Also, I am not a psychologist.
For about a year, I've been planning for Hytale with a team in mind.
I suppose that's how males naturally derive their fun: from cooperating on a shared goal. That's why sports, both the physical kind and the video game kind, are so popular among men.
Now, I admit that forming a team is largely motivated by the It's All About Me trope (I think I'm on a 1 on the sliding scale), even though I try to justify it by saying I want to cover up others' combat/roleplaying weaknesses and help them have fun while covering up my own weaknesses. I could argue it's due to my Friendless Background in childhood, while others may say I'm an Attention Whore.
Thing is, various...life events have led me to consider that my original team plan of me (leader), BoltOLightnin (brainy mage), YoSquid (improbably accurate archer), and HeadsHoKer (knight in shining armor) may not work considering that the other three members have other life priorities and their life struggles may interfere spontaneously with our playthroughs.
Right now, I'm building up courage to introduce myself to a dedicated Hytale Discord community and I hope to make at least one good friend. I see good potential within these communities, at least in the Hytale-dedicated text channels (general text channels aren't my thing ‘cause they’re usually about Internet trends)--the members have reasonably well-thought-out theories and insights.
I know I talk about my interest vastly differently (i.e. in an academic-seeming tone) compared to others' casual way of talking, but if I don't collect enough courage and preparation, LEEROY JENKINS!
But enough digressing. Let's get started because I suck at introductions.
Solo Adventurer
Certainly possible, but not ideal. While being interviewed by Codiak of Legion Gaming (formerly The Game Gurus), Noxy stated that bosses should be possible to defeat as a single player.
I'm still thinking of building an empire, though I'm exploring the option of making a temporary hideout and avoiding interactions with factions (friendly or otherwise) until I can handle hundreds of Elite Mooks by myself.
Stealth tactics work differently as a solo rogue. While there's zero risk of a Leeroy Jenkins messing up my plans, there's no one to provide a distraction for me to slip past guards or Draw Aggro when I get detected.
Practice is extra important, especially with other fighting styles like archery and magic. With no teammates to compensate for my weaknesses (I don't trust Red Shirts yet I don't want any of them to die), I have to compensate on my own.
I need to prioritize Mage Killer training since I struggle the most with mages.
Alternate LT Cleric Build
I don't play myself as a mage because I'm not religious and I see myself as more stupid compared to the average college student.
Especially not a cleric because I'm Hot-Blooded and, more often than not, a Jerkass.
But, regardless of whether I'm good or evil, Hot-Blooded or stoic, I always have Enlightened Self-Interest: a desire to be good to others for personal gain. That's why, when I roleplayed as myself in my later teens, I picked healing classes.
If my partner is not a healer and has no use for someone who's good at fighting and stealing, I'll play a cleric.
Here are my Fire Emblem growth rates as a cleric:
It's a bit of a downplayed Lightning Bruiser build considering my Str, Spd, and Def are reduced, though still workable. In-universe, I still have some of the benefits of my monastic and roguish training, though focusing on the healing arts has prevented me from exercising as much as I used to.
I don't like having others babysit me because, as a Battle Butler in real life, I know how hard it is to regularly do household chores. (And it's natural for me to want to be superior to others.) That's why I chose not to be a Squishy Wizard. Being a Lightning Bruiser is also good for trolling enemies who like to Shoot the Medic First by surprising them with my Muay Thai skills.
I don't like having others babysit me because, as a Battle Butler in real life, I know how hard it is to regularly do household chores. (And it's natural for me to want to be superior to others.) That's why I chose not to be a Squishy Wizard. Being a Lightning Bruiser is also good for trolling enemies who like to Shoot the Medic First by surprising them with my Muay Thai skills.
Duos by Character "Classes"
I'm aware that there are no actual character classes in Hytale; instead, according to Noxy in the same interview, magic users should wear magic-oriented gear, for example. The way I interpret it is that some armor types are more suited towards certain weapons or play styles than others--maybe mage robes increase mana regeneration, magic resistance, or similar magic-related stats.
Instead, these "classes" refer to players' preferred play styles. I, for example, like to play as a Lightning Bruiser rogue/monk/barbarian specializing in light armor, fists, and spears.
I'm roughly basing these classes on Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition with some modifications.
