Background and Gameplay
I discussed in a very abbreviated sense the points I felt necessary to create a good background. I want to take this a bit further here, and ask those of you who read this blog the following question.
"Do you see the background you create for a character as actually influencing the way you play the game when you run the character?"
For me the answer is kind of a waffle - yes and no.
Here's why.
The 'NO' side first. With any online game there are limited choices as to reactions allowed in-game. No offense intended, that is just plain truth. You have limited targets, they have limited responses, and the consequences are limtied by the complexity of the program and the capability of the machine/computers running them. So I do see that my characters do have a limited range and thus the background, however detailed, runs up against these limitations.
Now to the 'YES' side. I find that even within these limitations there can be a humongously WIDE range of latitude if I am willing to be a little thoughtful. Like not fighting certain beasts/gangs as a way of stepping beyond basic game mechanics. Another is how I prepare for combat. Let me take two blasters I have built as examples, and some of you may know one or both, and have played in a group with them - La Fleur and Yellowjakket. La Fleur got her powers from an accident with a particle accelerator as a graduate student in Toronto, Yellowjakket was born with hers and started using them after her parents were attacked an nearly killed.
With the backgrounds created, I found that La Fleur would only give a cursory glance to layout and begin sniping from long-range, usually so far away that she seldom drew an aggro that made it to her, and on teams she is always careful to choose her targets. She takes, it seems a rapid and cursory calculation of the situation, and then calmly starts picking things apart methodically.
Yellowjakket, is diametric to this, she will very carefully scout the situation, lay trip mines and pop inpiriations, then all holy hell breaks loose and she is in and amongst her oponents like a crapper, then drags them back into the mines. Then it's caltrops and hand-to-hand, and electrical blasts, and darn little thought as to any tactics, just hit 'em until hey go down or she does.
Yellowjakket carries a lot of anger in her and La Fleur is still in some ways a researcher, and I find that these backgrounds do seem to influence me when I am running them, up to the point that computer limitations allow.
Any of you have observatons pro- or con- ?
"Do you see the background you create for a character as actually influencing the way you play the game when you run the character?"
For me the answer is kind of a waffle - yes and no.
Here's why.
The 'NO' side first. With any online game there are limited choices as to reactions allowed in-game. No offense intended, that is just plain truth. You have limited targets, they have limited responses, and the consequences are limtied by the complexity of the program and the capability of the machine/computers running them. So I do see that my characters do have a limited range and thus the background, however detailed, runs up against these limitations.
Now to the 'YES' side. I find that even within these limitations there can be a humongously WIDE range of latitude if I am willing to be a little thoughtful. Like not fighting certain beasts/gangs as a way of stepping beyond basic game mechanics. Another is how I prepare for combat. Let me take two blasters I have built as examples, and some of you may know one or both, and have played in a group with them - La Fleur and Yellowjakket. La Fleur got her powers from an accident with a particle accelerator as a graduate student in Toronto, Yellowjakket was born with hers and started using them after her parents were attacked an nearly killed.
With the backgrounds created, I found that La Fleur would only give a cursory glance to layout and begin sniping from long-range, usually so far away that she seldom drew an aggro that made it to her, and on teams she is always careful to choose her targets. She takes, it seems a rapid and cursory calculation of the situation, and then calmly starts picking things apart methodically.
Yellowjakket, is diametric to this, she will very carefully scout the situation, lay trip mines and pop inpiriations, then all holy hell breaks loose and she is in and amongst her oponents like a crapper, then drags them back into the mines. Then it's caltrops and hand-to-hand, and electrical blasts, and darn little thought as to any tactics, just hit 'em until hey go down or she does.
Yellowjakket carries a lot of anger in her and La Fleur is still in some ways a researcher, and I find that these backgrounds do seem to influence me when I am running them, up to the point that computer limitations allow.
Any of you have observatons pro- or con- ?
posted by JD at
9:47:00 AM
1 Comments:
The background of my characters (which I'm translating in my head as "backstory") is very important - almost to the point that they won't grow past it. (One trick pony moment:) Mase's backstory is integral to who he is. He wouldn't be so angry if he hadn't been beaten up (I think). He didn't see the friends he has around him who will be and always are there for him. He's starting to see them because I'm trying to either change him or end him.
I don't believe a character can just pop out of the ether and say, "I'm here!" You can't make a believable character like that. There needs to be a reason for the name you've given him, a reason for the AT and origin you've chosen for her. Even a quickie description works for me.
If I didn't want a backstory, I'd go play on Freedom, right?
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