What makes a long-lived character?

[PriestlySiren]

So... in the populace's opinion, what makes a character able to be long-lived?

[Youko]

Avoiding situations that can cause death.

[racurtne]

It depends on what you're playing.

Even if you are in a combat-oriented clan, using some common-sense goes a long way. Don't go outside of your comfort-zone (when out in the wild). Don't go outside of the walls all the time just because you are bored. Have a clan and stay within their relative area of influence so that they can have your back. Always bring backup when going somewhere dangerous (competent backup is preferable). Don't piss off the wrong people.

Then, be lucky.

[Ender]

So... in the populace's opinion, what makes a character able to be long-lived?

There's no one way to reach the status of long-lived, but I've found a few things that really help.


Patience

Everyone gets bored from time to time during the slow times, but I can guarantee you many people die because they get bored and try something stupid.  Being able to push through those boring times is paramount if you want to achieve a long lived character.

Humility

This ranges from knowing your place in the world to understanding your personal limitations to knowing when it's time to fucking run.  A lot of PCs get too cocky when they reach a certain amount of time played both in dealing with beasties AND other PCs.  Just because you're a branched warrior doesn't mean you can mouth off to that templar, and just because you think they're the most badass warrior in the known doesn't mean you can go punch a mek to death.

Sociability

I'm not saying don't make enemies, because conflict should always be the heart of this game, but I'm saying for every enemy you make, you need an ally.  No man or woman is an island.  I'm not saying to smile and hug everyone you meet, but just pick your allies carefully.  Easiest way to do this is to join an established clan and work well within their respective system.

Awareness

Those goes in line with humility.  Always consider the greater game world and where you fit into it.  Always be aware of what you're doing in relation to that.  Everything you do you should consider how others will react.  If you're a 'rinther, know that sitting the Trader's mouthing off to a noble will have consequences.  I'm not saying don't do those things, just be AWARE of what will happen.  Anytime you're out in the wilds, read room descs, think about what you are doing and what realistically will happen if you're not realistically prepared.

Treat the World as if its Alive

Yea, I know you've killed five hundred raptors already, but never get cocky, because that next raptor might be the elder raptor supreme black belt of his brood.  Don't treat things around you like a series of code, but dangerous and more importantly -varied- creatures.

[Marauder Moe]

It's not really that hard.

Rule #1: Don't leave the city walls.
Rule #1b: For those who must sometimes, don't leave the city walls without at least two competant fighters with you.  (Ones that are willing/able to save your ass if things get messy.)

Rule #2: Submit to anyone who can have you killed with little consequence.  (Namely templars, soldiers, nobles, and your own clan leaders.)

Rule #3: Never go to anyone's apartment.  (Unless you trust them with your character's life... because that's what you're doing.)

[Refugee]

Man, I really like what Ender had to say.

I played a very active 8-RL-month hunter so I can give a little advice-

1.  Don't go out of the city alone.  Even having someone along with much less skill can help a lot when things get hairy, and multiple opponents are a good thing in melee (when they're on your side).

2.  Don't do the thing where you -think- you can outlast the critter who's beating you down.  Just hoping to get that last big hit in....pick a realistic HP limit for when you flee and stick to it.  Set a trigger to sound a beep when you pass it, because sometimes stuff happens real fast. 

3.  Make friends. (Yes, people have said this but it bears repeating).  Having people who will come get you when you're nearly dead and hiding is useful.  Besides, it's fun.

4.  Listen to your gut.  If you find yourself for some reason with your finger hovering over the enter key before taking that next step east, not really knowing why but hesitant to go on, heck, listen to your instincts, unless you really have to do it.  Most things can wait till another day.

[Kismetic]

Spot on, Ender.  Every.  Single.  Time.

[Ender]

1.  Don't go out of the city alone.  Even having someone along with much less skill can help a lot when things get hairy, and multiple opponents are a good thing in melee (when they're on your side).

This, so much this.  The secondary benefit of always following this rule is that when you have someone with you helping to bring the world alive with emotes and conversation it's easier to view the world as alive instead of a coded experience.

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

Don't get interested enough in your other character ideas that your own seems to pale in comparision. Rather, its better to leave your character sheets in microsoft word unfinished so that their level of temptation isn't nearly as great.

I should know, I suffer madly from the blessing/affliction of short-livedness because stories and putting on a good show are paramount to me above all else, and I wish I felt guilty but I don't at all.

