Cure for the Itch

[Saikochoro]

I love this game. I love it when I played it on live. I love it now.
 

I have the same compulsion now that I did on live.  Making alt after alt after alt with no end in sight. Not that this is a bad thing. The variety and excitement of trying out new powerset combos and ATs is a massive part of the fun for me in this game. 

 

However, I find myself hardly able to go more than a day without making a new alt. I’ll be plugging along on a new tanker I made thoroughly enjoying it. Then I team up with a ninja blade stalker and I think to myself, “man that looks cool.”

 

I already have a StJ stalker and a katana scrapper, so I decide to put off making that ninja blade stalker. I continue on playing my tanker with the goal to get it to 50. 

 

10 minutes later I load into atlas park on my ninja blade stalker. 

 

As I run a few radios with a small group I notice a particularly cool dual pistols/martial combat blaster. I say to myself, “No, I want to get to at least level 20 before making a new toon.”

 

I already have a dual pistols sentinel and MA scrapper anyway. I continue on my goal to reach level 20 on my ninja blade stalker. 

 

5 minutes later I load into atlas park on my brand new dual pistols / martial combat blaster. I tell myself, “Maybe I will go do a few AE missions in the steel canyon building.” Nobody seems to ever be there, so I won’t see anyone else and get tempted again. 

 

On my way to  the steel canyon AE I see a scrapper pull out two katanas. 

 

5 minute later I load into atlas park on my dual blades scrapper. 

 

Don’t get me wrong. I am having a lot of fun. But, for the life of me, I can’t seem to find a cure for the itch. 

Edited February 11, 2020 by Saikochoro

[Abraxus]

Consider perhaps that no cure is necessary, and that the "itch" is really where you truly live.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that!  The purpose of a game is to find enjoyment.  It sounds like you are already doing that very thing!

Edited February 11, 2020 by Abraxus

[Saikochoro]

Very true. I am enjoying it. So not truly a problem. However, I do still want to experience level 50 stuff and try out incarnates and whatnot at some point. Never tried that on live. Maybe I will get there eventually haha. 
 

I guess I wonder if other like me that have altitis pretty bad have found a way to stick to one toon long enough to at least try the end game stuff. 

Edited February 11, 2020 by Saikochoro

[jubakumbi]

19 minutes ago, Saikochoro said:

Very true. I am enjoying it. So not truly a problem. However, I do still want to experience level 50 stuff and try out incarnates and whatnot at some point. Never tried that on live. Maybe I will get there eventually haha. 
 

I guess I wonder if other like me that have altitis pretty bad have found a way to stick to one toon long enough to at least try the end game stuff. 

I find that the 'character' is what makes me stick with one...meaning, the whole costume/bio/powerset/Name combo.

If the whole package really fits, then I ride it much longer, I get more invested.

Sometimes it takes a while to get the whole package working - I just got some of that working on the current servers for ideas I had on Live, so sometimes years.

The really good 'character' ideas tend to bounce off of AT/Power Combos more than anything after I get a good Name/bio/costume going, so I get the draw to try out stuff.

So for me, a fun pun name with a matching costume and silly bio are what make me settle down into an AT/Powerset and take it to 50 most of the time.

Sometimes, I just like an AT/Power combo so much I then build the 'character' from it, but that seems to happen less.

 

That's what works for me, just loving a character for the non-directly-mechanical reasons.

[DougGraves]

I have a semi-cure.  What I have done is determined which level to leave a character at (turning off xp so they stay at that level).  So I might level a character to 27 to play on Talos teams.

 

That gives me a sense of completed for characters.  So when I make an alt, I level them up until I decide they are done and then park them.  I can come back and play them if the opportunity arises.

 

I still create a lot of alts, but each has a bit more life to it than just level 1 and done.

[Leogunner]

The thing that curbs me making alts is there are a lot of chores in making an alt. I have to have a concept for the costume and making a name, while infinitely easier than it was on live, is still not my strong suit. I leave bios for later most of the time (they tend to have tires to my other characters). Then there's customizing the colors (I get annoyed when too many of my characters use similar colors for costume or powers).

 

Then when I'm in the game, I have to adjust the trays, the size, position, color, opacity, put the map where it goes, create the chat tabs. And then picking a chart text color/background. Key mapping is usually saved but readjusted depending on the AT needs. Then picking the P2W powers most fitting/useful for the character. 

 

By the time I'm half way through I just want to play the game. When I get inspiration for an alt, I have ended up having to make sure I want to go through that slog. It has stopped me from making alts and just playing some I have. I still have alts I want to make but the making of them is very spread out. 

