Discourage the use of alts

[Sevenless]

Alts serve a valuable purpose in the game that actually helps keep in check the worst elements of permadeath. I mean the ones that are just bad for gameplay as a whole with reference to Salem. I would argue very heavily against it for that reason alone.

[mrnuggets]

Alts serve a valuable purpose in the game that actually helps keep in check the worst elements of permadeath. I mean the ones that are just bad for gameplay as a whole with reference to Salem. I would argue very heavily against it for that reason alone.

Alts/no alts... Yup, there definitely seems to be two schools of thoughts in that regard.

I loved your guide, and thank you for taking the time to compile that thing. It is really helpful for newbs and may even contain info that old-farts hadn't even thought of!
But I read it only after first playing Salem for more than a few hours with my pal. And saw that you referred to Salem chars as "pawns" or "tools" if I remember correctly.

And that's essentially where the two schools of thoughts don't agree I think.

If everyone viewed their character, that thing that thay play and that impacts the world, as simple pawns or tools, akin to the odd soldier or farmer in any rts, then alts would be welcome. As you pointed out, it is easier on the "mind" to think of our pilgrims that way, because we are bound to lose them. Sooner or later. So better not get too attached to it/not spend all your time on it.

Right!

But if everyone did only have the sole char, and had to spend all their time/money on it, then everyone would be at the same bloody level, what ever char they play. Not "char" level, as skills, humours and profs define them. But more on a "human" or a "player" level, since all would understand the risks and consequences of doing this or that with your char would be the same for everyone. Essentially, be careful or you'll lose your char. So try not to go alone in the woods and try not to probe/stalk/attack anyone you see. Then you'd have to get attached to your char. And be all the more careful.

And if you lose it, you'd have reason to rage, yeah. But you'd know it was within the rules and the other guy that killed yours did it only using his main himself. He's living dangerously. He just might die himself one day if he keeps doing that...

And vice-versa.

But at the same time, he has the satisfaction to know he really did "kill" you. He really did stop you from having the impact you did on the world. If you were a community leader, there's gonna have to be another one elected. If you were a simple hermit, your shack full of stuff is now abandoned and looters can access it if you can't find it again and keep your stuff for yourself fast enough.

You'd have to rethink the way you played, the way you bonded with players, and you'd have all the more reason to with your new char!

You'd be a better player this time. You'd impact the world in a better way.

My 2 cents...

[MvGulik]

If Alt characters are not completely preventable. Making it harder for the general players ... will only give those that know how to Alt a additional (supposedly) advantages.

Which, in time, will probably result in some other players complaining about this (supposedly) unfair Alt advantages of other players. And advocating if some players can do it, every player should be able to do it to.)

... OO ...

(Alt discouraging, if needed, should be done by possible game-play adjustments.)

[Sevenless]

Majority of combat players view characters the same way as me. Usually it is their main, but they live only to fight and in that case they don't need alts. In the case of combat, the argument just doesn't stack up. It's more beneficial to pile all of your food into a single character, rather than have an army of low stat alts to play with. And if your main is a combat character, you don't need to fear going outside foraging, heck assuming it's 1v1 most combat players love a good random fight.

That being said, you don't ever grind farming skills on your main combat character. That's utterly stupid really. Farming and Fighting have no real skill overlaps, so you pick up an alt and feed him S/C inspirations. Why on earth would you risk all the farming work required to be a good farmer on a combat alt? It's pointless, and as I pointed out trying to force people to risk everything leads to people being encouraged not to experience the full game at all. Very well stated farmers would be encouraged to never leave the safety of the village, and warriors would never bother to grind farming skills because of how likely they are to be putting it in risk.

It's the viewpoint that matters. If your character represents you, the blow for losing one is immense. It makes Salem a very mentally unhealthy game to play, and all of the "vets" who have lived through multiple deaths come to some sort of view very much like the one I hold. I did not start this way either, it took ~4 months of haven playing to convert to this form of thinking.

[MagicManICT]

One could come down to semantics here and splitting of hairs in viewing what the characters in a video game are. Are they just another character in a world full of characters and to be manipulated for entertainment purposes or are they avatars--extensions of the players behind the wheel of the vehicle representing who or what the person may or may not be? (Hope I made this read as I see both views as valid. It's certainly what I believe.)

[Asharad]

It wouldn't be a hassle though...so I don really understand what the point is in wasting time trying to prevent something like using alts.

You can't prevent it.

[milonti]

I'm more against multi-boxing than alts.

[Shoi]

It wouldn't be a hassle though...so I don really understand what the point is in wasting time trying to prevent something like using alts.

You can't prevent it.

I think he ment to say 'would be a hassle.'

[mrnuggets]

I understand Salem is going to have more than one server.

Perhaps it could take the example of some MMORPGS.

You have games that advertise a server as being a RP server, while another server is PVP and yet another PVE.
I think it would be a good idea to have a server advertised as being a NO-ALT server, where you 'd have only one character box per account.
Why not push it and make it a single character per IP ? (Although that would be too much I understand with guys playing with sahred IPs).

Just as RP servers in MMORPGS don't solely have RPing players, since anyone can join, it would be impossible to be 100% sure that no one would find a way to play with alts or multibox. But it'd be more of a hassle compared to standard servers and it'd at least flag the server as being made for likely minded people, with most of them in the end wanting not to play with alts and not to multi-box, but play with the single main character.

And just as PVE vs PVP servers in MMORPGS have some of the rules that aren't 100% the same, in the long run, perhaps NO-ALT servers could have a few rules that would be different from other servers so as to help enforce the NO-ALT/multiboxing policy?

I know I'd play on this kind of server if it did exist! Would find Salem all the more fair and enjoyable, and permadeath would really have all its sense again for me and others, as I argued in my thread

[Sevenless]

I understand Salem is going to have more than one server.

Perhaps it could take the example of some MMORPGS.

You have games that advertise a server as being a RP server, while another server is PVP and yet another PVE.
I think it would be a good idea to have a server advertised as being a NO-ALT server, where you 'd have only one character box per account.
Why not push it and make it a single character per IP ? (Although that would be too much I understand with guys playing with sahred IPs).

Just as RP servers in MMORPGS don't solely have RPing players, since anyone can join, it would be impossible to be 100% sure that no one would find a way to play with alts or multibox. But it'd be more of a hassle compared to standard servers and it'd at least flag the server as being made for likely minded people, with most of them in the end wanting not to play with alts and not to multi-box, but play with the single main character.

And just as PVE vs PVP servers in MMORPGS have some of the rules that aren't 100% the same, in the long run, perhaps NO-ALT servers could have a few rules that would be different from other servers so as to help enforce the NO-ALT/multiboxing policy?

I know I'd play on this kind of server if it did exist! Would find Salem all the more fair and enjoyable, and permadeath would really have all its sense again for me and others, as I argued in my thread

None of the servers are going to be seperate. There will be the ability to travel between them we've been told.