[Desertman]

Playing realistically based on what your PC would do and not what you would do.

Even a psycho killer is going to be careful about his psycho killing.

Even the best hunter is going to be careful about how he hunts.

Even the most fearsome warrior isn't going to face that entire group alone, if he is fighting smart.

If you do that, the rest is just fate and luck.

Even when you play safe, and you account for every possible outcome, there is always another outcome waiting for you that you didn't see coming. But that is kind of the fun of it too. I can't count the number of times where I said, "Ok, all of my bases are covered." Only to die ten minutes later and go, "I didn't even know that was possible."

Good times.

[Riya OniSenshi]

Playing realistically to the docs, environment, and PC is all one really needs to do.

Unfortunately, this is not something most people can do.

[LauraMars]

So... in the populace's opinion, what makes a character able to be long-lived?

There's no one way to reach the status of long-lived, but I've found a few things that really help.

Patience

Humility

Sociability

Awareness

Treat the World as if its Alive

All this and a pinch of luck, and baby, you've got a long-lived character stew going.

[Twilight]

A long liver.

Note that you can completely break all these rules and still get lucky.  The more you know, the more you can push on the boundaries.  Don't be surprised if they eventually push back.  New players seem to push on the boundaries too soon, without knowing much about them.  Then that character goes splat.

[musashi]

Don't store.

[RogueGunslinger]

Don't store.

OR suicide.



Giving your character a mental breakdown(maybe a hard bump to the head), walking across the known to another city, and making them an amnesiac is literally a better, less cliched option in this game.

[Delirium]

Give your character passions and interests and goals that they can accomplish and/or pursue over the long-term. Keep reaching out to each generation of PCs that you encounter. These will help prevent you from becoming bored and jaded when the things and characters your PC did and knew inevitably come to their end. Lastly, try and treat each day as if it is your last with that PC.

[DustMight]

Avoiding situations that can cause death.

Agreed.
Realistic goals followed through realistically.
Ability to adapt.
Ability to stave off boredom when the urge is really strong to "go do something" that doesn't
meet up with character's personality.

[Kassindra]

Ender, what you said, especially about being humility, sociability and awareness. I've seen people who think they're so badass and decide they want to do what they want, don't listen to anyone and act like they know it all but when they get into a life and death situation, they are so shocked because "OMG, I'm not the best thing out there."

For my longevity tips, I recommended the same as Ender and setting goals, having an actual personality with flaws and all so that interest remains even if something very exciting might not be going on every single time you log in, atleast there's something of your character you'll be working on or some goal you'll be planning to reach.

[lordcooper]

Don't go out of the city alone.  Even having someone along with much less skill can help a lot when things get hairy, and multiple opponents are a good thing in melee (when they're on your side).

Dwarves and Half-Giants are particularly good for this.  They're tougher than most humans and if things get too hairy, well, you can probably run away faster than they can

[Gunnerblaster]

I feel bad. My longest lived character did the opposite of everything everyone is recommending here.

He constantly made enemies, wandered the deserts half-naked, and, in-general, did some pretty crazy shit that he shouldn't have survived from.

[slipshod]

1.  Don't go out of the city alone.  Even having someone along with much less skill can help a lot when things get hairy, and multiple opponents are a good thing in melee (when they're on your side).

Also, if you have someone along with you, you can leave them in your dust to be eaten by the wild animals or killed by the raiders while you get away and run back to safety.

[BleakOne]

Surviving in Zalanthas is much like surviving in Zombieland. Cardio is very important.

Knowing when you are beat is important as well. You are much less likely to die if you don't pursue a rivalry to the death, if you flee from a losing battle before falling below 50% health, avoid solo-ing things which have a good chance of eating you, and bend your knee to the Powers That Be.

Although obviously that's not as much fun sometimes, and sometimes the dying is worth it.

[LauraMars]

I feel bad. My longest lived character did the opposite of everything everyone is recommending here.

He constantly made enemies, wandered the deserts half-naked, and, in-general, did some pretty crazy shit that he shouldn't have survived from.

Those seat of your pants characters who defy all the odds and survive despite everything are the funnest to play.

But you can't try to make them...they just happen, somehow.

[Bogre]

Consistently keeping your hitpoints above -9.

