What makes a long-lived character?

[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.