Single or Multiple Characters per account ?

[admin]

Adding slots is easy and cheap in the current technology environment. The only concerns about the accounts are cross teaming, exploiting and trolling. 

 

Initial thinking is this (we said it before)

One account, One nation

 

We currently reserve 3 slots for the player, but honestly don't see reasons for the third one, because we don't lock you into any class. 

So most likely the player will use 1 account for the national gameplay and make a second one a pirate. 

 

During testing this might change.

[Grim DeGrim]

One account, One nation

One person, one game key would shore up a few holes still there.

So most likely the player will use 1 account [Character] for the national gameplay and make a second one a pirate.

A possible flaw in logic: that would mean 2 nations on 1 account. Even if it one argues pirates are not a nation, it is a change of affiliation.

UNLESS design only allows 1 played per "map cycle" (or equivalent). OR, if there are multiple servers / worlds.

Grim

PS - pirate hordes.

Edit to fix formating

Edited March 19, 2015 by Grim DeGrim

[Xander Tyrann]

I remember playing an MMO with nations (i think Battleground Europe?) where team switching was allowed but there was a cooldown of an hour to switch faction which helped to stop people jumping in to the other faction to spot deployment of resources during battle. Just something to consider regarding the pirate issue (maybe a cooldown for switching between low and high notoriety characters?). It still won't stop anyone simply telling their pirate friends where the convoy is though, but that can happen even with no pirate affiliation.

 

It seems like they have the main concerns and aims down which is the main thing. Once you know what you want solutions can be found during testing i would expect, when the issues are a bit clearer and more concrete.

 

As to the whole IP issue, it would be very hard to detect i would think. but simply knowing its against the rules with strict punishment (such as banning) i think would put a lot of people off who would do this casually. I dont know how much more you can do.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Xander Tyrann

[SYN_Bloody-Bandy]

My IP is not static, but dynamic (I incorrectly used the term 'floating' earlier) and changes on occasion, but not every time on boot.  It would be difficult to use as a tool to track down "spying" if I were to do so.  I agree "cool down" would work for the most part. 

 

Just being devil's advocate here.  The problem with making a rule against something after-the-fact (ie that rule has not been made yet at this time) provides grounds for requesting a refund from a banned player who bought in before rules were made.  Though I suppose a ban does not need to be permanent, only for repeat offenders?  If devs refuse to provide refund, it is bad press.  Nobody wants to give back money if they don't have to, especially to a bad player who was gaming your game...

[Grim DeGrim]

A refund... If they bought 2 accounts. Yes, that is logical.

[StuffinBeard]

Adding slots is easy and cheap in the current technology environment. The only concerns about the accounts are cross teaming, exploiting and trolling. 

 

Initial thinking is this (we said it before)

One account, One nation

 

We currently reserve 3 slots for the player, but honestly don't see reasons for the third one, because we don't lock you into any class. 

So most likely the player will use 1 account for the national gameplay and make a second one a pirate. 

 

During testing this might change.

I could see if you wanted to play on a different server then another character slot... I believe I saw stated that possibly in the future there may be a real world server and a fictional server. Then in the real world one you can play it straight and narrow and be a lone wolf on the fictional one or vica-versa. No issues with trolling or the like.

[Tief N Tote]

well I can see wanting to play as a nat and a pirate for multiple accounts but I do agree you can end up with a game that looks populated but is not

[Theuerdank]

1 account, 1 character, 1 "life".

 

3 million "perma death" players in one open worldcannot be wrong ( dayz sa ).

...with permadeath   (sorry, bad joke!!)

more serious, for me its not important how many different 'names' of my char(s) i can read, i want a fine 'naval' gameplay and thats most important for my preferences, with 'one' char, or for every ship a new captain..... but that would be perhaps a choice.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Theuerdank

[Asbo]

I suppose my thoughts on the matter would rely on the final purchase scheme.  Were they to charge, say, $60+ one time for a key to play the game, I'd like to see more than one character available on my account for the money.  This urge would be ever stronger were they to charge a monthly subscription as well.  I know this may cause cross-teaming challenges dependent on the way nations are handled in game, I think it important that people be able to experiment with alternate characters in the game without having to buy a whole new copy.