[Twilight]

I feel bad. My longest lived character did the opposite of everything everyone is recommending here.

He constantly made enemies, wandered the deserts half-naked, and, in-general, did some pretty crazy shit that he shouldn't have survived from.

Those seat of your pants characters who defy all the odds and survive despite everything are the funnest to play.

But you can't try to make them...they just happen, somehow.

Sure you can.  I had a character that I basically said, I am going to spend the first 5-10 days playtime doing crazy shit, then I am going to join a clan, settle down, and live into old age.  It ended up being my longest lived, and had some decent stories.  And the crazy shit really didn't stop when I joined the clan, just slowed down a little.

[LauraMars]

I feel bad. My longest lived character did the opposite of everything everyone is recommending here.

He constantly made enemies, wandered the deserts half-naked, and, in-general, did some pretty crazy shit that he shouldn't have survived from.

Those seat of your pants characters who defy all the odds and survive despite everything are the funnest to play.

But you can't try to make them...they just happen, somehow.

Sure you can.  I had a character that I basically said, I am going to spend the first 5-10 days playtime doing crazy shit, then I am going to join a clan, settle down, and live into old age.  It ended up being my longest lived, and had some decent stories.  And the crazy shit really didn't stop when I joined the clan, just slowed down a little.

Ok, let me rephrase - you can't make a character who you -know- is going to defy the odds and do crazy shit and be long lived.  Odds are you'll be killed in the attempt.  Surviving when you're hell-bent on being a half-naked desert wanderer who deliberately keeps throwing himself into trouble is more likely to end in death than otherwise - to make it to the status of "long-lived" will take a good amount of luck at that point.

(though of course a good knowledge of code will help your chances a lot)

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

Don't app something you know you'll probably get tired of in a RL month? Which is about two game months.

Pick as much that interests you as is possible to stuff into a single pc?

Also, for the love of god have ways out. Lot of potential for dead-ends.

Your pc has a goal? Have a couple of back-up goals, don't have preferences about where you end up--- or do, and rejoice in your good fortune for picking your favorite, or lament that you could have been in clan y, when clannies x are not around to hear of course.

Have you picked the armorcrafter subguild and have decided you'll start off in the north working with yummy animal hides? Maybe the black moon blew up and all animals now have the strength of a raging half-giant. Have ways out. Have options, and two or more ways to make money/to progress your story, because cockblockers happen, no one has played a leadership role in Salaar in Tuluk for a RL month, some mad dwarf is killing anyone with black hair who leaves Luir's, you have the damn luck to look almost exactly like that defiler everyone's after.... you get the idea. I've had to store because I didn't prepare for some of this shit. Right now I wish I had a different subguild. Try avoiding doing new things on special apps, such as a type of personality or type of clan membership you've never tried before--- you might well not be able to do it, or hate it, and there goes a special app who could have been long-lived.

[BuNutzCola]

Humility is usually better armor than silt horror plate and iron swords.


And being very aware of your character's place in the gameworld, for better or worse.

Also some luck at times.

[Dalmeth]

Never go where you can't outfight or outrun the opposition.

Always rest your mount.

Don't chase the rabbit.

[Morrolan]

Humility is usually better armor than silt horror plate and iron swords.

And being very aware of your character's place in the gameworld, for better or worse.

Also some luck at times.

+1

[Gunnerblaster]

I feel bad. My longest lived character did the opposite of everything everyone is recommending here.

He constantly made enemies, wandered the deserts half-naked, and, in-general, did some pretty crazy shit that he shouldn't have survived from.

Those seat of your pants characters who defy all the odds and survive despite everything are the funnest to play.

But you can't try to make them...they just happen, somehow.

Sure you can.  I had a character that I basically said, I am going to spend the first 5-10 days playtime doing crazy shit, then I am going to join a clan, settle down, and live into old age.  It ended up being my longest lived, and had some decent stories.  And the crazy shit really didn't stop when I joined the clan, just slowed down a little.

Ok, let me rephrase - you can't make a character who you -know- is going to defy the odds and do crazy shit and be long lived.  Odds are you'll be killed in the attempt.  Surviving when you're hell-bent on being a half-naked desert wanderer who deliberately keeps throwing himself into trouble is more likely to end in death than otherwise - to make it to the status of "long-lived" will take a good amount of luck at that point.

