Character Types:

Like most MUs there's several types of characters you can apply for. Here on M:NH there's a couple stipulations surrounding each one so we'll give a brief rundown here and then give more breakdown below.

OCs: Original Characters. These will likely be the most common characters here they've got the most overall flexibility but starting out with them can be a little bit tougher. As the name suggests these characters are strictly products of your imagination within the theme. (kind of a no brainer, I know).

FCs: Feature Characters. These will likely be the fewest on the MUSH. Feature Characters are the canon main characters that have appeared in the various Macross series up to this point. An important note: People looking to app an FC should speak to an admin first to make sure the character is can be applied for, lest you wind up wasting a whole lot of time and effort just to get a no.

OFCs: Original Feature Characters. These are characters that were developed to be instrumental to the MU's main theme. A listing of these will van be found here: http://www.macrossnewhorizon.org/mediawiki/index.php/OFC_Characters

OCs

Original Characters, are where you can really flex your creativity. They are built from the ground up by the player apping for them. For an OC the player effectively decides everything about the character, background, abilities, etc. (within the bounds of the theme and rules, of course). OCs can be apped in one of two flavors: Rookie OCs and Established OCs.

Rookie OCs require the most work but have the potential for some of the biggest payoffs. Rookie OCs start off with lower stats and skills overall, but in turn they are able to progressively upgrade over time. As a general rule staff will be more lenient when it comes to stats for a Rookie OC who has taken the time to grow their character versus an Established OC that was already boasting high stats from the start such as applying to upgrade past the normal soft cap of 8 on most stats and skills.

Established OCs are for those who are all about instant gratification. An Established OC is able to apply for stats above the normal application limit for RookieOCs. The trade-off here is that an Established OC is treated much like an OFC or FC: you cannot app to upgrade your stats down the road like a regular OC is capable of. This means that you should consider your character effectively at their apex when setting up their stats and skills.

Excluding the perks for some races (outlined on the application form), Rookie OCs are able to start with one stat at level 5 with the remainders at 4 and under. They can pick up to two skills to have at level 5 and may have five skills at level 4. Any other skills will be relegated to level 3 and lower at time of application. As stated, Rookies can improve their stats and skills over time via upgrades.

Established OCs cannot do periodic upgrades but in turn are able to have several stats and skills in the 7-8 range. The exact limits for an Established OC are taken on a case-by-case basis and elements such as application quality, and trustworthiness of the player in the instance of apping for an alt are some of the criteria that these will be judged by.

To be absolutely clear on this: YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO GET A STAT OR SKILL ABOVE RANK 8! The only thing you are being offered is the potential to do so. This is completely reliant on your performance as both a player and a character. As these skills/stats push you essentially to the level of the top tier FCs and OFCs we expect that same quality of play from you if we're to grant someone stats beyond rank 8.

FCs

Feature Characters are something of a no-brainer for those familiar with MU communities. These are the canon characters who have appeared in Macross up to the point in the timeline where this game takes place. Most of them are "'accounted for"- that is to say they have effectively finished up their stories and we know where they are, etc. Some, like Basara Nekki for instance, are still "out there". Appable FCs will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Story plausibility for their appearance and applicant-character familiarity are the primary, but not sole concerns and auditions for FCs are quite likely. Disregarding very outlandish requests staff will try to work, within reason, with what you give us.

FC's are a "fast track" character. In terms of stats they'll often be towards the upper end by default, however FCs cannot have their stats changed, period. What you app is what you get. This is purely in reference to stats. Equipment, etc. may change depending on the course of RP. Also the exchange for such a high profile character is a minimum amount of activity is expected. Someone with an FC should be participating in at least one public scene every two weeks or so (hopefully you'll RP more than that though!). By "public scene" we mean in a public location with at least another 2 or 3 players present. Odds are we're not going to be keelhauling someone for not following this quota to the letter, but it's a general stipulation.

It's a lot of hoops but with FCs being so high profile we want to ensure everyone, not just the people playing the FC will enjoy the character (really we want this in all cases but it goes doubly so for FCs)

Another note for FCs: staff have the final say in their ultimate fate. What we mean here is while you the player will largely have control over what the FC does, you do not get to decide if they are killed or the like. This is something you will have to hash out with staff as we may elect to simply re-open that character for application should you decide to drop the character.

OFCs

Original Feature Characters, are nearly identical to FCs. The crucial difference is OFCs are characters developed specific to the theme of this game and may have larger roles to play outside day to day RP (or they may not, oooooh!). Like FCs, OFCs are a fast track. Their key stats (those most pertinent to the character) are already set up by staff with the rest still setup by the applicant. OFCs offer a little more wiggle room in comparison to FCs in terms of character background and motivation.The aim here is to provide a major character in regards to the game but offering a little more creative freedom to the player.

Once again, however, an OFC is largely "what you app is what you get". Depending on the OFC they may also be eligible for a "plot based upgrade" (explained in News Upgrades). Like with FCs it is likely that someone seeking to app into an OFC position will be expected to do an audition for the character for the same reasons.

Yet again, an OFCs ultimate fate will be decided by staff. One major difference here though is should an OFC be taken long enough by another player we may simply elect to simply retire that OFC. This is mainly because FCs and OFCs can often pick up a large history that makes it difficult for later applicants. This will be determined on a case by case basis.