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The Daily Grind: Do you have an emotional reaction to old characters?
When I booted up Star Trek Online again, the first thing I had to do was look up my character from the game's launch. Seeing her on the screen again brought back a lot of old memories. Some of that has to do with the simple reality of roleplaying, but beyond even that there was a sense of familiarity. This was a setting and game I enjoyed, and seeing a familiar character was a little like coming home again. For some people, characters are just the tools they use to interact with the game. For others, characters are an emotional link, even if they don't really roleplay. Seeing your first character brings back a rush of memories, whether that character is in Ultima Online or Star Wars: The Old Republic. So do you have an emotional reaction to old characters? Or do you not really look back to what you've played in the past, focusing instead on the present? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Storyboard: The advantage of familiar characters
It's kind of fitting that my character most prone to wandering has wound up in several different games now. She's existed in one form or another for years now, and while she's hardly the only recurring character I've used, she's certainly the one most prone to hopping into another game. While the are always setting-appropriate changes to her backstory, core elements of her personality and history remain, so that by this point it's quite easy to figure out how she fits into a new game even if I have to hammer out the specifics. This leads to an obvious question: Why? It's not as if I can't come up with other characters, nor is it that she's always the best fit for the game. For that matter, she's not even suited to every possible setting. So why keep playing the same character? There are a few different reasons, all of which show off the advantage to playing the same character across several games instead of starting fresh every time you step into a new world.
APB Reloaded character migration now live
We talked earlier this week about APB Reloaded's impending open beta date. Thrown into the mix was a mention of character restoration services for those veterans of the original (i.e., Realtime Worlds) version of the game. Today we're happy to report that the service is live in Reloaded's closed beta. A brief blurb on the official APB forums outlines all the details. Players will need to have an open character slot on their G1 accounts as well as their old RTW login credentials (the process involves logging into the RTW account to initiate the transfer). GamersFirst notes that this is not a comprehensive restoration. "The main items being restored are clothing and symbols. Please understand that no progression, APB cash, RTW Points, Action Time, weapons, or vehicles will be restored," says the post. Also, only two outfits are being restored due to technical issues (though any symbols and clothing items used in other outfits will still exist on your character). Check out the APB forums for more.
The Daily Grind: How much would you pay to keep your character?
Over time, things change. More often than not, the list of "things" in an MMO includes accounts, characters, mains, and any number of other elements. We change servers, we buy new accounts, and over time you inevitably wind up with a character sitting and accumulating dust. They might have a special title, or an unusual item, or even just a great deal of sentimental value. And while you might give up the option to use them for a while, you still want them back. In a game like Final Fantasy XI, losing access to an old character can result in a huge loss of time and effort. Luckily, most games offer server transfers, account reactivation, or other services to help you regain your former avatar. But how much is it worth? A month's subscription? The price of an expansion? How much would you pay to get back an older character for whom you've lost access? Does it vary a lot depending on the resources the character possesses, or do you just want to get back what you lost, even if it's only a little?
