Seriously: Alt-itis, What To Do? A Discussion on Self-Control

[tripthicket]

It has helped me to 'say' all this out loud, to clarify it in my head as to what I've been doing. I was like 'I'm making too many alts!', which was the case, focusing on the 'too many' part of 'too many alts.' I didn't really have a purpose for these alts beyond wanting to play with a new shiny. And I wasn't really doing anything with them, abandoning them quickly for another shiny new alt. That got me in a recent slump of doing the same ol' content obsessively over and over again, which is, yeah, a rut. Cue the Dissatisfaction Mambo. It was never really about how making new alts had become a problem. And all of your feedback has been very helpful; thank you all very much!

[Greycat]

I will say this is part of why I don't play redside as much. I have more choices blueside - atlas to the hollows? Do i want to sweep Perez? KR? Do I stay in Atlas and try to do everything to 10-11 and start in STeel? What about skyway? Oh, look, Positron...

 

Redside just... always feels same-y. (Among other things, which were gone into in another "why don't you play redside" discussion.) Which does contribute to the "ugh, this again, I don't want to play this alt then..." feeling.

[EmmySky]

Hi, my name is Emmy, and I'm and altaholic.

 

I am sitting at 78 characters right now.  The only thing that makes me feel guilty or slimy is that two of them are DP/MC blasters.  But one SJs and one flies so they play totally differently!  Yeah I didnt even convince myself on that one.

 

To avoid the 'rerun same content 200 times in a row' right now I am:

 

working on one of my 50s, getting her other incarnates built. 

 

If there are no teams hiring I work on building my base. 

 

I also have toons on every shard so if its slow on one I can hop to another.

 

78 is such a random number I am trying to resist the urge to make more babies to make it an even 80.  Or a nice round 85.  Hell that's practically 90.  I should settle on an even 100.  See, there is that slippery slope!  Resistance is futile.

[Bionic_Flea]

2 hours ago, Greycat said:

I will say this is part of why I don't play redside as much. I have more choices blueside - atlas to the hollows? Do i want to sweep Perez? KR? Do I stay in Atlas and try to do everything to 10-11 and start in STeel? What about skyway? Oh, look, Positron...

 

Redside just... always feels same-y. (Among other things, which were gone into in another "why don't you play redside" discussion.) Which does contribute to the "ugh, this again, I don't want to play this alt then..." feeling.

That said, it can be a way to break up the monotony to start in a different faction.  Your last dozen characters started blue side?  Try red or even gold!  It is harder to find teams but the content can seem fresh if you haven't done it in a long time.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Bionic_Flea

[Pherdnut]

Bah. My alts have praetorian twin alts, arch-nemesis alts, and random characters mentioned in other alts' bios alts. I have ironic alts, archetype-ironic alts, stupid pun alts, stupid pop-culture pun alts, cheesy-celebrity pun alts, and alt in-game-character alts. I do not have a problem; I have fun.

[tripthicket]

3 hours ago, EmmySky said:

78 is such a random number I am trying to resist the urge to make more babies to make it an even 80.  Or a nice round 85.  Hell that's practically 90.  I should settle on an even 100.  See, there is that slippery slope!  Resistance is futile.

I laughed hard at this. Even showed it to The Boss, who, being a long-time CoX player herself, completely understood. She doesn't suffer from this perfidious disease, however; when she makes a character, she plays that character until she gets it to 50 and then completes its Incarnate journey. She has dozens of 50s and is on a break now. "Call me when there's another new powerset," she says.

 

==================================================================

 

Here's another thing I often feel, and I wonder how many of you ever feel this way. I have many characters that are stalled in the mid-30s or low-40s, mostly idle while I chase new shiny after newer shiny. Almost all of these characters are based upon some build I found on these forums, like @Redlynne's No-Get-Hitsu Tank. What I sometimes feel like I want to do is start these characters over, and play them right this time, without any clearly-defined definition of 'right,' just a nagging feeling that I've 'done it wrong' somehow. Not having goals is probably contributing a lot to this feeling; after all, 'Get it to 50 so I can kit out the final build fully' is a very broad goal. Prolly another treadmill, albeit a very big and long one. Sheesh, sometimes when I'm really feeling burnt, every character I play, no matter what type and no matter the content, seems like I'm just mashing buttons until a target falls, then mash buttons until the next one falls, and so on. Maybe I should start drinking. 😜

[Greycat]

I don't, because I generally don't care about "builds." I don't try to perma-this or softcap-that. My builds tend to be "organic" - slots go where they go when I get them with what it looks like I need now or in the near future. Yes, sometimes there's a set in mind, but not a grand overall plan.