(though of course a good knowledge of code will help your chances a lot)

Actually, most the crazy shit I did was completely in-character. I was a breed, after all. They kind've have a knack for being... Well, crazy and doing even crazier shit.

But, yeah. Had a blast with that character. Made the best memories in ARM with that dude.

[James de Monet]

I think the more obscure (but almost as important) suggestions would be:

• nosave arrest
• Don't subdue your friends
• Anything that wants to fight you is probably not something you want to fight alone
• If you have to tell people you're a badass, you aren't one
• If it looks, sounds, smells, or feels dangerous, it probably is
• Political power beats physical power, every time
• Don't forget the desert is HOT
• And last but not least, the ending of the sentence "Just one more..." is almost always "...mantishead."

[BleakOne]

I think the more obscure (but almost as important) suggestions would be:

• nosave arrest
• Don't subdue your friends

These are a must. If you are a soldier and subdue your friends, you could kill them, if you are not a soldier and subdue your friends, it will likely kill you.

[Gunnerblaster]

I think the more obscure (but almost as important) suggestions would be:

• nosave arrest
• Don't subdue your friends

These are a must. If you are a soldier and subdue your friends, you could kill them, if you are not a soldier and subdue your friends, it will likely kill you.

If you've got the ability to set triggers on your Mudclients, set them to trigger nosave combat off/on whenever entering/leaving Luirs outpost.

If you absolutely have to subdue someone (ie. to carry them to safety) - make sure they have turned nosave subdue off so that they aren't resisting. You only get crim-flagged when you attempt to subdue someone who actively resists.

[Harmless]

Don't get bored. If you're getting bored, take a break, don't store or suicide. Little holidays go a long way towards true longevity, gives you time to think or just let the routine stop boring you so much. I used to think longevity meant a character who lasted IC years. Now I think in terms of IC decades (RL years).

If you knew you made an earnest attempt towards longevity and failed, then congrats. You won the game. 
When you store or suicide or knowingly take risks that you later realize were against your concept or the docs, then you lost that round.
Either way, don't let it discourage you from trying again, because this game has so much to offer. There are at least a dozen character concepts in this game that I haven't tried yet but want to someday. Right now my longevity is such that I worry that I won't have time for them all.

Also, keep in mind that people who have a lot of time to play the game have a huge advantage in a lot of areas. They learn the code faster, they make more friends and get more support, and they tend to have pretty awesome deaths. If you're suffering from low playtime, the solution is to become much more cautious and focus on making just one or two good trustworthy allies that you know have more playtime than you do. Then things all start to fall in place.

[solera]

If you absolutely have to subdue someone (ie. to carry them to safety) - make sure they have turned nosave subdue off so that they aren't resisting. You only get crim-flagged when you attempt to subdue someone who actively resists.

Isn't it nosave subdue on?

[RogueGunslinger]

If you absolutely have to subdue someone (ie. to carry them to safety) - make sure they have turned nosave subdue off so that they aren't resisting. You only get crim-flagged when you attempt to subdue someone who actively resists.

Isn't it nosave subdue on?

Either way it will make sense in game with the echo it gives you. "You are now resisting subdue attempts".

[James de Monet]

You only get crim-flagged when you attempt to subdue someone who actively resists.

True, but don't forget that anyone who is guarding them will react to you trying to subdue their charge, regardless of their nosave subdue flag.

I put it in the list because its one of those things I have seen go wrong for experienced players who even took a moment to think about it first. It's generally best avoided in public places.

[PriestlySiren]

You only get crim-flagged when you attempt to subdue someone who actively resists.

True, but don't forget that anyone who is guarding them will react to you trying to subdue their charge, regardless of their nosave subdue flag.

I put it in the list because its one of those things I have seen go wrong for experienced players who even took a moment to think about it first. It's generally best avoided in public places.

Does this count if said person is uncon or if you already have them subdued?

[Gunnerblaster]

You only get crim-flagged when you attempt to subdue someone who actively resists.

True, but don't forget that anyone who is guarding them will react to you trying to subdue their charge, regardless of their nosave subdue flag.

I put it in the list because its one of those things I have seen go wrong for experienced players who even took a moment to think about it first. It's generally best avoided in public places.

Does this count if said person is uncon or if you already have them subdued?

