Roleplay

[Miravlix]

I VERY VERY rarely RP with my In-Game Character because of how limited their motions are and because doing so wastes my time when I should be grinding my tail off to get up to end levels. So instead I only Text RP.

Maybe you could use the afk tag you can buy in NT?

If I see someone running around with that, I think of them as not there.

[Eelime]

Well, today, I saw a domestic cat in the rp channel. One that could talk. I have a feeling that it was someone who is against all the "especially-odd" characters in the RP channel (as it was a level 0 ssaris), but it just goes to show how outlandish the RP channel gets, as there was actually a couple (or maybe one) who role played with it. Maybe we should have two official RP channels. One for strictly Istaria-only lore RP, and another that allows for the rules to be bent and twisted so that anything an RPer can dream of can be possible?

[LungTien Temeraire]

Well, today, I saw a domestic cat in the rp channel. One that could talk. I have a feeling that it was someone who is against all the "especially-odd" characters in the RP channel (as it was a level 0 ssaris), but it just goes to show how outlandish the RP channel gets, as there was actually a couple (or maybe one) who role played with it. Maybe we should have two official RP channels. One for strictly Istaria-only lore RP, and another that allows for the rules to be bent and twisted so that anything an RPer can dream of can be possible?

Though I haven't seen any cats in the game lore, I'd tend to not see any issue seeing one in roleplay... they might be close with saris, maybe. And I would have roleplayed if I had time and mood for that, at this time.

I don't know how the idea of a lore-only RP channel would turn, as the lore isn't really complete, and it might bring more conflicts about roleplay.

[Eelime]

Though I haven't seen any cats in the game lore, I'd tend to not see any issue seeing one in roleplay... they might be close with saris, maybe. And I would have roleplayed if I had time and mood for that, at this time.

I don't know how the idea of a lore-only RP channel would turn, as the lore isn't really complete, and it might bring more conflicts about roleplay.

Well, it was specifically a domestic cat :S that is, a house-pet cat. And it talked. I haven't seen anywhere in the lore about talking animals, or spells or runes or anything that would make it possible. Not even hinted towards it. But maybe there is and I have just missed it?


And yeah, it might cause more conflict. Or it might cause less. Maybe a player should make the lore-only RP channel and do it as a trial run. And if it's successful, the devs can adopt it as official? And choose a few people to have mod power in that room (besides the Istaria bot) so that lore-only RP could be enforced? Or maybe the player-mods is going to far.




On a side note, I enjoy reading the stuff that goes on in the RP channel, most of it anyway. That's why I keep it open even if I don't actually use it to often. Even if some of the stuff is something I don't agree with in terms of in-game RP and such, it doesn't mean that it isn't interesting or exciting to read.

[LungTien Temeraire]

Well, Istaria has magic and it oepns to many things becoming possible... a talking cat pet isn' the most out-of-lore thing I have seen since I am there.
About the lore-only channel, the matter would also be who would moderate it, knowing personal matters would be possible and affect it.

[Starstilanxs]

And as always you and the others shows why we have drama, your not willing to compromise and make room for everyone, but keep doing your stuff even while you get told again and again it annoys people.

You are the only one that I see here who is annoyed about this. We will keep role-playing on the server because its what we do, we will keep relaying simple rules in the nicest way possible, and we will keep helping those who are new to role-playing and the game. If you are upset about it, put us on ignore, its what the button is there for.

[LungTien Temeraire]

You are the only one that I see here who is annoyed about this. We will keep role-playing on the server because its what we do, we will keep relaying simple rules in the nicest way possible, and we will keep helping those who are new to role-playing and the game. If you are upset about it, put us on ignore, its what the button is there for.

Indeed, I have seen, myself, that, if roleplayers act nicely, the interactions with new players can stay quiet and friendly.

[Raptress]

And as always you and the others shows why we have drama, your not willing to compromise and make room for everyone, but keep doing your stuff even while you get told again and again it annoys people.

So what's your solution then? Don't point out guidelines at all and just stay quiet as you try to decipher what is or isn't OOC? Just say nothing and ignore RP that goes on around you that is trying to involve you, but you don't want to get involved because it's way out of lore? Should we say nothing when someone power plays and controls others' characters?

How in the world is trying to show new players the general rules that everyone follows for the most part "not compromising?" I've already said that I just point things out. That's it. Whether they listen or not is on them. I don't ever say anything like "Obey these rules or I'll chase you off the server."

If someone chooses to play a talking house cat, that's fine. If someone chooses to take the UI of the game IC, that's fine. Because that's what it is: a choice. You either choose to follow the general unwritten guidelines of the server, or you choose not to.

As for it annoying people.. that is not something that is totally on one side. It annoys people when someone comes into RP but refuses to use OOC brackets. It annoys people when someone starts power playing or god-moding. It annoys some people to be running into a lot of very out of lore characters. And that is why people point out the guidelines.