 

I have tried "builds" a time or two and it just never felt like *my* character, no matter how much I played them.

[Redlynne]

1 hour ago, tripthicket said:

Almost all of these characters are based upon some build I found on these forums, like @Redlynne's No-Get-Hitsu Tank. What I sometimes feel like I want to do is start these characters over, and play them right this time, without any clearly-defined definition of 'right,' just a nagging feeling that I've 'done it wrong' somehow. Not having goals is probably contributing a lot to this feeling; after all, 'Get it to 50 so I can kit out the final build fully' is a very broad goal.

This is why I subscribe to the Build Before You Play philosophy, because I've never had any (good) success(es) with playing first and then worrying about the build afterwards.

 

As I like to say, the way you play from 1-10 will determine how you're going to play at 50.

[Bill Z Bubba]

I've got two pages+ of 50s somewhere built between serviceable and OMFGWTFBBQ.

This was NOT the case back before the snap. Having a claws/fa farmer on the second acct and utilizing it heavily has not been good for the altitis.

[Coyotedancer]

53 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

I've got two pages+ of 50s somewhere built between serviceable and OMFGWTFBBQ.

This was NOT the case back before the snap. Having a claws/fa farmer on the second acct and utilizing it heavily has not been good for the altitis.

 

My Harry grumbles and says something like "Yeah. 'Always having to drag those newbies into the fire... They're endless... I mean, sheesh. How many Defenders does my player really NEED anyway?"

[nightroarer]

I have no alts, just 80 mains.

 

My highest level character is a couple bars from 30 -- and that is just fine with me. I'm in no hurry. 🙂

 

I never farm or power-level. As others have said, I do try to vary the paths of my characters. Some do the new tutorial; others do the old. Same with contacts, although I also mix new and old for variety. I have one character that started by being the protector of Galaxy City (using the base teleporter to get there) and did street sweeping of muggers, thieves, etc, for his first nine levels. I created my own storylines for him. Some characters do AE missions (stories, not farms) and level really slowly. Some characters are soloers, while others team with my wife and/or daughter (who are also avid SG base designers). Our bases are designed for both function and RP fun.

 

One may ask how I have time to play that many characters. The answer is simple: it doesn't require any more time to play 80 characters than it takes to play one. It is all a matter of how I choose to spend my time in game during a given play session. If it means I never reach the level cap on any character, that's okay, as long as I am having fun.

 

There are so many ways to play this game, it is incredible. Thank you to the Homecoming team for bringing it back. 🙂

[Peacemoon]

On 5/7/2020 at 6:00 PM, tripthicket said:

I think my problem lately is that I seem to be doing little else than creating new alts, playing them through the same content, spotting a new shiny, creating a new alt, playing it through the same content, spotting a new shiny, etc. None of them get played very much, and with double XP, no money is coming in for outfitting higher-level characters. As an aside, I'm starting to doubt the benefit of the double XP booster to the big picture. Lower-level characters will need to be bankrolled by (not-being-played) lvl 50s or a farmer (which I have but only sporadically use). So while I'm currently sitting on hundreds of millions, even that won't be enough to kit out (potentially) dozens of 50s that would be getting there twice as fast, thanks to the boosts. One idea I've been kicking around is just getting rid of xp boosts (for me) at lvl 35--let that character then start providing for itself!

 

Also, yeah, I too like the idea of having one of each AT (well, the ATs I like, anyway), and in fact, I do. Most of them lower than lvl 15...

 

ShardWarrior, how often would you say you create a new character? What do you think most often influences your decision to make a new alt?

Just touching on the double xp; I find it let’s you level up characters without much investment, and characters you aren’t much invested in can easily be discarded. Not saying this will cure your altitis, but leveling up more slowly and forging a stronger bond with your character will help you maintain some interest in them. With a game like city of heroes, the journey is everything. 