- I'm splitting the Fighter into two classes: Close-Range Combatant and Long-Range Fighter. While both are good with all armor types, the Close-Range Combatant uses non-fist melee weapons while the Long-Range Fighter uses ranged weapons. Both do not use magic.
- The Rogue specializes in picking locks, dodging attacks, sneaking around, and deceiving NPCs. They are Fragile Speedsters that wield daggers. They do not use magic.
- The Cleric heals allies with light magic. To a small extent, it can use light magic for offense.
- The Wizard uses a variety of offensive and utility magics.
Just like with Minecraft, I think a player's stats will be determined purely by their equipment. Players with the same equipment will have the same stats. (It's unknown if the player can learn more powerful moves throughout the story or exploration.)
Also, I'll only focus on duo teams for this post. Teams of three or more would make this post too long and complicated, and generally, the more members there are on a team, the harder it is to manage them. (Ideally, though, I want to form a team of 8.)
Duo with Fragile Speedster Close-Range Combatant
Not my most ideal teammate since I'm already speedy and the Fragile Speedster can have their weakness exploited and strength negated by trapping them with a net or an ice spell.
In Minecraft Annihilation which features the Scout as a Fragile Speedster class, Scouts sometimes rush the enemy bases at the start of the game and use Hit-and-Run Tactics to chip away at poorly-equipped enemies.
Since I prepare for the worst, I assume that teammates who I know little about are "victims" of the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory (G.I.F.T.), i.e. they're Jerkasses on the Internet. This is worsened by the competitive nature of games like Minecraft multiplayer.
What does G.I.F.T. have to do with Scouts? Well, Scout is a favorite class of these Jerkasses, so, assuming I'm not Wrong Genre Savvy, I think Fragile Speedster Close-Range Combatants will like it when I send them on hit-and-run missions.
Duo with Glass Cannon Close-Range Combatant
Like with the Fragile Speedster, I can support a Glass Cannon by Drawing Aggro: a tactic which is extra important because not all Glass Cannons can dodge like a Fragile Speedster.
A wild guess: I imagine Glass Cannon players to be Blood Knights who hate having their kills stolen. The April 30, 2020 progress update confirmed the existence of HP bars above mobs that have taken damage, so, maybe if I drop an enemy to half HP, I leave it and let the Glass Cannon deal the final blow. Alternatively, I can use a stunning strike or similar incapacitating move.
When fighting groups of Cannon Fodder Mooks combined with Elite Stone Wall/Lightning Bruiser mooks, the Glass Cannon and I can gang up on the big mook to quickly destroy it with our insanely high damage. No point in killing the smaller mooks first if they only deal Scratch Damage.
Unlike a Fragile Speedster, a Glass Cannon can easily break out of a net or ice spell with sheer physical strength, so it's difficult to keep them restrained.
Duo with Mighty Glacier Close-Range Combatant
For strength-based tasks like breaking down a door, I can use a Mighty Glacier teammate in similar ways as a Glass Cannon.
While a Mighty Glacier can handle themself reasonably well against a group of melee attackers (assuming the Mighty Glacier has average defensive stats), they will struggle to get close to ranged attackers, which is where I come in with my overwhelming speed.
If throwing allies is a thing, I'd do that instead of rushing ranged attackers myself, assuming there are no more melee attackers.
Duo with Stone Wall Close-Range Combatant
The most ideal variant of Close-Range Combatant for me since, unlike speedy characters which can still get hit, damage reduction is more difficult to negate without special moves, weapons, or magic. As often as I use the Draw Aggro tactic, I don't enjoy it when I do it so much that it feels more like a chore than an act of friendship, so a Stone Wall will lessen that load on me while I focus on smashing the mooks like I'm playing Whac-A-Mole.
I think the Stone Wall is a very rare character build in action RPGs largely because it's Boring but Practical. Why tank everything when you can just kill everything in a flash? As such, I'd be flattered if I ever get a teammate that plays like this.
If, for some weird reason, the Stone Wall hates kill-stealing, I'd try to drop the enemy to 1/4 HP using weak attacks then order the Stone Wall to use a charge attack to end the fight in a single hit.