It sounds like it's less the ones trying to point out the guidelines who are unwilling to compromise.

I'm sorry if I'm taking a bit of a biting tone in this post, but pinning all the drama on people who are just trying to make RP more agreeable all around is.. irritating.

[LungTien Temeraire]

How in the world is trying to show new players the general rules that everyone follows for the most part "not compromising?" I've already said that I just point things out. That's it. Whether they listen or not is on them. I don't ever say anything like "Obey these rules or I'll chase you off the server."

I agree. I have, myself, almost always got a quiet and calm discussion with new roleplayers, by greeting them, before to tell them about OoC, IC, brackets,...

As for it annoying people.. that is not something that is totally on one side. It annoys people when someone comes into RP but refuses to use OOC brackets. It annoys people when someone starts power playing or god-moding. It annoys some people to be running into a lot of very out of lore characters. And that is why people point out the guidelines.

I have met one who wanted to play a kind of god, one day. By greeting him and talking gently with him, I have kept a peaceful discussion while telling him playing a godlike character would surely make other players unwilling to interact with him. Then, he choose to drop this idea, and we have still a nice relationship.

[LOVWYRM]

allow me a very blue-eyed question:

Why not have a channel ONLY FOR RP (so no brackets needed) and a second one for questions or other chatting.
Something like RPChannel I and RPchannel OOC.
RP I only roleplayers "are allowed "to join, but all who are there have to join
RP OOC too.
So you can rp with friends/noobs and explain /chat at the same time- but in 2 diffrent chat-channels.

[LungTien Temeraire]

There was an OoC channel for roleplayers, but almost noone was joining it.

[Eelime]

There was an OoC channel for roleplayers, but almost noone was joining it.

Was it being promoted enough? There is the option to manually invite people to the channel.

[LungTien Temeraire]

Was it being promoted enough? There is the option to manually invite people to the channel.

We have tried that.

[Raptress]

Having a separate channel for RP and OOC has been tried at least twice before, but it's never worked. Most likely this is because, if the channel is in any way public, there are people who don't know about the channel and no one is around to tell them, or there's people who don't want to have to join another channel for OOC.

The only way two separate channels would really work is if they were more private channels, and that then carries the distinct possibility that very few will join them at all. I can recall a few failed attempts at "public, but more strict" RP channels that didn't even have the added weight of requiring a separate OOC channel.

Having OOC and RP together largely isn't that much of a problem in the first place anyway. If the goal of the separate OOC channel is to eliminate the need to ask people to use brackets, it's not so much a solution as just switching things around. It's changing "use brackets" to "only post OOC here," except that brackets also apply everywhere else, and the OOC channel applies only to the one player-made chat. And no way would all the RP get consolidated into one channel on an RP server.

[Frith-Rae]

Well RP and associated OOC channels CAN work well, but it requires all those in the RP channel committed to making sure EVERYONE knows ALWAYS about the OOC channel and what is and is not "accepted."

When our guild had a very busy RP channel, we had an OOC channel as well. Everyone in the RP channel was always told where to take OOC and we kept it pretty straight forward and direct that way. If someone went at length in RP with (()) we gently reminded them. (Not like a "gotta go AFK" notification but a conversation)

Everyone who was in the RP channelw as alwasy in the ooc channel (or they clearly missed out on half conversations and discussions lol), and we had others hangout in OOC just to hangout - who had nothign to dow ith RP. Great fun.

The same was done for the old RP channel "Ye Olde Pub" - one was RP and then we had Ye Olde Pub OOC that went with it. This was "enforced" by constant reminders/encouragements in the Rp channel for people there to join the OOC channel.

It realy just takes repetitive commitment. For those who are active int he channel to not be afraid or offended by having to repeat ((Hey we got an OOC channel - RP OOC - if you want to have more conversation!!)) 50 times a night if necessary. Once the channel has its "regulars" the reminding happens less and less - and it really isn't much of an issue.

*shrugs*

It is something that can work - but would require ALL the regulars of such channels to commit to wanting to maintain the standard. If just one or two pepole are doing it part-time and everyone else is ((talking)) in the RP "only" channel - then it won't work.

But no - not ALL Rp will ever be in ONE channel. If we're speaking here of only the "public" RP channel then its certainly CAN happen that you can create a "RP-OOC" and populate it - it would just take several weeks of consistency and polite dedication to the cause.

I mean its how ALL the channels were ever created - before we had "bots". "Dragon" existed because a player created it and established it as a dragon discussion/help channel. Marketplace existed because aplayer created it and established it as a trade channel. New Player Help - same way.

It IS possible. I just takes commitment, dedication, and friendliness in getting your want/point across.