[MTeague]

4 hours ago, Coyotedancer said:

How many Defenders does my player really NEED anyway?"

I hear you.  but sometime, slap together an All-Defender run. It's INSANE. 

Whether you do 8 Empaths, or a mix of Emp + Thermal + FF + Kin + Storm + Dark + TA, etc. 

 

One defender alone.... sometimes feels weak and underpowered.

Massed Defenders are a roaming Class 5 Hurricane.

[Ukase]

An interesting discussion! 

 

So..where to begin. I have 3 accounts. (a bit of a silly story about why the third, but that would be a major digress)

I have 30 level 50's on my primary account and 22 sub level 50's. 

I have 5 level 50's on my secondary account, and 3 on my third account. (closing in on a 4th and 5th, should have them in a week or so)

 

I tend to solo more often than not, due to not being able to devote full attention to what I'm doing. I wouldn't want someone tabbing out mid-mission repeatedly, so I'm not going to do that to someone else. 

 

So how do I avoid things getting stale? 

Finding contacts I haven't used recently. I speak with the origin contact at level 10 or so, after a dfb or a lot of hunting, and get introduced to a number of  contacts that aren't Shauna Stockwell, Matthew Habashy or Twinshot. I had been ignoring the cop in the Hollows for a while, but have done one, some or all the arcs in the Hollows with a number of characters. Some ATs are better suited for trolls and igneous. 

I try not to forget the SSA arcs. Tasty merits, and decent stories. And fast, if you're inclined to speed through them. 

In the back of my head - I'm always looking for contacts that give Clockwork, Freaks and Fakes - because those factions tend to reward with the Gear Smasher, Tank Buster and Unveiler badges, if you can get enough of them - and ALL of my characters pursue the passive accolades. 

Additionally, I have learned to switch to redside and do the Mayhem badges for invader, and while there, I'll do the patron arc for more options for epic/patron selection. I don't always go with Black Scorpion, sometimes I switch up, and rotate them. 

 

Lastly, when things get fairly routine or dull - there's the AE. Not farm missions, but player created stories. Back in the day, @police woman put out some great ones, and didn't disappoint in HC, either. There are more than a few great stories in there - you just have to look for them. 

Oh! Sorry - one more thing - the thing that makes the same stale missions new - is often new teammates. Some are duds, but others can be quite refreshing. 
 

[Yomo Kimyata]

Alts are the lifeblood of the economy.

[MTeague]

18 hours ago, Ukase said:

I try not to forget the SSA arcs. Tasty merits, and decent stories. And fast, if you're inclined to speed through them. 

My only gripe with the Signature Story Arcs / Who Will Die's in when it starts normal and then WHAM you're suddenly on a timed objective you didn't know was coming, dont' necessarily know where to go, with lots of baddies in your path and/or ambushing you, and if you happen to be on a low-damage character, that time limit can be borderline Unfair.   

 

OTOH, nothing says I have to try to solo them on a low damage character either.

[Greycat]

20 minutes ago, MTeague said:

My only gripe with the Signature Story Arcs / Who Will Die's in when it starts normal and then WHAM you're suddenly on a timed objective you didn't know was coming, dont' necessarily know where to go, with lots of baddies in your path and/or ambushing you, and if you happen to be on a low-damage character, that time limit can be borderline Unfair.   

 

OTOH, nothing says I have to try to solo them on a low damage character either.

Depends on which SSA. I think Warburg was the PITA one? But the first one (Skyway, hero side) - doesn't matter what you run it on, really. Level 10-ish and above, I'm running that puppy once a week or so for 20 easy merits for 10-15 minutes of time.  About all I need are two small purples (to avoid the rock-throwing igneous in the second mission while I click three glowies.) Almost no fighting required either.

 

Mmm. Merits.

[Coyotedancer]

20 hours ago, MTeague said:

I hear you.  but sometime, slap together an All-Defender run. It's INSANE. 

Whether you do 8 Empaths, or a mix of Emp + Thermal + FF + Kin + Storm + Dark + TA, etc. 

 

One defender alone.... sometimes feels weak and underpowered.

Massed Defenders are a roaming Class 5 Hurricane.