If giving the Stone Wall a BFS or similar powerful weapon negates their Stone Wall stats (turning them more into a Glass Cannon, for example), I'd probably give them a poisoned dagger so the Stone Wall can use it to either do Damage Over Time or to finish off a weakened enemy with an attack similar to an assassination.
Duo with Long-Range Fighter
Ideally, the Long-Range Fighter should either be a Fragile Speedster or a cavalry/flying unit so they can keep their distance from melee attackers.
On the off chance that I recruit a Long-Range Fighter who's Slower Than a Snail and lacks the power of a Glass Cannon/Mighty Glacier and the durability of a Stone Wall...well, I'm in trouble.
Similar to throwing a Mighty Glacier to compensate for their lack of speed, I want to shove the Long-Range Fighter out of the way of melee attackers without harming the Long-Range Fighter. If the melee attackers are already close to the Long-Range Fighter to begin with, I can do a Spin Attack to Draw Aggro.
However, I will not recruit players who insist on being Long-Range Fighters when they've clearly graduated from the Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy...unless they're willing to go through Training From Hell.
Duo with Rogue
Feels kinda redundant since having a rogue teammate doesn’t compensate for my own weaknesses, even though my Lightning Bruiser stats compensate for the rogue’s weaknesses to a small extent.
Ideally, I want a Mage Killer rogue whose speed is greater than mine. It's difficult for me to exploit mages' general squishiness due to my humanly high (i.e. not superhero-level) speed and the fact that some magic attacks like in the Hytale announcement trailer are area-of-effect attacks which are typically more difficult to dodge than precise projectiles like arrows. A Mage Killer with Super Speed can hit mages without getting hit and without giving the mages a chance to react.
Unlike many other classes which typically take the front lines (including Squishy Wizards), rogues enjoy stealth, so they won't get bored when I tell them I'm going to sneak around. We could even assassinate two enemies at the same time in situations where killing only one would alert the entire base.
For roguish tasks that take a long time like a difficult-to-pick lock, I can leave it up to the rogue while I defend them from incoming hostile mobs with my Lightning Bruiser stats.
Duo with Cleric
Interestingly, I don't have much use for a cleric considering I'm a Lightning Bruiser. There's no point in healing me when I dodge almost everything and shrug off the attacks that do hit and eventually get negated by eating freshly-farmed meals.
I prefer getting buffs for me and my allies and inflicting debuffs on the enemy.
In many video games, the cleric is often a White Magician Girl: kind, girly, and, y'know, a healer. While I think this kind of cleric is extremely rare among players because it's a Boring but Practical character that I think makes manly men look gay, I'd be extremely thankful for having her in my team. I think she'd be the calming and sensible team member who would ensure I don't become Ax-Crazy or Drunk with Power.
(Note that the player doesn't have to be a kindhearted girl in real life. If, for example, a Manly Man who's in the middle of the "sliding scale of Jerkass vs. Nice Guy" can play a White Magician Girl effectively, I'm good.)
However, I asked a D&D community what kinds of personalities D&D cleric players often have, and their answers range from "quirky" to "depends on their deity" to "murder hobo".
I'll disregard "quirky" since it's unlikely I'd recruit people I have a hard time relating with anyway.
Assuming "depends on their deity" means the cleric will follow their deity to the letter, I'll put clerics of evil deities like Varyn on a reserve team for an evil playthrough since I plan to do a good playthrough first. Fortunately, Gaia fan art is common and some of it has been featured on the official Hytale fan art showcases, so I think it's easy to find a cleric of Gaia.
For murder hobos...see "Duo with The Least Ideal Player Archetypes".
Duo with Offensive Wizard
I'm splitting the Wizard into two categories: offense and defense/support. The offensive wizard uses spells that inflict a lot of damage, including your good 'ol fireball and lightning bolt.
In terms of D&D schools of magic, this wizard focuses heavily on evocation (damage-dealing magic) with some conjuration (summoning/teleportation) and transmutation (transforming stuff, I guess?)
Though only a minor weakness since I believe in "just punching it harder", I'm a Magically Inept Fighter. If I try to use a wand, tome, or staff, it will usually produce a very weak magic attack. I imagine enemies that have high physical defense but low magic resistance, so a wizard can complement my physical-attacking style.
Wizards have access to many more damage types than physical attackers (not counting magic weapons), so wizards can easily exploit type weaknesses.