I hear what you are saying but you could over come that by allowing anyone as many toons on a test server to sort that out I'm kinda with the rest here one per account and if you choose to be a spy then cool pay the extra £30 quid or whatever the price will be but you can only play one toon at a time whatever you decide. I had 6 active accounts in Eve and paid 6 fees so you get what you pay for.

[Benjamin Hornigold]

I think 2 at least would be good, 3 characters better. If there is more than 1 server then the cross teaming should not be a problem if it can be worked around somehow with separate servers

[Flavalicious]

For alpha, multiple

For release, multiple but in the same faction (with perhaps some option to transfer factions offered when one faction is over populated)

[Mary Read]

I like it as it is now; multiple not bound to any faction.

[Elcid Barrett]

I like the idea of one account, one character but I also understand it would probably not be a good business model. I would like to see all characters in the same faction though. IMO it adds more of an Us vs Them feeling.

[akd]

Allow multiple alts on one account, but list alts in player info. Possible exceptions under current system: pirates (devs seem to be willing to use this as a means of punishing behavior, so perhaps pirates should not be allowed national or neutral alts, and if one alt goes pirate, all alts go pirate) and neutrals (neutral alts for national players will completely break economy and economic warfare).

[Vega]

I also believe in one character per account, if someone wants to play an alt, they´d have to at least buy a second account, supporting the game a bit further. From past experiences, multiple characters per account will probably lead to a severe hit on the economy down the road, not to mention the problems already posted.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Vega

[Bart Smith]

For me only one character per account. That not allow xteaming.

[Suriel]

Multiple, no limits on nations.

I experienced such limits in Warhammer Online and did not like them.

[BungeeLemming]

We will most likely have two chars per account.

One to play a serious nation

And the other one for beeing a scumbag pirate.

 

And I will be fine with it.

 

Multiple chars all over te nations in a game where we have RvR content is not a good thing at all.

If enough players do that we wont have serious RvR gameplay due to the zerg always jumping nations.

[mouse of war]

One character per account

[Hugh Latham]

I experienced what multiple accounts did in POTBS. Xteaming was rampant and virtually destroyed the nation concept. One could not trust unknown players from one's own nation. A battle instance could include a xteamer who would interfere, or simply not join, in the fight. Further reinforcement would be prohibited because the battle quota had been filled. Xteaming also promoted xp farming by allowing someone to defeat themselves in a fight, rinse, repeat. Furthermore, xteamers could read national chat as spies. If a player wants to experience different "nationalities" they should do it by restarting with a new character in a different nation. If you are in a true nation (pirates are not a nation) you can become a pirate easily.

On the other hand, I think multiple characters per account are necessary for the economy if it is player driven. Also, it would be nice to be able to experience different roles within one's own nation.

[Bart Smith]

I also believe in one character per account, if someone wants to play an alt, they´d have to at least buy a second account, supporting the game a bit further. From past experiences, multiple characters per account will probably lead to a severe hit on the economy down the road, not to mention the problems already posted.

 

You right if somebody want have play another character just buy game and support development!

Multiple, no limits on nations.

I experienced such limits in Warhammer Online and did not like them.

Disagree. In every game than we got RvR multi accounts leading to chaos - people just always want win and this will allow them join winning nation. And with respect Warhammer Online is FAR different game that NA suppose to be in future.

[Blackjack Morgan]

I don't think you can have a serious RvR game with multiple factions on the same account.

[Bart Smith]

Not sure how this work in other games but from PotBS experience we all know that multi account was one of the nails to the coffin...and now PotBS gave last convulsions..

[Sir Tobias Blackthorn]

One Character for "normal" gaming and

one Pirate for fun would be great

 

[Hugh Latham]

I don't think you can have a serious RvR game with multiple factions on the same account.

Nor with multiple factions on separate accounts.