if I don't intend on leveling up with the alt at all, it kind of seems like overkill.

So I'm curious to hear about other people's experiences with this kind of thing. Have you ever played as someone in game who looked nothing like the actual character you were on? Are people generally good about going along with that?

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - LiadansWhisper - 09-22-2014

Generally speaking, if you wish to portray a character who is not the actual character you are logged into, making an alt is the best - and least confusing - route to take.

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Melodia - 09-22-2014

I agree. As someone with two alts, it's just easier to log on and off with each if I want to rp with a different character. But leveling is a pain....that's the only tough part.

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Tiergan - 09-22-2014

I have 5 characters, because I've got altitis and I have a problem. :V (I'm thinking of making a sixth. SOMEONE STAGE AN INTERVENTION.)

Typically what I do is I level the alt to at least level 15 so I can get the airship pass for that character. Then you can travel to any city and any zone without having to level it up any further than that unless you really, really want to.

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Melkire - 09-22-2014

*kicks searchlight into operation and throws up the Askier logo*

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Berrod Armstrong - 09-22-2014

I have five characters (4 level 50 ones and a babbu), and I play several 'NPC' sort characters when needed. That being said, I think it depends on what strikes a comfortable medium between your convenience, and what your roleplaying colleagues expect. 

If you find it more convenient to portray a character whose appearance is different to the toons, speak to your roleplay buddies about it and see what they think. If they're okay with it, go right ahead! If not, perhaps an alt is needed. 

If your roleplaying buddies prefer an alt and you rather not make one, perhaps focusing on one character for a bit may help. Communicate with the people you roleplay with so that you may choose the option that's best for the situation!

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Illira - 09-22-2014

Yeah, pretty much what the others have said.

If the character is actually someone who is going to be RPed and not just occasionally referenced, then you should actually make that character ingame as an alt.

Don't worry much about leveling them up if you have no interest in doing. If its a sole-RP alt you can do as much or as little as you'd like. Leveling them a little to get airship access/nice clothing, etc. is nice but not a have to. If you wanted you could even just leave them as a level 1 (*has been guilty of this*). To avoid confusion, its really better to have the basic model/name, etc of the alt than nothing since in-game RP is your poison of choice.

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Ragnar - 09-22-2014

Making alts is a good way to add characters to a story that will have impact or at least appear repeatedly.

I have two characters and an alt that seems likely to become my third ><

The second character I made spent about a month and a half at level 37 because I just could not be bothered to level him up. I'm not sure how much time I'm willing to put into the alt at this point, but being level 15 hasn't stopped me from RPing on him. I would say get them to the point that you can travel between the city states, and then level from there only when you feel like it.

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - McBeefâ„¢ - 09-22-2014

I am slowly starting the alt-craze. The problem is I RP so much and PVE on Natalie it's hard to squeeze in levels here and there.

He's a brass blade though and I want the real armor... so level 50 here I come~

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Askier - 09-22-2014

*Sees the light and arrives in his Red Coat*

Howdy!  I actually do both of the ideas you have mentioned.

I have a character named Jin'to that I rp as occasionally.  Thing is, he is not a stand alone character, or an alt, if you wil.  Jin'to exists only when I change Askier's hair style, color, attire, and make a note of it in character notes.  So long as you inform people -prior- to the rp, most people, I have found, are open to the idea and normally role with it.  Now walk up, random rp can be a little confusing but so long as you and the people you rp with communicate ooc for a moment, you should be fine.  I did this with Jin'to cause normally I can't stand leveling...and don't have much free time sadly.  So it saved my free time and let me enjoy all the crazy cool outfits I had already suffered to unlock and didn't want to grind again.

But if you make an alt, you can rp them and never have them level... Ever.  I had a character named Jin'li, who was monstrously influential due to an rp event I ran and the little kitty never got about level 5. 

Level shouldn't matter for rp in my opinion.

But that was my two cents.  Hope it was helpful.  Now if you'll excuse me, I hear the cry of a fuse not being ignited!

*soars up, up, and away

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Melodia - 09-22-2014

(09-22-2014, 02:01 PM)Askier Wrote: Level shouldn't matter for rp in my opinion.

Haha I agree. I'm just obsessive about doing it for each. Tongue  i need that gear! LOL!!

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Rila - 09-22-2014

Thanks for the responses everyone! The general consensus seems to be to create an alt for a character that will get significant RP time, so that's probably what I'll do.

Now the hard part is getting up at the buttcrack of dawn when the character creation restriction is down, heh.

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Warren Castille - 09-22-2014

Re: Not leveling them

Be mindful that, until you complete the main story to 15, you will not be able to leave your starting continent. You can walk from the Shroud to Thanalan at level 1 with some care, but you cannot swim across an ocean to La Noscea. If you want them to be level 1, pick that starting job carefully!

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Maril - 09-23-2014

I have four characters that are IC, one that I use for npc purposes and a nameholder. Chiming in with that it's pretty normal to have alts. 
My alts that I roleplay all have a line of priority, obviously my main gets the most attention, and then my first prio alt gets the secondmost time, third one gets a bit less, etc. So my 4th alt is one that I only play "now and then" - perhaps once a week, but to compensate for her lack of a presence I have worked her in so that she can do a lot of stuff off-screen and the people she is close to can be free to assume to some extend what she has been doing recently, and then I just roll with it when she's getting played next.
I only ever involve my main and my second alt in plots as well because the other two do not get time enough. In terms of levels, my second alt is the only one I levelled all the way up to 50, the others are either bang on 15 or somewhere slightly above that. 

I think it's very good that you let the characters be separated, I personally am against too much main-to-alt contact because it can be abused in great ways to the point of basically being an excuse for metagaming.

RE: Question regarding alternate characters - Rila - 09-23-2014

Just finished creating my alt. It sounds like leveling at least to 15 makes a lot of sense logistically so I'll do that at some point. Thanks everyone for your input!
And I will be guilty of at least some degree of main-to-alt contact, unfortunately, since I'rila and Valencia do have a role in each others' lives. However, I will not have either one of them tell the other anything about someone else's character without that person's explicit permission.

In other words, no metagaming. (: