Special apps

[Vanth]

Hehe, I laughed too...
Nice one, Vanth Shalooonsh.

I was hoping for numbers after the fact.

It will take some time before we can see what the effect is.  Some people may choose to use up all their apps in Jan, Feb, and Mar while others will space them out.  While we may have some idea what the effect has been, in about 6 months, waiting a year would be better, because then we'll be comparing two equivalent sets of apps: i.e. one year's worth in each case.

[Vanth]

If you're bored with the class options you have at, say, 2 karma, then I'm sorry, but you are bored with the game itself.  All a sorceror is, is a more powerful combat/mage class.  All a psionicist is, is a more powerful stealth/social class.  They don't give you access to a different game, or interaction with different players.  They don't make travel cakes taste any different.

I suspect the only difference is in your perception: because you have to put a lot of thought into the concept, and because the concept is more restricted, you care more about it.  If you cared that much about your warriors and burglars, you might have more fun with them, too.  But because you know you can roll up a warrior or a burglar on any day that ends in Y, you don't invest as much in it.

[Blue]

If you're bored with the class options you have at, say, 2 karma, then I'm sorry, but you are bored with the game itself.  All a sorceror is, is a more powerful combat/mage class.  All a psionicist is, is a more powerful stealth/social class.  They don't give you access to a different game, or interaction with different players.  They don't make travel cakes taste any different.

I suspect the only difference is in your perception: because you have to put a lot of thought into the concept, and because the concept is more restricted, you care more about it.  If you cared that much about your warriors and burglars, you might have more fun with them, too.  But because you know you can roll up a warrior or a burglar on any day that ends in Y, you don't invest as much in it.

I whole-heartedly agree on the point Vanth just made.

And... I've only special apped once in the whole nearly five years I've been playing.

[Dar]

If you're bored with the class options you have at, say, 2 karma, then I'm sorry, but you are bored with the game itself.  All a sorceror is, is a more powerful combat/mage class.  All a psionicist is, is a more powerful stealth/social class.  They don't give you access to a different game, or interaction with different players.  They don't make travel cakes taste any different.

I disagree. It's like saying, if you're tired of being a human/assassin, then you're tired of being an elf/assassin. The two allow a whole sort of different gameplay, even if the skills are reasonably same.

I disagree quiet a bit about the psis. Psionics open a whole different entirety to the game in my opinion, albeit I have not really actually played one.  Yes it is majorly a social/shady role, but it allows one to also experience things a social/shady one would never experience. It allows portraying psyches and dementias that would be a little stretched for other guilds.

Also, I'd like to think mages tend to differ quiet a bit in personality. Sure, in the end, a mage is just a merchant guild with neat tricks. But if magicks begins to affect their values, then each mage is different from each other, or at the very least ... can be. That's why I personally am not interested in playing any mages, except drovians/nilazi (for which I  dont have the karma). Not because they're the most powerful (they really really arent), but because it allows concepts that would be .... a little stretchy (in my opinion) if applied to a rukkian or a krathi (Even though power wise, a rukkian or krathi could dish out much more damage then drov).

[Lizzie]

Well I for one am not bored with the types of characters I play, or the skillsets. I get a kick out of them. And most of them are -not- karma-restricted at all. Ranger, merchant, human. Occasionally I shift to something else. But that's the usual.

However I feel that by saying "sorcerers are -just- this" and "psis are -just- that" you take all the excitement about the possibility that some day I might actually earn the right to play one. If you feel it's no different from anything else, then I invite you to add that amount of karma to my account so I can roll one up any time I like without having to special app it. Afterall, it's "just" another class, they don't make travel cakes any different, or get access to another game, or interact with any different people.

[Medena]

If you're bored with the class options you have at, say, 2 karma, then I'm sorry, but you are bored with the game itself.  All a sorceror is, is a more powerful combat/mage class.  All a psionicist is, is a more powerful stealth/social class.  They don't give you access to a different game, or interaction with different players.  They don't make travel cakes taste any different.

I disagree. It's like saying, if you're tired of being a human/assassin, then you're tired of being an elf/assassin. The two allow a whole sort of different gameplay, even if the skills are reasonably same.

Exactly.  And I think that was the essence of what Vanth was saying.  At 2 karma you have 5 races and 8 guilds to choose from.  That's 40 different combinations.  Factor in starting location and sub-guilds and you have well over 500 distinct options. Add in whatever flavour, quirks, flaws, illnesses, desires you want for your PC and... yeah, infinite.

