- This is just the opinion of a player based on that player's observations - not absolute truth
- I am in no way saying that long lived characters are better than short lived ones or that short lived characters are bad
- This is laid out in the form of 'an argument against perming your PC on the quick'
THE MEAT:
Once your character has started to establish relationships with other characters (friendly and negative both) or has been invested in, please seriously reconsider your urge to hurriedly perm them and move on to the next.
Why?
In my opinion, doing this impacts the experience of other players, usually in a negative way, and it becomes less likely that other new characters (some belonging to new players) will get the warm welcome they deserve.
Longer lived characters tend to have more influence and resources. Long lived characters channel a lot of in game wealth. They have to decide who is worth investing in and part of that decision is return on investment.
I feel that it's already the case that many characters are unwilling to put much time or effort into the Immy that walked in the gates as, more often than not, they get burned when investing in Immies. Why make any real investment in new characters if the investment is for naught 70% of the time? But this sucks as the investment not made could have turned that dud checking the game out into a regular player.
And investment means more than flash and gear. It also means time and RP. It can suck when you spend hours and hours befriending someone or turning someone against you just for them to up and perm themselves - seemingly out of nowhere and with breathtaking suddenness.
On a more direct and personal level, there can be many benefits to playing a longer lived character. You become competent in your specialties. Other characters are more willing to invest in you since you have a track record for being around. This means you can gain levels of influence and resources you would never gain otherwise. And by gaining resources and influence you can direct their use and thus do bigger, flashier things. You get to experience more of the game in a 'depth' sense (and likely just as much in a 'breadth' sense).
I'm not saying that you should never perm yourself or another. Or that we need to let the enjoyment of others completely override our own enjoyment as players. But I would encourage players to do their best to be considerate of others. This can largely be achieved by considering your character's exit.
When you get the urge to end your character, take some time to consider how their exit will impact other PCs. Who has invested in you? Who do you owe? Who hates you and wants you dead? Chances are that, once you think about things like this, you will realize that just taking two quick trips to the suicide booth is likely to leave a sour taste in a few mouths. Very, very rarely can a character honestly say, "Nope. Nobody will actually care at all should I suddenly cease to exist."
Instead of heading to the skywalk or booth, start ramping things up. Stop saving and start spending big. Stop playing the long game and start making bolder moves. Simultaneously drain yourself of resources while burning bridges and making enemies. Eventually you will have people killing you and not enough flash for new clones. Then you perm out in a way that gives other characters and players a sense of satisfaction and closure and you get your new character.
