Personally, I make my alts right away at the start of the game. I usually will play them when I can't find a group on my main character in the zone they are in (I like to pick a zone and stay there for a bit). But I love alts, and sometimes not finding a group on my main leads to finding a great group experience on an alt :) !
Difficult question, because I suppose that would depend on certain game mechanics and design choices.
Assuming I do not add another account:
Because it is helpfull to begin the formation of a group (say 4 characters). Then you have a way to make a group work when no other players are available (yet).
Also, a "pocket" rezzer could be helpfull with a wiped group.
To get to places, a porting\binding type when your main, a base class has not that ability.
Strating them right away at the same time, would have you be leveling your characters at aproximatly the same time.
Without another account:
As is discussed in the crafting fora, the choices by the devs could require a player to make an alt to develop additional crafting skills.
Also here, a "pocket" rezzer or buff bot is handy in group situations if your main is not, or other players in the group do not have those abilities.
You could also swap to an alt if a group has too many of a base kind or lacks another.
Here too a porting\bind type could help out a group get somewhere.
Starting a personal missing utility you could help others with, then as soon as possible, or when you learned the game enough to have a faster start on your altas you would know what to do.
Utility, crafting and group formation would be drivers.
Starting early would not require you to rediscover things you forgot.
(depending on any world evolving dynamics, then making an alt could be fun at any time)
If, for example, progeny would be a system where the "parent" would not be forced out of the game, then you could make a "child" at any time.
I'll probably create at least one alt within the first week of release. If for no other reason than to try out multiple classes, and see which one's gameplay is really striking a cord with me. Then I'll play that one most. Beyond that though, I like to concentrate on a single main character. But there are plenty of times that I just want to log on and avoid a guild, friends, etc. So I'll "hide" on an alt. I also play alts to play solely with my wife when she plays, picking a class that compliments whatever she's playing.... and she likes alts too. I'll often have a crafter alt as well.
Alts have always been a way for me to decide upon which class and/or class archetype I like best. I will typically make a few at the beginning to find out which class synergizes with my playstyle the most. Also, I like to know all the basic playstyles of any given class archetype. For example, I typically play a healer in most games. At some point, I will have all of the healing type classes at max level. Aside from that, I tend to only min/max one toon.
I make an alt when it benefits my main or can assist other guild mains in EQ... in other games I created Alts b/c I "finished" a character or raid lockout timers and smaller groups allowed everyone to create an alt to play a different role in the same raid.
Also, Alts for tradeskills if the game prevents any one character from maxing them all out...
I rarely create a second character until the first one is at least level 1.
Unlike many of us I don't really think of them as "main" or "alt" I like to have a variety of characters to play around with - either to cover different classes or different crafts or both.
I have been known to slowly level them all in tandem not race one ahead of the others. Although getting one to level cap is more logical so that one can support the family of toonlets.
I typically try to get a main up to max before working on an alt, but not always. I create alts when I start feeling burnt out on repetition of the same set of skills and/or the particular role of my main. Some games pull combat off well enough where that burn doesn't set in as early. There also times when an alt quickly becomes the main because my initial class choice didn't pan out to my expectations, though that also depends on needs of the guild.
I tend to make alts pretty early on, but I may not spend much time on them if I am busy on the "main". Often, my alts get made because I come up with an RP concept I really want to capture, or because there's a tradeskill or starting area that I want to try out - or sometimes, just because I think of a great character name and want to "reserve" that.
I love alts and I love twinking.
I usually create an alt when I get to the point with my main that progressing is becomming more difficult or if I just want to try a different way of playing to change things up. Sometimes alts become new mains.
Kilsin said:At what point in your characters MMORPG life do you consider creating an alternate character (Alt), if at all? #PRF #communitymatters #altitis #alt-o-holic #MMORPG
Post-EverQuest, which is a lot of MMOs...I mean, like, a lot. I always focused on my main character first. I did that to keep pace with my guild so that we could all run events together be it groups, raids, dungeons, exct. After that I start dabbling in multiple alts. It's not uncommon for me to fiddle with them a bit if I get too far ahead in leveling as well. I love my alts for multiple reasons. Each one is it's own entity. So for the love of god burn any notions you have about a unified account name now. Thanks. :)