Speaking of weaknesses, wizards are extremely effective against bases made of flammable materials like wood. Starting a battle with most (if not all) of the enemies injured makes it so much easier to kill them, which is crucial if they detect us (I assume they'll be too distracted by the fire to look for intruders unless they Attack! Attack! Attack!).
Kill-stealing is not much of a big deal since the wizard can easily clear out hordes of enemies with a single spell, so it's unlikely I'll deal the killing blow first even with a Superman Punch. I'll still save the big enemies for the wizard to kill.
Duo with Defense/Support Wizard
The kind of wizard I prefer; this one provides buffs to allies, inflicts debuffs on enemies, and does useful stuff outside of combat.
In terms of D&D schools of magic, this wizard puts less focus on evocation and more on abjuration (defensive magic), divination (spying and fortune-telling magic), enchantment (mind manipulation), and illusion. Any evocation spells this wizard may know were learned for utility purposes, such as ray of frost slowing down foes that get too close.
Abjuration wizards don't have many defensive options that affect allies at first, especially since my preference for light armor prevents me from benefiting from mage armor (which only protects unarmored creatures). However, protection from evil and good is useful when we fight void creatures, and I suspect they're common across all alterverses and Orbis zones.
What abjuration wizards do have is being good at defending themselves using spells like shield. As such, they require less babysitting compared to other Squishy Wizards, so I can focus on cracking skulls.
Divination is the best friend of any Crazy-Prepared person. Who needs mundane scouting when you can learn everything about the enemy quickly, from mundane thoughts to their signature moves to their base's layout?
Enchantment and illusion, I suspect, will be a favorite combo of the defensive wizard. There's just something amusing about school bullies manipulating their victims into doing what the bullies want, and that's the kind of amusement I expect an enchantment/illusion wizard will have.
Lure a group of Trorks to an illusory meat stack, then assassinate them? No problem. Manipulate an enemy into thinking we're friendly? Don't mind if I do.
I should, however, avoid being too bossy to the defensive wizard just because their spells have so many uses. Mana is precious and I know following orders can be boring. It's better to take advantage of those spells when the wizard voluntarily casts them.
Duos by Personality
Duo with The Least Ideal Player Archetypes
These include but are not limited to the following tropes: Ax-Crazy, Chaotic Evil, Complete Monster, Dirty Coward, For the Evulz, Griefer, Hair-Trigger Temper, It Amused Me, Jerkass (without the Heart of Gold), Kick the Dog, Knight Templar, Lawful Evil, Lending a Backhand, Lethally Stupid, The Load, Munchkin, Narcissist, Ninja Looter, Poor Communication Kills, Psychopathic Manchild, The Sociopath, Too Dumb to Live, and Troll. (Evil alignments are acceptable when roleplaying an evil character in an evil playthrough or playing a competitive survival match, but not when it involves being a jerk in real life.)
Fortunately, some of these can be fairly easy to identify within 15 minutes of multiplayer gameplay or casual conversation, especially if the player is either younger than 13 years or a Manchild. If I discover one of those traits and the player is not willing to go through Training From Hell, the player is automatically disqualified.
If somehow I end up with such a player because there's no other option (everyone else is either busy with real life, already part of an organized team, or someone who likes playing alone), then I'll be a solo adventurer instead. I'm better off doing things on my own terms where a jerk or numbskull won't interfere with my plans.
Fortunately, some of these can be fairly easy to identify within 15 minutes of multiplayer gameplay or casual conversation, especially if the player is either younger than 13 years or a Manchild. If I discover one of those traits and the player is not willing to go through Training From Hell, the player is automatically disqualified.
If somehow I end up with such a player because there's no other option (everyone else is either busy with real life, already part of an organized team, or someone who likes playing alone), then I'll be a solo adventurer instead. I'm better off doing things on my own terms where a jerk or numbskull won't interfere with my plans.
Duo with Leeroy Jenkins
May overlap with Ax-Crazy and/or Blood Knight.
At least the Leeroy Jenkins is a workable idiot. A simple way is to allow the Leeroy to distract the enemy then take them out from behind or steal their treasure.
The problem lies with keeping the Leeroy in line either outside of battle or when we're in a losing situation such as being low on HP.
