Insert probe related pun here

Echoes of Nonsense wants to probe my innards. I should feel violated, but instead it feels kinda funky... What that actually means is I've been asked for my answers to the 10 probing questions that are floating round the WAR blogosphere.

1. What is your current main character’s name (or names, if you play multiple games)? Explain how you chose the name.
Bootae - I'm predictable like that, every MMO it's always Bootae. Only exception was Age of Conan where I was Draich, but that whole experience was a bit trippy.


2. What was the name of your very first character in an MMO? Explain how you chose that name.
Ultima Online was my first MMO and I started off withmy first Bootae there. As to why I chose Bootae, well back in the days of Xwing vs Tie-fighter and so on, I was known by the name of Lord Booty. No idea where that came from, random name spawned by booze and stuff. Anyways, in one of my old Xwing clans everytime I logged on one of the guys would shout BOOOOOOTAE! So when I needed a name for my first UO character, I just went with that.

3. Have you kept a specific name through various games, or do you tend to change your naming habits based on the individual game?
See question 1-2.

4. Do you ever reserve names, planning to use them for characters that you might play later? If so, what are they and why do you hold on to them?
These days I always reserve Bootae and Draich.

5. Of the three common archetypes in MMOs — tank, healer, DPS — which is your current main character?
Tank, being a Chosen. I tend to play either Tank or DPS classes, but I invariably make alts of most other types though.

6. What archetype was your very first character in an MMO? Why did you choose it?
My first MMO character was created before archetypes existing in MMOs. Ultima Online doesn't have classes as such, you have a set number of skill points that you could share amongst load of different skills. For UO vets, my main was a 7x GM swordsman, I also had a 6x GM mage/tamer and a couple of other 5xGM alts for all sorts of different stuff.

7. Are you usually attracted to one archetype over another, or do you play them equally? Why?
I nearly always play either Warriors and Archers, so heavy armoured melee (be that tanks or MDPS) and ranged DPS. I think overall I lean more towards the tanks, can't beat plate armour and hitty sticks.

8. What is your favorite feature from an MMO you no longer play?
Ultima Online's criminal system. Nothing has ever compared with the adrenalin rush of being jumped by a PK or the comedy of chasing a thief through the city streets.

9. Is there an MMO that you would play if it was free? Which and why?
World of Warcraft, to say hello to some friends from there. I wouldn't actually play the game again as its dull as fook now (I tried out WotLK, major zzzz), but I'd use it as a chat room now and again.

10. How do you measure the success of a character in an MMO (total kills, titles accumulated, wealth, rare items collected, level reached, etc.)?
Ooh good question. Uhm, raid progress and either personal kill ratio or the success of the groups you're in. Elitist geeks may find this hard to believe, but how often you play doesn't matter , what matters is when you are online you should be awesome or at least not shit :D