[Clearsighted]

If you're bored with the class options you have at, say, 2 karma, then I'm sorry, but you are bored with the game itself.  All a sorceror is, is a more powerful combat/mage class.  All a psionicist is, is a more powerful stealth/social class.  They don't give you access to a different game, or interaction with different players.  They don't make travel cakes taste any different.

I disagree quiet a bit about the psis. Psionics open a whole different entirety to the game in my opinion, albeit I have not really actually played one.  Yes it is majorly a social/shady role, but it allows one to also experience things a social/shady one would never experience. It allows portraying psyches and dementias that would be a little stretched for other guilds.

I think its something that most shouldn't experience. Though I think by this time, most long term players with a yearning to play a psionicst, have had at least a special app crack at it by now. I think out of all the guilds, they bring the least to the game.

[Only He Stands There]

I think out of all the guilds, they [psionicists] bring the least to the game.

Completely disagree, here, for a smashingly wide array of reasons, none of which I can really get into.


The only time they "bring the least" is when there's a poor player at the helm, or when there are too many in the game.

[Clearsighted]

I think out of all the guilds, they [psionicists] bring the least to the game.

Completely disagree, here, for a smashingly wide array of reasons, none of which I can really get into.


The only time they "bring the least" is when there's a poor player at the helm, or when there are too many in the game.

You may disagree with me, but I agree with you.

[Archbaron]

If you can't keep a special app'd character concept alive for at least four months to evenly space out your applications, then you probably should focus on learning to survive and make friends within the game before getting behind the wheels of something that may take staff time to set up.

A special app is like a car. A nice car. While most of us drive around in our average cars like F-150s and Focuses, the special app serves as a Lamborghini. Now, someone with an average car could drive all over the world, into crazy situations, and have plenty of fun with it, and most importantly, never wreck their average car. Let's say that you'd like to put in a special app, so you do, and you get your nice car. But a few weeks later, you crash it and totally wreck it and are forced to drive an average car once again, and summarily crash that one. Why should you be given another free nice car if you can't drive? Learn to drive before doing those complex, well-thought out concepts, and this 3 per year limit will be no big deal.

[mansa]

If you can't keep a special app'd character concept alive for at least four months to evenly space out your applications, then you probably should focus on learning to survive and make friends within the game before getting behind the wheels of something that may take staff time to set up.

A special app is like a car. A nice car. While most of us drive around in our average cars like F-150s and Focuses, the special app serves as a Lamborghini. Now, someone with an average car could drive all over the world, into crazy situations, and have plenty of fun with it, and most importantly, never wreck their average car. Let's say that you'd like to put in a special app, so you do, and you get your nice car. But a few weeks later, you crash it and totally wreck it and are forced to drive an average car once again, and summarily crash that one. Why should you be given another free nice car if you can't drive? Learn to drive before doing those complex, well-thought out concepts, and this 3 per year limit will be no big deal.

You mean there's a way to learn about spells without actually jumping in the car and flying at full speed?



I like special apping my first sorcerer.


and dying 4 hours later.


You mean, gathering mana from yourself makes you wanted?      duuuuuuuu
http://www.armageddon.org/cgi-bin/help_index/show_help?gather
oh great, the helpfiles mention that NOW....
/shakes fist

[Archbaron]

No, I'm saying that if you can't stay alive because of the basics, then you have a problem. Learning your spells is part of playing that part, and dying in that sense is a little different. However, if you play it realistically and not just cast spells for the hell of it, and actually find a hiding place, then you won't have this problem.

I'm not saying that this was necessarily your problem or your fault mansa.

[FantasyWriter]

If you can't keep a special app'd character concept alive for at least four months to evenly space out your applications, then you probably should focus on learning to survive and make friends within the game before getting behind the wheels of something that may take staff time to set up.

A special app is like a car. A nice car. While most of us drive around in our average cars like F-150s and Focuses, the special app serves as a Lamborghini. Now, someone with an average car could drive all over the world, into crazy situations, and have plenty of fun with it, and most importantly, never wreck their average car. Let's say that you'd like to put in a special app, so you do, and you get your nice car. But a few weeks later, you crash it and totally wreck it and are forced to drive an average car once again, and summarily crash that one. Why should you be given another free nice car if you can't drive? Learn to drive before doing those complex, well-thought out concepts, and this 3 per year limit will be no big deal.