[SeraphimKensai]

You could always do what I do, sit on over 40 level 50's most of which are loaded to the gills with IO's and exempt a little until you wind up getting in a Synapse tf and see an Elec/psi Domi, so once you have your merits you have your next toon to take to 50 and slot up before repeating the process endlessly.

 

Mind mind you what I do seems like what you do, I just ensure they make it to max level.

Edited February 11, 2020 by SeraphimKensai

[vibal]

1 minute ago, SeraphimKensai said:

Mind mind 

I see your subliminal messaging. It's effective.

[Saikochoro]

7 minutes ago, Leogunner said:

The thing that curbs me making alts is there are a lot of chores in making an alt. I have to have a concept for the costume and making a name, while infinitely easier than it was on live, is still not my strong suit. I leave bios for later most of the time (they tend to have tires to my other characters). Then there's customizing the colors (I get annoyed when too many of my characters use similar colors for costume or powers).

 

Then when I'm in the game, I have to adjust the trays, the size, position, color, opacity, put the map where it goes, create the chat tabs. And then picking a chart text color/background. Key mapping is usually saved but readjusted depending on the AT needs. Then picking the P2W powers most fitting/useful for the character. 

 

By the time I'm half way through I just want to play the game. When I get inspiration for an alt, I have ended up having to make sure I want to go through that slog. It has stopped me from making alts and just playing some I have. I still have alts I want to make but the making of them is very spread out. 

I understand this. I’m slightly different in that bios and whatnot had never been part of my interest in the game. It has always been about the powersets and archetypes for me. So that save some time in making alts. 
 

I also enjoy the same colors. I have several outfits that I have made to fit different themes. A ninja type outfit, cowboy, sci-fi, demon, etc.  These fit most of my concepts, but sometimes will alter it or do so at a later time if I want. Sometimes I do make a whole new outfit though. 
 

It took me a long time to figure out how to save my window layout and keybind to default. That was the biggest pain, but now that my settings are default I don’t have that issue anymore. 
 

But yeah, the chores of making a new alt do sometimes curb it slightly for me. At least for a day 😉. 

[biostem]

1 hour ago, Saikochoro said:

I have the same compulsion now that I did on live.  Making alt after alt after alt with no end in sight. Not that this is a bad thing. The variety and excitement of trying out new powerset combos and ATs is a massive part of the fun for me in this game. 

I'm somewhat in the same boat.  What's helped me to focus on individual characters is to come up with a character concept and/or costume that I love.  Being able to develop them, or even just make alternate costumes to help me realize certain offshoot ideas can keep me going.  For instance, let's say I'm playing a ranged character, but I really like someone's ninja concept.  Perhaps I'll figure out some way to fit in a concealment power or 2 into the build.  Maybe I'll sneak in a melee power or just stick to close-range combat for a bit.  Those sort of things can help suppress the alt-itis for a while...

[Leogunner]

3 minutes ago, Saikochoro said:

I understand this. I’m slightly different in that bios and whatnot had never been part of my interest in the game. It has always been about the powersets and archetypes for me. So that save some time in making alts. 
 

I also enjoy the same colors. I have several outfits that I have made to fit different themes. A ninja type outfit, cowboy, sci-fi, demon, etc.  These fit most of my concepts, but sometimes will alter it or do so at a later time if I want. Sometimes I do make a whole new outfit though. 
 

It took me a long time to figure out how to save my window layout and keybind to default. That was the biggest pain, but now that my settings are default I don’t have that issue anymore. 
 

But yeah, the chores of making a new alt do sometimes curb it slightly for me. At least for a day 😉. 

I forgot to mention setting power attributes to monitor too. Since I don't often aim for soft cap, I tend to keep track of a variety of important stats that the build emphasizes. Might have to take into consideration a rough build layout for this which is also another chore that has its own little speed bumps. 

[EmmySky]

I do mine in batches.  First batch 15, one of every AT.  Second batch 13, one of every AT except HEAT because I already had one each.  I am on third batch now, only 11, since I already have the HEATs and both branches on both VEATs.

 

I dont let myself make two of the same AT at a time.  I also dont repeat powerset on same AT. 

 

My first and second batches are only alpha t4, except one is full incarnate, but I did get them to endgame lol.  

 

Enjoy the altitis.  Really the most fun for me is the lower levels where you are learning about your toon, what they are capable of.   Have fun!

 

Happy hunting.

Edited February 12, 2020 by EmmySky

[NNDeepdish]

I've got a long list of level 1's sitting in the tutorials waiting to be played. I try to finish what I'm working on before I move on to the next, but that list is getting long

[Saikochoro]

33 minutes ago, Leogunner said:

I forgot to mention setting power attributes to monitor too. Since I don't often aim for soft cap, I tend to keep track of a variety of important stats that the build emphasizes. Might have to take into consideration a rough build layout for this which is also another chore that has its own little speed bumps. 