If they're unconscious, I -think- it automatically switches them to nosave subdue - But, just to be positive, before attempting to subdue someone in a friendly manner - Best to ooc "nosave subdue on?" and wait until you get a reply before making any move to subdue them.

[RogueGunslinger]

You only get crim-flagged when you attempt to subdue someone who actively resists.

True, but don't forget that anyone who is guarding them will react to you trying to subdue their charge, regardless of their nosave subdue flag.

I put it in the list because its one of those things I have seen go wrong for experienced players who even took a moment to think about it first. It's generally best avoided in public places.

Does this count if said person is uncon or if you already have them subdued?

If they're unconscious, I -think- it automatically switches them to nosave subdue - But, just to be positive, before attempting to subdue someone in a friendly manner - Best to ooc "nosave subdue on?" and wait until you get a reply before making any move to subdue them.

No. It doesn't. It simply lowers your chance of getting caught by the law. But apparently it can still happen, it's just a low chance.

[musashi]

I believe the help file says it does.

*checks the nosave helpfile*

Yup. If you're knocked out nosave subdue is automatically turned on so the helpfile says.

[RogueGunslinger]

The fuck am I thinking of? Staff said within the past couple months.... OH Steal. Stealing from someone who is asleep is what I'm thinking of.

[BleakOne]

I'd still avoid subduing sleeping people in crimcoded areas without them expressly confirming nosave subdue was on.

[Kismetic]

I want to say there's some kinda difference between unconscious from taking stun damage, and unconscious from drinking/sleeping.  Just in case. 

[Lizzie]

Another tip to elongate your character's longevity:

TITLE YOUR MOUNT and refer to your mount, always, by whatever you titled him/her.

Syntax:

get coins pack
get ticket pack
offer ticket
put coins pack
hitch inix
mount inix
title inix Blinky

later on, when the spice begins to take hold:

rest blinky
draw sword
kill green.beetle
(wait, wait, say OH SHIT when the green beetle bites you for 40 damage)
flee west
west
(think Oh no, BLINKY! I'm comin to save you, little buddy!)
east
hitch blinky
mount
run
west
west
west

See what I did there - if you were to "hitch beetle" when you came back in - you'd be hurtin.

So always title your mount and refer to its title.

Pro-tip: title it something that has nothing to do with names or keywords of any other animal in the game.

[musashi]

Along that same vein. Another protip:

DO NOT ADDKEYWORD COMMON ANIMAL NAMES TO YOUR CHARACTER.

You have the nickname sneaky gortok? Yay. Don't add gortok to your character then go hunting gortok with 4 of your buddies. It never, ever, ever ends well.

Please note this wisdom holds true for masks and face wraps and cloaks as well. A frightening gortok mask? Don't put that on when you go hunting.

[X-D]

Well, unless you are already so badass that somebody attacking you is just amusing.

[racurtne]

Well, unless you are already so badass that somebody attacking you is just amusing.

Yeah, I managed to get someone's HG killed because of my choice of keyword. FYI, not an animal name.

Edited for remaining on topic:

Point is, also make sure that YOU target intelligently in combat. Don't just "attack white" or something non-specific like that.

[Hishn]

Please stay on topic.

[Gunnerblaster]

Another tip for keeping your character's alive?

Don't do anything dangerous when the game's going through an unexpected bout of lag.

[Furious George]

If you're going to use your ranger-quit ability because you suddenly have to quit out for OOC reasons, and you're somewhere dangerous...see what time of day it is in game before you next log in.  Otherwise you could be blind, in a furious sandstorm, surrounded by those bastard red-desert gith, and your promising long-lived pc who was looking for a career change will be dead fast.

[Lithium]

• Don't trust dwarf-loving sorcerers
• Don't trust sorcerer-loving dwarfs
• Never trust an elf

[X-D]

Act like your PC is really a person.

Simplest and best advice.

[BuNutzCola]

If it's a creature you've never seen before, investigation will often end in death.

Likewise, you don't REALLY have to know what's in that cave.

If it's a 4+ room drop, and you're asking yourself "Can I make that climb?" You probably can't.

Respect people that wear cloaks that change their sdesc to their occupation.

If you didn't buy it or steal it sneaky like, probably shouldn't eat it.

When you find a corpse full of fat loot, the first temptation is to field-strip. Unless you were the creator of said corpse, it is wiser to figure out what the fuck did before you begin undressing amos#201392385

Scrab #87 is a son of a bitch. You've killed his 86 siblings, and in that time he has been training with the Ademre in how to kick your ass. Luck is a bastard.

