MMOs and personality types

[Morreion]

I find that, while I typically try out different classes in an MMO, I tend to end up playing a certain type of class the most. Part of this is most likely for personality reasons. Not that I think that you can psychoanalyze people through the types of characters that they play, but I do find that there are certain patterns in my own choices that I make.

I love alts. I usually have a few characters I try, but I know that I have to take it easy doing this because I can end up burning out doing the same first 20 levels over and over again. But this is how I find out what classes I like!

I definitely gravitate towards hybrid/utility characters, the 'jack of all trades, master of none' types. Paladin is a typical class I play (I did so in HZ and WoW), and in DAoC my 2 level 50s were battle-spec Warden and mana Mentalist (utility melee and utility caster types). In Aion my favorite class to play is the Chanter, which is 'paladinesque'.

I don't mind that I am not a feared PvP killer doing tons of damage. I like doing multiple things, having different roles to play. Being a backup (or even emergency main) healer, contributing to damage, providing buffs or chants, having runspeed. I find having lots of things to do on a single character keeps me interested longer in playing that character. I like having support abilities for groupmates, but I also simply like having a bigger variety of things I can do for my own enjoyment as well.

My second and third choices in classes tends to be a healer class or a ranged class (archer or caster). As I get older I find it easier to hit Tab and then cast or shoot than to be a melee character running and strafing everywhere!

I tend not to blow lots of my coin that I have earned. This does reflect my real life personality- it's unthinkable to spend all my money, I have to have a good amount in savings and invested before spending on fun things.

I tend not to be a big crafting type. I maxxed out Alchemy in classic WoW, but that was because crafting was pretty easy there. I usually dabble in crafting, and I prefer crafting consumables, like potions or food and drink, because there is a steady market for such things. But I am a big harvester- I immensely enjoy gathering all sorts of things in an MMO. This probably reflects my penchant for collecting books in real life! Harvesting is where I make a decent amount of my money, selling what I gather.

Lately, I've not stuck with a game for very long. Part of this is due to lackluster games. My ideal is to find a good game to play for years, like I did in DAoC. I've only played 2 games for longer than a year since leaving DAoC- WoW and LOTRO. I don't want to be a game hopper, really! But the lack of real communities these days (and the smaller communities you do find fragmented over several games) makes it harder to stick around. Hope springs eternal for finding a great game. I like for a game to look good for long-term play- for instance, having housing is a good sign. A game should have plenty of things to do, not be focused on just combat. I prefer a virtual world over a virtual theme park (UO was my favorite world, and Vanguard's 3 continents were wonderful). And a game most definitely should not have mechanics that discourage community or grouping. Too many do just that.

How about you? Have any patterns in your MMO play?

[Rakul]

Well, everyone knows the looks of my characters... short! I like this because of two reasons, the main one, they're unassuming and cute. I also like them because they're hard to target (in PvP games).

I try to strive for my characters to have a unique look and don't rely on stats for clothing. In fact, I'll wear a stat-less item if I like how it looks on me. The classes I play vary a lot from game to game. I like them all. I usually try the scout and assassin classes first. But, I also like defensive tanks, healers, and all utility classes... ESPECIALLY those with run speed. It's not uncommon for me to run around low level areas to buff and heal all the players I see. I just enjoy helping people.

[Morreion]

Kuls definitely have familiar characteristics

I typically have a human as my main character, but on alts I'll try out different looks or races. I probably play more Elves than Dwarves. My Warden was big and ugly in DAoC, my mana Mentalist there was a teeny Lurikeen!

And I agree with you Kul on buffing others. I wish MMOs had at least 1 buff for every class that would allow them to buff others. It is a great way to be sociable and help out those around you. In games where I've reached max level I often stop by the low-level and starting areas and buff the younger characters.

[Regolyth]

I generally play an archer, because it appeals to me, and archers always seem to turn out as gimp. Usually because when balancing them, they have to be balanced for both ranged and melee. WoW was an exception to this (later in the game), because they became uber powerful. Also, I gravitate towards elves as my main, and humans as my alts. I never play dwarfs though. I just hate them (but love my Slayer in WAR, oddly enough). My archers always have to be elves at that. It has something to do with that whole wood elf mythos instilled in me when I used read D&D-based books.

My characters generally always have the same names too. My archer is almost always and elf, my main, and named Regolyth. It just sounds elven and woodsy to me. Also, it's the name I like best out of my repertoire and is almost always my main. My alt is usually a healer hybrid and named Kelldros (and human). It just fits to me. Hobriku is the name for my melee DPS or some other type of hybrid (Valewalker in DAoC, Slayer in WAR). If I make a caster, which is rare, it's always named Xarran. It just sounds wizardly to me.

