In the past I've had altitis issues. The reasons why varied from character to character but generally the altitis was caused by a server change/implementation or because Metalien had a cool idea which I got behind. For the past two years though, I've swung around to the opposite end of the spectrum and have focused only on a single character (and a filthy, backstabbing Underdarker at that.)

From my experiences, there's positives for and against both sides of the spectrum:

Altitis gives lots of variety in characters, builds and personalities to RP but multiple characters can cause issues when it comes to commitments. Particularly when you have opposing characters in opposing factions which just makes an overall mess. Because you don't particularly focus upon one character, those characters don't really seem to evolve much either.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, focusing on one character and making a name for them is extremely rewarding. You invest alot of time in the character and because of that they gain a rich story as well as invested DC items to boot. But, because you invest so my time into said characters, it becomes really hard to accept dire situations: many players are hesitant to let their character die or risk permanent harm to a character they have invested months or even years into which creates a massive hindrance in other ways.


So, after describing the above, the point I'm making is that both sides of the extremes are a hindrance in their own way. Altitis is a hindrance because you can't invest the necessary time into the character to make something of it and singularity is a hindrance because most won't risk letting go of the basket which holds all their eggs.

So, how do we solve such? I don't really know: it all comes down to individual preference. What works for me is having a main and a single alt, but everyone's different and will have a groove which works for them.

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Plays:

"I'll think of something once Amia:EE drops."

Here's my serious answer...

As someone who it was once joked had as many characters as his username, I found the best way to stop it is a combination of discipline (I'll go do something else instead of rolling up that kobold druid and killing 5 hours until my drow buddies get online) and commitment (I should log in as Malice because there are a few people online I don't normally see, it could be interesting/drow town is dead today, I'll login on A and sit greater invissed, buffing the Valley of the Arachnid spiders!)

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Jys'zyne Do'larn

Man, this account is over 10 years old. Where do I get my old man beard?

I grant you the Wolfhammer, Mosh. The rest were two non-fad actions and the other a long standing character that did the Storytelling Union and other stuff for quite some time.

I also really need to say I am not judging what play style is better. It is a matter of preference, and they both have their pros and cons. Galenson and Liz said it pretty well. I have done fad-factions over my time here that had a short and fun run, I also have been part of a few when the idea a player suggested was just too intriquing to pass on. If there is an awesome fresh idea, I might again. But I much prefer to play in factions like the Defenders, EO, House Arabett, and House Caris.

It is not a matter of black and white. It is also simplified and does not take in an abundance of factors. What I like to call fad-factions and long-standing factions generally have a different focus, and many start somewhere inbetween. Some fad-factions even become long lived. There are also those meant to become long-standing factions that simply 'fail'. When I say I do not cater to fad players, I do not try to keep them out or that I never propose an idea to a pal.

My experience, as someone who aims for factions to be around for a long time, is that it is essential you have a core of long lived active characters. We had this with the Eternal Order over the years, and that is what ensured that it stuck around for the years. Building around that core with alt and fad-characters helps boost activity that helps attract others, and brings a new wind that allow you to often evolve when things have become stagnant.

The problem simply becomes when you have too many of those fad-characters, and you lose too much of the core. They may bring a great deal of quick activity, but not in a very stable manner. I also found that growing too fast often is not the best thing in the long run. That is why I do not cater to them. If they do stick around for a longer time however, it is great.

With a bastard sword.

Just going to write this down here so that I don't forget to later, but in terms of character arcing, I notice that a lot of people 'give up' their characters they would otherwise would have liked to play if their stories were more interesting. That is to say their stories are more interesting but they haven't trekked that ground for themselves. When I write, let's say, a serious story-no, let's say a poem, you generally want a launch from where your poem is going to take its own life, because it always will. You want to give the reader somewhere to stand, don't give them the ceiling or the walls or any of that shit, just a place to stand. Then play catch with them.