Starting with being outside of battle, if the little bugger won’t budge and I have no time to babysit, I might use the Leeroy as an accidental scout.
If the Leeroy is in danger of losing a battle, I would act as if I’m low on HP and use every last special attack and healing item I have. Once the battle is over, I’ll chokehold the Leeroy and drag them out of battle.
Or I can simply threaten them with “you’re fired!” I don’t know.
Duo with Challenge Gamer
This is another kind of player that treats video games as Serious Business, which, while valuable since they often have the skills and/or confidence to take their desired challenges, I can’t keep up since I rarely use Self-Imposed Challenges in my own playthroughs. (I haven’t even done a serious Nuzlocke Challenge in the Pokémon games.)
Fortunately, speedruns are accelerating in popularity, so, perhaps after a few months of Hytale’s full release, there could either be a world-record speedrun video or a speedrun guide.
For now, though, I can practice with the speedrunning tips in Minecraft’s green tome “The Survivors’ Book of Secrets” which involves starting out in a village near an exposed cave and a stronghold, allowing the player to quickly collect the necessary supplies to reach the End and weapons (including beds) to deal heavy damage to the Ender Dragon.
Ideally, I’d run a Session Zero (think of it as a mission briefing or an orientation seminar) with the Challenge Gamer where they explain to me what kind of challenge(s) they want to take and how I can contribute.
If a Session Zero is not an option, I’ll just do exactly what the challenge player does or tells me to do since they most likely know better than I do.
For now, though, I can practice with the speedrunning tips in Minecraft’s green tome “The Survivors’ Book of Secrets” which involves starting out in a village near an exposed cave and a stronghold, allowing the player to quickly collect the necessary supplies to reach the End and weapons (including beds) to deal heavy damage to the Ender Dragon.
Ideally, I’d run a Session Zero (think of it as a mission briefing or an orientation seminar) with the Challenge Gamer where they explain to me what kind of challenge(s) they want to take and how I can contribute.
If a Session Zero is not an option, I’ll just do exactly what the challenge player does or tells me to do since they most likely know better than I do.
I will not, however, do a Pacifist Run with any player (Challenge Gamer or not) if I haven't done a single serious co-op playthrough yet. I want to start with the RPG tradition of "kill things to beat the game".
And, no, I'm not using weird game control restrictions like using my feet instead of my hands.
Duo with Leader Wannabe
As Mark Manson pointed out in his ebook "Relationships", status is one of the three fundamental emotional needs in relationships, and it's prioritized by many people in their early 20s.
Among competitive gamers, this manifests in a desire to be powerful, whether it's by having the strongest character build, the most kills, or the most tournament victories.
Being a leader means fulfilling the need for status, which is why I foresee some gamers, including my potential recruits, to be Leader Wannabes. I don't know how to explain it, but it simply feels good to be both emotionally and functionally superior to others. Subordinates act according to the leader's liking...at least that's what the Leader Wannabe expects.
Unfortunately, while I have high standards for friends, I have even higher standards for those who want to lead me in something I know for sure I'm good at. As such, I'm very unlikely to recruit a Leader Wannabe, let alone allow them to take over as leader without passing a brutal "exam" from me.
(In school work, though, don't make me the leader. I HATE school work so much.)
On the bright side, even though I often assume the leader role in Hytale, I'm willing to transfer the position to someone else who's both willing and more skilled than me (and preferably not a Drill Sergeant Nasty).
Perhaps I can give a Leader Wannabe a chance to prove themself by letting them do something they're good at, then slowly progress to less "comfortable" tasks like non-mining manual labor and diplomacy. Hopefully the Leader Wannabe is not a ditz or a slacker.
Life Updates
I'm back to school and I'm on my second week as of this post's publishing, so I'll be extra busy.
I'm pessimistic about the future of this Wuhan coronavirus pandemic considering that the Philippines hit its record-highest number of new daily cases at more than 1000 on May 29, 2020, 13 days after the declaration of a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), a lighter version of the ECQ:
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| screw this i give up (intentional bad grammar) Data from Johns Hopkins University taken on May 31, 2020 |
I rarely say swear words outside of quoting others, but...
Fuck you, Chinese Communist Party. Again, this could've all been prevented in the first place.
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