When a chick invites you back to her apartment, consider closely that there is a 26% chance she's planning to kill you, and a 92% chance her player is a guy.

If you didn't fill it up, don't drink it.

If you're a magicker, realize inevitably, when you need that spell to work, it will not.

Your city pc just found a cool place in the deserts that has valueable stuff to be foraged? Consider that most of the desert badasses know about it too.

There are no kind-hearted 'rinthi's.

Realistic roleplaying, is how one manages to push the upper limits of life-spans. However, being prepared for the inevitable long stretches of downtime that come with that realism, is key.


Edit: I am terrible with commas. It's a character flaw, sue me.

[Harmless]

If you're fleeing from combat, enter the flee command a few times for good measure in case it fails. It fails a lot.

here's how you run away from that bahamet. This ensures that if your character WAS able to get away, that they at least had every opportunity given to them. This method isn't foolproof at all but it gets you one step closer to living to see another day.

Code Select Expand


A huge f***ing bahamet pinches your brains out for horrendous damage.
You reel from the blow.

>flee w
>flee w
>flee w
>flee w

You swiftly dodge a huge bahamet's pinches.

50/100 hp

You swiftly dodge a huge bahamet's pinches.

PANIC! You try to escape, but fail!
PANIC! You try to escape, but fail!
PANIC! You try to escape, but fail!
You flee.
A huge bahamet attacks you as you flee!
A huge bahamet pinches you solidly on your body.

[n, e, s, w] Some Shithole You Regret Walking To
This place is looking a fuck of a lot more dangerous now that you're almost
dead, doesn't it, sonny boy? WHATCHA GONNA DO NOW, SUCKA?

30/50 hp >
>w
>w
>w


That's how it's done. Sometimes. Note, the drawback is that if you get overzealous on those flee attempts, you can lose precious milliseconds (not joking, milliseconds) if the bahamet chases you... so this isn't failsafe. But it works for me more often than it doesn't.

There are a lot of survivability tips like this that you can learn the hard way or not. They are all decisions that have pros and cons, risks and potential amazing benefits. Not sure if it's been discussed yet, but falling is another one... that's quite fun.

When falling, you can try moving in any direction to grab for purchase. A risky move that costs you precious health if it fails... but can result in you stopping your fall.

At some point in your arma career, you would have come across most of the common scenarios that get you killed and mastered them. When that day comes, your responsibility changes from having some basic familiarity with the code, and advancing to deciding what your PC would realistically know to do and even voluntarily withholding some tricks that don't fit your concept or border on game abuse. That is what X-D referred to just now, which is the best advice there is, really, but for true beginners that doesn't apply as well, when you're still bewildered by the scrolling walls of grey on black text.

[Kismetic]

Ah, that reminds me, stop command is your friend.

[evil_erdlu]

Make an alias and a trigger; the alias, "esc\s*(\w*)" has the command; "flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;" and the trigger, "You flee .+" has the command "stop".

[RogueGunslinger]

Make an alias and a trigger; the alias, "esc\s*(\w*)" has the command; "flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;flee %1;" and the trigger, "You flee .+" has the command "stop".

Would get you killed.

[perfecto]

My suggestion (mind you I haven't read all the posts of this thread) is to Role Play...

Roleplay Well, and take your time to build your character instead of just running around like a noob buying up expensive gear to make yourself look hardened only to die horrificaly because "oh yeah" You're still a noob...

Also if you put the time and effort into playing your character (not just playing for skills and coins) People tend to enjoy those characters and are far less likely to want to kill you because they like having you around... (disclaimer - this is does not always apply)

If you take the time to emote, think and generaly express your character to the rest of the world, that in itself takes time.  The rewards for doing so are infinitly greater than trying to hack and slash your way to glory.

[musashi]

I'd like to hope everyone generally gets that. I just hope that this thread helps the new players avoid some of those derp moments where one dies to a silly coded issue like ... oh ... I didn't know codedly "throwing" dung at that breed I don't like would be taken by the city militia as attempted murder, resulting in my getting dog pilled by like 50 half giant soldiers in the middle of the street.