Yeah totally forgot about the stat monitoring. Doesn’t take long, but it is annoying to set for each alt. Wish that could be a default saving setting. Unless it can be and I don’t know about it. 

[Saikochoro]

15 minutes ago, EmmySky said:

I do mine in batches.  First batch 15, one of every AT.  Second batch 13, one of every AT except HEAT because I already had one each.  I am on third batch now, only 12, since I already have the HEATs and both branches on both VEATs.

 

I dont let myself make two of the same AT at a time.  I also dont repeat powerset on same AT. 

 

My first and second batches are only alpha t4, except one is full incarnate, but I did get them to endgame lol.  

 

Enjoy the altitis.  Really the most fun for me is the lower levels where you are learning about your toon, what they are capable of.   Have fun!

 

Happy hunting.

Yeah I am having fun with the alts. I think that will always be my number one fun thing in the game. Just have to get at least one toon to the end to taste the end game stuff. I tend to enjoy the 30s the most so far. Highest level I have is a tanker at 44. The forties have been fun to.

 

I enjoy the higher levels because it has more of the powers unlocked. 

[Oubliette_Red]

[Fan Mail]

Alts - not a problem unless you consider it one.  Feed the addiction!

[SwitchFade]

Gold Bond. If that doesn't work, see the Doc. 🤔

[VileTerror]

I have over 120 characters, and I'm in the process of making a new one right now while multiboxing at the same time I'm roleplaying with someone.

 

All those people who play for "the endgame" . . . I don't -get- them.  I play for moments like this!

[DR_Mechano]

I have a terrible problem of making alts with cool combos, power leveling them and then finding whilst I like the concept, I don't like how they preform when fully kitted out...so I'll scrap them then, fire sale all the god knows how many IOs I've invested into them if a new character doesn't need them and then make a new one...I REALLY should use the test server for these things...

[biostem]

1 hour ago, VileTerror said:

I have over 120 characters, and I'm in the process of making a new one right now while multiboxing at the same time I'm roleplaying with someone.

 

All those people who play for "the endgame" . . . I don't -get- them.  I play for moments like this!

It's almost a little sad if and when you get to that last power pick.  Heck, sometime's it just bums me out when I've pretty much gotten and slotted every power I care about, on some characters...

[Techwright]

I did a lot of alt-ing, never getting above 30, until I buckled down with just one and said I'd go to 50 with him.  Once I got into higher end storylines (portal corp, malta, carnival, etc.) I found enough challenging and interesting, that I wanted to drag all my low alts up to the higher level.

 

Maybe get in good with a team of 7 doing Portal Corp storyline or similar level stuff, and who don't mind a lowby tagging along, and the experience might make you interested to go higher, at least one one character.

[Coyotedancer]

I had a pretty big collection of characters back-in-the-day... most of them "finished" 50s, with their completed set-builds and iToys and the whole nine yards. 

 

I told myself when Homecoming popped up back in the spring, that I was NOT going to do that again. I swore up and down that I just wasn't going to have a vast tribe of alts. I was going to keep to a few this time and not go overboard.

 

Have I managed to stick to that? 

 

Sort of. <_<

Counting my fire-farmer, I currently have 23 characters. Which is about a dozen more than I intended.

But... once again, like in the Live days... most of them do get "finished" before I move on to the next. So, while I'm still something of an altaholic, I'm sort of a serial character-builder rather than a lateral one.

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by Coyotedancer

[loyalreader]

12 hours ago, DR_Mechano said:

I have a terrible problem of making alts with cool combos, power leveling them and then finding whilst I like the concept, I don't like how they preform when fully kitted out...so I'll scrap them then, fire sale all the god knows how many IOs I've invested into them if a new character doesn't need them and then make a new one...I REALLY should use the test server for these things...

@DR_Mechanoyesssssssssssss...

[Tonio]

For me, it's gotten to the point that every time I see "DFB LFM" in /lfg, I start twitching. =/

 

I don't abandon the alts, either... I might not go back and play them as often, but I do, every once in a while, log in and play with them.  I've only abandoned two toons: a TW/? scrapper or brute, my first TW toon, because I found TW too slow (I've since made TW toons and enjoyed them, but that first one I didn't "get"), and a dark/water defender (water tinted black, concept was "crude oil"), which I re-made (same looks, story, etc) as a water/dark corruptor, because it worked better (so that one really doesn't count... although the toon is still on the list, hehe).