If I have a pure healer, his name is Arykan. But that name gets tossed around a lot for me. It was the name of my Warrior in UO, bot in DAoC, and DoK in WAR. I used to make female toons, but ever since I got hit on in DAoC (multiple times), I quit playing one (I never had that issue in UO, since only guys played back then). When I had female toons, they were either named Lysia (taken from Greek mythology) or Arryss (the real and character name of a girl I met playing Diablo II).

I have a few other random names I use for alts (Ashrinon, Lothren, Drecon), but the usually never see much play.

Hmm... I kind of went off topic there. Well, back to personalities, I'm a hybrid type of guy. Like Gack said, I like being jack of all trades, master of none. It's kind of my personality in life as well. I can, and like to, do a lot of things, but I rarely truly master any.

[ariesel]

Nov 3, 2009 8:41:55 GMT -5 Morreion said:

I find that, while I typically try out different classes in an MMO, I tend to end up playing a certain type of class the most. Part of this is most likely for personality reasons. Not that I think that you can psychoanalyze people through the types of characters that they play, but I do find that there are certain patterns in my own choices that I make.

The first character I ever created was a wood elf warrior (EQ) and I loved her! After awhile, I made a cleric and that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. My first character now is always a healer - cleric, shaman, bard, warden - doesn't matter as long as they can heal and buff others. My hubby will probably tell you that it fits perfectly with me. Throw in cooking and I'm set!

But...

I love alts. I usually have a few characters I try, but I know that I have to take it easy doing this because I can end up burning out doing the same first 20 levels over and over again. But this is how I find out what classes I like!

Guilty here too, as you all can see from Nyctea, Ariesel and soon Sidian . Each one satisfies a different side, I suppose.

I tend not to blow lots of my coin that I have earned. This does reflect my real life personality- it's unthinkable to spend all my money, I have to have a good amount in savings and invested before spending on fun things.

So...what does it mean, then, that Grig ends up "borrowing" coin from me all the time... (Hee, hee, actually, most times it's to make me something pretty! And that is very much like him. ) )

I honestly believe that the longer you play with others in a game, you begin to see their true personality come out. We've been very lucky to meet some awesome people that play these silly games, present company included.

[grigorian]

I tried a ton of different types before I created Grig. Once I created Grig I found my fit. So...

Now without question my favorite class to play is the TANK. The pure tank. I particularly like it when the tank can taunt and get and keep agro off of other people. The reason for this is I tend to travel with Ari ;D so.. I like making sure she doesn't die. Then there is the fact that a tank and a healer make a great core for a group, especially when the tank can keep the mobs off of all the others , allowing them to do their jobs.

I have also become a CRAZY crafter. EQ2 really converted me. I was aways a "kind of" crafter. You know the one that crafts when there is nothing else to do.. In EQ I created Rymplemyre my Jeweler, and he has stuck with me for all the many games I have played. But I have expanded my crafters, so most of my alts are really for storage and crafting. So in LoTRO I have master level Armorsmith, Weaponsmith, Woodcrafter, Jewelry, and Tailor. In AION I have an Armorsmith, Weaponsmith and Jeweler all over 100 and what are we 1 month into the game?

I think my two fav things to do are make something for someone that will help them have more fun in their game, and then in a fight pulling agro off of one of my group mates.


Grigorian

[EchoVamper]

Usually ends up being support for me. Sooner or later I end up gravitating toward that type. I like to fiddle with tanks too. Mage-types haven't yet held my attention long term. I'm altaholic so I invariably end up trying them all.

Actually one of my favorite characters was my Paladin in DiabloII. He was made and specced with great care. Eventually he was an absolute fortress unto himself, and ushered many a grasshopper through the Hell level. He had all the best equipment and could tank like nobody's business. He wasn't a fast killer , but he was deadly and his defenses were nigh impenetrable. When he rolled through an area and began twisting auras, he turned his companions into killing machines. DII was missing a few things that I really value, but that character was a lot of fun to play.

In fact, just talking about it and recently seeing Morreion with shield and mace in hand (i.e. Baranar's Star and Stormshield, heheh) made me wonder about experimenting with a tanking Chanter (against all good sense I imagine).

As an aside, I think this new dual challenge of bots and lag is a critical one for NCSoft. How they handle this will be very, very important to the future of their game.

[Morreion]

Welcome to the board, Grig!

Echo, I'm a tanking Chanter by default- those Sorceresses are quite squishy

[Rakul]

Damn darn if they can't roast a marshmellow quick!