When Star Wars Galaxies originally launched back in 2003, it had a rule that was fairly peculiar for its day: Players were limited to just one character per server. The idea was that players could change their skills around as they played and so wouldn’t need more than one – plus, it would foster the economic interdependence that the sandbox was built on.
I don’t know whether to call it a failure or not. Most people I knew did stick to just one character, and there was a solid amount of trading and reliance on people with different skillsets. But I knew others – including me – who just paid for extra accounts so they could spin up alts, which certainly chipped away at the ideal. And it’s not the only MMO that has changed its mind on how to handle this problem.
The devs behind SWG sequel Stars Reach have apparently not settled on whether or not to limit characters in this way. Based on Raph Koster’s comments, I suspect they’ll allow alts to some degree or another and find other ways to ensure people like yours truly can’t run four accounts and dominate multiple industries. (Good!)
Would you play an MMORPG that limited you to just one character?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