 

Oh, I know. Trust me... I've had a lot of Defenders over the course of my time playing. (My first City character, and first 50, was a Kinetic way-back-when)

 

My Defenders and their Corruptor cousin aren't my soloing characters. That's what the Stalkers, Sentinels, Scraps and Brute are for. XD

[Ukase]

8 hours ago, MTeague said:

My only gripe with the Signature Story Arcs / Who Will Die's in when it starts normal and then WHAM you're suddenly on a timed objective you didn't know was coming, dont' necessarily know where to go, with lots of baddies in your path and/or ambushing you, and if you happen to be on a low-damage character, that time limit can be borderline Unfair.   

 

OTOH, nothing says I have to try to solo them on a low damage character either.

If you run this at 0/1, use reveal from p2w (10,000 inf), it's pretty clear where to go. Just ignore all the mobs. 

First mission - you put on Super speed or ninja run, zip through the first door way, pass the goons up, leap across, enter the next door way, turn right, follow the path, ignoring mobs until you get to the stairs leading up to the CoT boss. (or lieutenant). Smash him, hold him, however your AT dishes out damage, then go back out towards the way you came - and take the door to the left of the door you entered. By using reveal, you'll see which way to go from there. 

The 1:30 or 2:00 you get is really 60 to 90 seconds longer than you need once you know where to go. Worst case - use your SG TP macro and pop out, but it's a long hike back to Theoden, the contact. 

I'd never do this on a team, it just takes you 10 minutes or more to gather a team up, and another 10-20 minutes to actually do the arc because the extra mobs slow you down. People are always fussing about xp, when they don't realize that the faster you do a mission, the sooner you get to the next mission to get the same xp you would have gotten by slugging it out with every mob on the previous map. But that's a whole different topic. 

[EmmySky]

*wanders back into thread sheepishly*  Yeah...its an even 80 now.  I have no self-control.  But I have started really getting in to (addicted to) base building to take my mind off alts!

[tripthicket]

And I restarted my main, NRG/RA Sentinel, 50 and mostly-done Incarnates, about 850 badges, morphing to NRG/NRG Blaster, same as my main back on Live (why do we still call it 'Live' when we're actually playing today, now, live, too?). No double XP, a single DFB to get those badges, running actual contact missions in AP & Kings Row. Have even turned off XP-earning twice so as not to outlevel content. I'll skip the Hollows, since I did most of that not too long ago. Lvl 10 (kinda accidentally), so with XP again turned off, will run KR contacts until they tell me to go away. The goal is to hit as much content as I  can along the way to 50, and who cares how long that takes.

[tripthicket]

1 hour ago, EmmySky said:

*wanders back into thread sheepishly*  Yeah...its an even 80 now.  I have no self-control.  But I have started really getting in to (addicted to) base building to take my mind off alts!

At the risk of poking the bear, with all those alts, is there any archetype you haven't played yet, maybe because you didn't think you would like it, or it looked too complicated, or something?

 

Same question for everyone, actually.

 

I myself have yet to do Kheldians or the Arachnos ATs since Homecoming stood up (and the Arachnos never). Not that I think they're bad, just...maybe a little too different? Dunno.

[ArchVileTerror]

Arachnos Soldiers and Widows are fantastic.  
Kheldians . . . meh.  I've made one of each, and have barely touched them.  The shapeshifting is a cool concept, but overall the Archetype is creatively very stifling, and overall I find the Archetypes have very little in the way of reward for my playstyle preferences.

[Greycat]

I'm the other way 'round. Love Kheldians. SOAs/Widows... eh.

[EmmySky]

7 hours ago, tripthicket said:

At the risk of poking the bear, with all those alts, is there any archetype you haven't played yet, maybe because you didn't think you would like it, or it looked too complicated, or something?

 

Same question for everyone, actually.

 

I myself have yet to do Kheldians or the Arachnos ATs since Homecoming stood up (and the Arachnos never). Not that I think they're bad, just...maybe a little too different? Dunno.

I started with one of every AT...two each of the VEATs because they have two paths...my Khelds are human form only.  So....no...there is no AT I havent played.  There are powersets I haven't played because I dont like swords etc.  Overwhelmingly, I love sentinels.  I have 24 of them.