Good analogy.
I played my first two spec apps last year, one of them died supper fast (4 play days in about a real life week--less than twenty minutes after I got my last app related setup.)).
The other... he died with about fifteen days on him I believe.  Needless to say I was MUCH more careful that time around.

[RogueGunslinger]

If you can't keep a special app'd character concept alive for at least four months to evenly space out your applications, then you probably should focus on learning to survive and make friends within the game before getting behind the wheels of something that may take staff time to set up.

A special app is like a car. A nice car. While most of us drive around in our average cars like F-150s and Focuses, the special app serves as a Lamborghini. Now, someone with an average car could drive all over the world, into crazy situations, and have plenty of fun with it, and most importantly, never wreck their average car. Let's say that you'd like to put in a special app, so you do, and you get your nice car. But a few weeks later, you crash it and totally wreck it and are forced to drive an average car once again, and summarily crash that one. Why should you be given another free nice car if you can't drive? Learn to drive before doing those complex, well-thought out concepts, and this 3 per year limit will be no big deal.

The game isn't about living the longest, and dying doesn't mean you can't play roles properly. Maybe I'm misinterpreting you here, but that just a damn stupid statement. I've never had a character live 4 real life months. Are you saying I'm a bad player?

[FantasyWriter]

I thought that he was just saying how much more it sucks to spends a lot of extra time and effort (the player and staff) on a special app, just to loose it quickly.

It has to be frustrating as hell for the staffers.

I would assume that when the staffer set up my first spec app, then a [censored] ganked me with ten minutes and twenty rooms later, he wasn't too happy with the time he spent setting the PC up that he could have been doing something else.  Not to mention spent reviewing the app and checking around to make sure it fit the game.




The more work put on a PC the more Ginka craves to sink it's teeth into it.

[Archbaron]

I thought that he was just saying how much more it sucks to spends a lot of extra time and effort (the player and staff) on a special app, just to loose it quickly.

It has to be frustrating as hell for the staffers.

I would assume that when the staffer set up my first spec app, then a [censored] ganked me with ten minutes and twenty rooms later, he wasn't too happy with the time he spent setting the PC up that he could have been doing something else.  Not to mention spent reviewing the app and checking around to make sure it fit the game.

Yes, I was comparing it to frustration. People die, and its not always their fault, but someone who goes through more than 3 or 4 special apps a year really needs to reconsider what brings them enjoyment in the game and what they're doing wrong.

Keeping a character alive for four months wasn't the point of the analogy.

[Is Friday]

I think my longest lived character did about 1.5 RL months, spec app or not.

I don't really care to have characters live long sometimes, because I'd rather go and play something else, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Granted, all of my spec apps died to something "not really" my fault. I think I as a player enrich the world a great amount, plus, I spec app a lot too.

[RogueGunslinger]

I thought that he was just saying how much more it sucks to spends a lot of extra time and effort (the player and staff) on a special app, just to loose it quickly.

It has to be frustrating as hell for the staffers.

I would assume that when the staffer set up my first spec app, then a [censored] ganked me with ten minutes and twenty rooms later, he wasn't too happy with the time he spent setting the PC up that he could have been doing something else.  Not to mention spent reviewing the app and checking around to make sure it fit the game.

Yes, I was comparing it to frustration. People die, and its not always their fault, but someone who goes through more than 3 or 4 special apps a year really needs to reconsider what brings them enjoyment in the game and what they're doing wrong.

Keeping a character alive for four months wasn't the point of the analogy.

I know. I was saying people aren't playing wrong when they lose 3 or 4 spec-aps a year. I'm also saying maybe they do enjoy it.

[Sephiroto]

I think my longest lived character did about 1.5 RL months, spec app or not.

I don't really care to have characters live long sometimes, because I'd rather go and play something else, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Amen.

Also, I've never special apped.  There was something much more rewarding about playing <karma role(s)> without shortcuts.  I might special app one day, but It's probably going to be for a merchant and not a walking death machine.

[number13]

I might special app one day, but It's probably going to be for a merchant and not a walking death machine.

I'm going to special app a merchant who can craft walking death machines.

[Fathi]

I might special app one day, but It's probably going to be for a merchant and not a walking death machine.

I'm going to special app a merchant who can craft walking death machines.

[Archbaron]

Please stop posting pictures of my character.

[Jingo]

http://www.armageddon.org/cgi-bin/help_index/show_help?gather

I actually kind of wish this wasn't in the public documentation.

[RogueGunslinger]

Me too. Why not just send it to an apped sorcerer?

[Jingo]

Something to think about for the next game, I guess.