The thing is, character concepts that go 'too' into building the character concept, giving all the details all the twists and turns in foresight, ruin the character when these things don't start happening to them. You the player get disappointed because you didn't get all the bells and whistles you promised yourself. So start somewhere simple and funky. Maybe the nice quiet guy with a scar running from his lip to his ear will become a captain of a ship. Maybe. He can certainly try for those things but he is going to have to let the world's devils dance on him a bit. People don't like it when that happens I noticed. They don't take the risks they need to take, or make use out of failures. In my mind's eye I'm now looking at a bird who makes its nest out of a tissue box So.. this alting problem, I think I get it. I think you (The noble you: we) want a character who is going to achieve the most of the niche you want out of Amia. No doubt. Your launch, your first launch, didn't get you to the best lines of the poem. You don't want to cross the bad shit to get to something beautiful. So you might take an alt that 'appears' closer to that place of character mastery. Where you are in a zone of infinite pleasure just to play a character that brings you contentment as apart of the imaginary community of charaters whom seem to have their shit together. This at least, in retrospect, is what I did for me to find that character. Did it work out okay? Maybe so. Maybe I went through forty characters first to figure it out, but could I have done it with just one character from the get-go? Yes. I am sure I could have reworked and reworked my first character ever to be outstanding and final. But I didn't know enough then. So that's how I beat alt-itis, you could say. I muscled through the hard shit and stayed with my character even when I didn't like her. I like her very much now, but it took great try.

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MuseReader: Aiseth Nosdivan- Master Enchantress

Imo, this is how we find the character we like in the end. A very small percent, as Muse suggests, gets it right the first time, but that's the exception, not the rule. The starting place is a great idea. I think, now that I look back, is what i did with Derrin. I had a very basic backstory that grew as I played 'catch' with other people. I stuck with Derrin through some tough shit. Tough shit that started on another server, and drove me from it. I liked what I had with Derrin from there, and knew there was potential, or at least, I knew I could make the potential. So I brought him to Amia, and again, I stuck with it.

For me, the dry spells in RP are part of the game. When the plot line goes stagnant for a day or so, or maybe even three, I don't just go make a new character. Yes, I've made other characters and have played them, but in my head it was never to replace Derrin or what I was doing with him. I knew there was RP with him whenever I wanted it, even if it was staring at a wall for hours. The other characters were just a short breather. A great way to appreciate a painting is to look at it for a while, then walk away. Do something for a little bit, then go back to it. There will /always/ be something new to see and learn from it, you just have to remember to go back to it with an open mind, and a willingness to /see/ at it again, not just 'look' it, but actually /see/ it. Maybe that stagnant plot line didn't die, it just needed a short break. Or maybe it doesn't even need a break, it needs you (again, not 'you', but the the noble you: we) to stick with it.

Making a new character isn't the solution, sticking with it is. That RP you started with Joe Heartripper is still there, and maybe he's sitting patiently waiting for it to continue, but it can't because you've forgotten about your character, or forgot to remember to 'see' it again. I know for my part, I get distressed when I get engaged in some interesting RP only to see it go dull and fade away because people thought it either dried up, or got bored and couldn't be bothered sticking with their character and let a great story thread die. Our characters only stop developing if we let it happen. Lvl 30 is not the end of progress, nor is it the beginning. Getting max level is /not/ a prerequisite to good RP, loggin in is.

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I Am:
Derrin: 'Nothing to see here'
Beck: Hard working dwarf paladin.
Naela 'Widow': Wandering priestess.
Celinor Triellian: Paladin of Corellon.

Ever since I buckled down and kept pushing Captor's character through, I've found out I've had a character who a lot of potential I would have otherwise chucked aside if I hadn't made this topic. What was going to be a lower-class blacksmith has been working his way up through trade, wealth and religion and is slowly becoming a character who I enjoy to play.

Currently, he's going through the above mentioned stagnant stage, however I've found it hard to not get involved in RP, even if he's just a character to the side. It's been a rather strange process since I decided to devote the majority of my focus on him, but through the people he has, does and one day will interact with, it's been hella fun so far.

I think one of the things making me enjoy his development is:

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Glad that's working out for you. It is what I had hoped for.