[Scarecrow]

-Never make an enemy more powerful than you
-When bored, don't go out for suicide or exploring
-Don't be prideful
-Learn to hold your tongue
-Have a point, usually based on HP, when you flee, no matter what is happening.
-When brawling, always double-check you are using 'hit' command, and not kill.
-Don't subdue anyone in a city, ever.
-Don't give people a reason to kill you (don't raid, rob, or pick fights you don't know you can win before you pick them)
-Don't act on impulse. Step back, logout, then come back later to decide.

I know this, because all these things have killed me in the past. Also, acting like a regular person is a good way to go. And remember, being connected, having lots of friends, and aligning yourself with the City Powers is more protective than any armor or weapons you can ever afford.

[perfecto]

I'd like to hope everyone generally gets that. I just hope that this thread helps the new players avoid some of those derp moments where one dies to a silly coded issue like ... oh ... I didn't know codedly "throwing" dung at that breed I don't like would be taken by the city militia as attempted murder, resulting in my getting dog pilled by like 50 half giant soldiers in the middle of the street.

This reminds me.

Don't "poke" templars...

[James de Monet]

The hilarious truth

+1

Also:

Edit: I am terrible with commas. It's a character flaw, sue me.

I say this partly tongue in cheek, but punctuation and grammar issues can land you in the hot seat. "That, Lord Templar, is an asshole." is a whole lot different than "That Lord Templar is an asshole."  Be wary of your treacherous fingers!

[razorback]

That would be so awesome to see.

The two longest lived characters I had I approached with the thought that, well, they'd be opposite. Always in dangerous situations, charging in when it would be smarter to wait, that kind of thing. My safer PCs get HRPT bitch slapped. Fun, but...short?

[ShaLeah]

The hilarious truth

+1

Also:

Edit: I am terrible with commas. It's a character flaw, sue me.

I say this partly tongue in cheek, but punctuation and grammar issues can land you in the hot seat. "That, Lord Templar, is an asshole." is a whole lot different than "That Lord Templar is an asshole."  Be wary of your treacherous fingers!

This is my fave today.

I suck at long lived characters, three months seems to be my average since I returned from the dead. I don't play it safe -interaction- wise. People just looooooooove to hate my chars and murder them. It's a badge of honor.

[Morrolan]

Find long-lived characters to play with. Befriend them.

[Twilight]

The real secret is:

Character started 6 months ago.
3 hours played.

There you go.

[Molten Heart]

Get really lucky.

[jigglypuffs]

1.  Don't go out of the city alone.  Even having someone along with much less skill can help a lot when things get hairy, and multiple opponents are a good thing in melee (when they're on your side).

This, so much this.  The secondary benefit of always following this rule is that when you have someone with you helping to bring the world alive with emotes and conversation it's easier to view the world as alive instead of a coded experience.

I know, I'm a little late on this, but my experience is just the opposite. The more people you have with you the more likely someone is going to screw up or try something you'd never do and get you into trouble. Conversely, you yourself will be a little more daring which isn't always that great either.

[Inks]

Don't pretend to be the best fighter with awesome ninja 'say (whirling blades in a dizzying pattern, weapons a blur of speed) I am the best fighter there is!' When you have novice skill. That will likely make people go out of their way to harm you.

Don't; when in a clan that has sparring, get up and spar again and again after being so hurt you are sent to the medic. Someone will eventually mercy off.

Do, use plenty of emotes and RP your character well, oocly many people will be more hesitant to kill a good RPer for little reason, when there is better interaction to be had.

All these things. Or you could pretend to be a new player and barely emote at all and never use think and act like you haven't read the docs. You will even survive taking off your pants repeatedly in front of a Templar. Maybe.

[Ender]

The real secret is:

Character started 6 months ago.
3 hours played.

There you go.

This is the first time a character of mine survived for an IG year. Achievement unlocked: "long lived" (lol, I know)

I tried out this game in 2010, and then promptly forgot about it. When I came back last month, the character I had aged like 5 years. Does that count?

[MeTekillot]

Inks I kinda hope most of your advice is facetious.

[Inks]

I am glad my facetiousness managed to be heard even in text format. No harm meant MeTekillot.

[Fujikoma]

Always remember, if you flee on foot, your mount is not coming with you, even if it's standing up.

[Kismetic]

Obviously.  They must have been there for that time somebody took their pants off in front of a templar.  And lived.  I only heard about it (from the templar and the pantless one).