28 February 2009

Blog Banter #5: Meet Paul

This month’s topic comes to us from Mynxee of Life in Low Sec. She asks “Alts and Metagaming: Is playing two accounts who are logged in at the same time and work together (hauler/miner, explorer/combat associate, trade alts in trade hubs) a form of metagaming that is “ruining the game”?”


Meet my brother Paul.

Paul is an alt. He does not know he is one, or he pretends not to know, but I think he is an alt. My alt.

For starters, he has this uncanny ability to show up just in time and do whatever it is that I need. If I am running a mission he may show up to salvage, or to haul. Sometimes he shows up to mine the gravi sites I explore.

I swear, he must know somehow when, where and what.

We are different. He is the quiet one, I am the chatty one. He has got Maman's eyes and I have Papa's -but there is still some resemblance. I joined UC, he went to CAS. But I think that what is amazing is, how different we have chosen to be, how complementary our skills and career paths have become since he returned a year ago... it is as if we intentionally avoided doing each other's stuff, even the stuff we plan for the future! I have given up on research, for example, knowing that he will help me with my blueprints; he relies on me for fast courier runs.

Paul does stuff that I would not touch with a 10 km pole like, mining or refining. Boy, does he know rocks ("we don't call them rocks, Quin, it's ore"). He's got this sick sense of humor; often sends pics of industrial accidents signed 'Wish you were here.' You should see the guy's eyes twinkle when someone mentions hedbergite.

So what if he likes different stuff? The weird thing is that sometimes he will do stuff he does not like such as scouting ahead, joining a corp and I suspect he does not really care about getting podded.

We get along like, well, brother and sister, especially with other people around. I still remember that party at the Victory where my big brother introduced himself to everyone simply as "Mr. Delorois." Jerk. By the end of the evening some of my own friends were volunteering to spill their drinks on his face. Still, he sometimes flies me to events and parties when I have to dress up and can't ride in the pod. Maybe he wants me to hook him up with some of my friends. I have noticed how he looks at Miette...

So, lemme see.
  • Funny connection, we know what each other knows. Check.
  • Skill sets complement each other. Check.
  • He does stuff for me that he does not even like. Check.
  • Always there. Check.
Yup, an alt. Definitely, an alt.

Hmm. Does having such an amazing connection to someone else -know/complement/help/always- ruin other people's day in space? I do not think so. Everybody has their own connections, team mates, corp mates, brothers and sisters and friends and family. Stronger or weaker connections but, see, at the end of the day it is about people rather than spaceships. If you have people around you, alts or not, you are better off.

Now, it is certainly unfair. But not anymore than having a better spaceship or better modules. Maybe it does ruin life for lone wolf types but, hey, it should be a lesson for everyone to reach out and team up with someone.

So there. Meet Paul, my alt. Oh, and by the way? I introduced him to this metagame, RealLife(tm). Don't tell anyone, but we share a RL account.

Definitely, an alt.

-Q


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Posted by Quintrala at 07:43
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1 comment:

  1. Carole Pivarnik28 February, 2009 18:51

    Hee hee, well written :) My alts have distinct personalities...to such a degree that I myself feel somehow manipulated into acting differently depending on who I've got logged in! It must be even more interesting for dedicated RP'ers to control multiple characters. And by interesting, I mean confusing.

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