As for lore breaking RP vs. lore-strict RP - eh further dividing into rooms to me only just further divides the numbers. So instead of 10 RPers you have 3 and 7 or something like that. Further isolating, further dividing, further putting dividers into our lives.

TO me, I let the player know what my dragon will and will not acknolwege or discuss iwth them. MOST RPers (evern the most lore breaking ones) actually understand this and will work to RP with me outside of the fact that they have 35 legs, 5 heads, and are covered in plasma. Those that wont move on - I RP int he channel without conversing with them and they RP in the same channel wtihout directly addressing me.

It takes COMMUNICATION. Often I have seen lore-blasting creatures become a bit more "lore-tolerable" through such communication, in an attempt to compromise with the RP population and be INVOLVED in what's going on around them. If the community refuses to budge to include them, then the character will either have to change themselves accordingly or accept being left out and remain on the fringes *shrugs*.

Simple how it works, amazingly effective, but you gotta stick to your guns while continuing to COMMUNICATE respectfully. (OOC)

[Miravlix]

At level one you need to talk a lot about game mechanics, that just a fact of life, people need to learn the game, so I simply accept it, in order for me to roleplay with the noobs, I sacrifice that I have to talk about the UI and levels a bit here and there.

Every level they gain, they need to talk less and less about those things in order to play, so since I'm already making sure to mix it up with RP, they end up RPing, I don't have to tell them, it happens automagically.

By level 20 these players is over most of the need to talk about levels and UI and is purrfectly indoctrinated to RP and I haven't had to tell them once.

Brilliant conflict free RPing.

Same applies to other areas, so what if someone says "Hello :-)" or "Hello *smiles*", it doesn't matter I still translate the text to visuals in my mind anyway. The important part is unless they are actually talking about Super Bowl or WoW, there isn't really a good point to assume it's OOC, by making it easier for everyone to be IC, I'm encouraging them to be IC more.

All your ending up doing is making people use (()) more because they are too afraid to be IC.

[LOVWYRM]

do not get me wrong: I`m far away from knowing whats going on with Order`s rp- and I do not claim to know how to solve the prob.
I just want to tell you, how rp was on Unity shard- where we had so much fun:

There was a chat channel called "Cat`s caffee" (but all races were much welcome). It was an vituell inn, where those met, who wanted to do rp.
Anyone who was talking there was initiating or joining an ongoing rp. No brackets required. We did not need to talk occ-ly there, cause we were together in numerous other (non rp) chat channels.
There was rp everyday. For hours- or only a shorter time.
There were long stories and short ones. We only played our exsisting chars
there. According to game lore and our personal interpretation of it.
I still get a warm feeling in my heart, when I remember this.
Such a channel me and my friends would surely join on Order too, trying to do do something which is extremely difficult: RP in a foreign language.

[Raptress]

At level one you need to talk a lot about game mechanics, that just a fact of life, people need to learn the game, so I simply accept it, in order for me to roleplay with the noobs, I sacrifice that I have to talk about the UI and levels a bit here and there.

I talk about game mechanics with new players all the time too. If I'm online and I see a question asked, it's a pretty sure thing that I'm going to answer it, even if only to say that I don't know the answer just so the asker doesn't feel ignored if no one says anything.

But I don't do it IC.

How you choose to RP is totally up to you, but for many, RPing game mechanics in game mechanics language just isn't an option. Think about it: bringing game mechanics into IC is exactly like if someone in RL started talking about a mouse cursor in the sky and about how they were level fifty in reading forums.

Brackets aren't there to scare anyone; they're there to separate what isn't IC from what is IC. If something can reasonably be discussed IC, then by all means, encourage it, but something like "Okay, I've clicked on my craft window and I see a list of formulas. Which one should I click on?" is not in my opinion something that can really be said ICly and is not part of RP. If I see that, I am going to treat it as OOC, because that is the only option for me. I cannot take such things IC. It would make no sense for me to do so.

Just because one person sees something as RP, does not mean everyone else will. When I tell people to use brackets, I am going off of what the majority of people see as OOC-talk. The distinction is pretty easy to make. One just has to think "If I saw someone say/do this IRL, would I think they were crazy?"

Again, just to make this absolutely clear, this is only how I do things. Others are free to do whatever they want.

[LungTien Temeraire]

I agree with that... and that idea of a cursor in the sky reminds me of "Matrix runs on Windows XP"

[Romirez]

i think i should start teaching newbies... i have Tech support experience, so i know how to phrase things that won't get anybody mad.

i am gonna completely ignore Miravlix as i did in game for numerous reasons.

if you try to explain everything in a nice orderly manner, and they still bite your hand off, they don't need to be on the server at all then. Order is not for everybody. it's for those select few that like to roleplay when they play the game.

been on Order for 5 years, there will ALWAYS be troublemakers no matter what you do. so do what i do...roll with it. and if they try to troll you in game, troll them back.