Sorry to grave-dig this thread guys, but I believe it to be pertinent information.
I see the last post was about six-months ago, and unfortunately the RP environment hasn't gotten any better since.
Recently I posted an RP event "Blue Parkas and Smooth Talka's" that was not well received. I got many nasty PMs, disparaging me for attempting an open RP, and only two people ended up participating.
This is highly unfortunate, as I leveled several 'enemy' characters and wrote a rather intensive script.
The problem is, with the right players, RP on this server would not only be possible, I think it would be a blast with a small splash of PvP.
Edit: Its rather disheartening to see a total lack of support, and indeed respect, from the Devs/GMs concerning RP. We play your game too guys. I understand that this is, at its core a PvP server, but I'd be really nice to get at least some encouragement for trying to make the game more fun for everyone involved.
As for the OP questions:
Would you only use one character?
I've always been a prominent supporter of single character use. If gives you a better connection to the character's personality and it forces me to seek outside help with things my character isn't so good at, encouraging IC stimulus.
Would you use one "true" (RP) character backed up by many different crafter/miner/farmer alts?
Nope, my Rp chara is the same for everything...
Would you "divide" one character personality in different alts, so each alt incarnates one of your characters abilities? (as in, having one SG crippler alt, one SG crafter alt, and one slaver alt, so you can roleplay a "slaver gunsmith with an impressive marksmanship")
Again, nope, I play a single character.
Would you try to make a build that reflected your character's concept/personality, or would you make some especialized, minimaxed, efficient build no matter what your character's personality is?
I defiantly min/maxxed Ben, but certainly not for combat. I also like to think his skills reflect his personality anyway.