Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
- 6.2K All Categories
- 3.1K Everything Achaea
- 1.5K North of Thera
- 26 Archives of the Terraformer
- 257 The Matsuhama Arena
- 885 The Golden Dais of Creation
- 299 The Scarlattan Theatre
- 149 The Blank Canvas
- 2K Getting Help
- 412 General Questions
- 258 Quick Class Questions
- 1.3K Tech Support
- 313 Client Help
- 486 Curing Systems and Scripts
- 841 Off-Topic
- 255 The Wander Inn
- 586 The Universal Membrane
- 298 Class Discussions
- 298 Individual Class Sections
- 20 Alchemist
- 9 Apostate
- 30 Blademaster
- 9 Depthswalker
- 14 Druid
- 4 Infernal
- 20 Jester
- 19 Magi
- 34 Monk
- 11 Occultist
- 8 Paladin
- 7 Priest
- 29 Runewarden
- 18 Sentinel
- 26 Serpent
- 20 Shaman
- 9 Sylvan
Flagging as "Ready to Roleplay"
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Even right now, Tohran's sitting, by himself, in @Artemis temple, begging Her to come back. He hit a real low point in life. It's not that I'm not willing to RP with others, just that everyones busy running around for that facet right now.
I think it's an utterly ridiculous notion that would ruin immersion.
If you want to interact with people, then walking around in game and talking to people is always an option.
I prefer spontaneity over forced interaction.
It seems like a forced, manufactured alternative to organic roleplay in Achaea, as roleplay is a standard to be exerted at all times (typically) when you're playing. If you can't find roleplay, you probably aren't looking hard enough
Generally, if you talk to me at least, I'm going to respond - even if Nell absolutely despises the person in question.
I am terrified of making someone mad at me for interrupting them. I see a lot of people speedwalking past me. I can't even talk to them to find out if they are interested in anything. Are they busy already? Do they want to RP with a person from <class/level> ? Are they in a general location waiting for special people to show up? I'd love to RP everything I do, but it never works out. Too much is going on, and I am afraid I am not interesting enough to keep their attention. Let me have a tag that says, "Yes, please talk to me", and let me see if others are "Too Busy right Now"
@Santar and @Jovolo Yes, spontaneity is great, but it seldom happens, and I have no idea where to look in the first place.
It's probably harder for newbies and younger players, since you haven't had time to learn names, make connections, etc.
I don't really think there's a problem here for anyone experienced with the game, but for someone like you that doesn't have a firm grasp on socializing with others in Achaea, it's probably more challenging.
Whenever I've played characters involved in orgs, I've never had any trouble whatsoever finding people to interact with. It's a social overload, really. As a rogue it can be a bit quieter, but still, not that hard to find people to do [whatever you want to do] with.
I always figured that it'd be a magic carpet ride.
I never have the slightest difficulty finding people to roleplay with, I have no idea why this would be necessary. Maybe it's just the people I choose to interact with or the environment I place myself in? There's always a novice to inspire or take on an adventure, a protege to teach something new and torment, someone awesome to try to convert, allies to check up on, enemies to threaten... the possibilities are quite literally endless.
Not including yourself in a list like this would give the implication that you don't want to roleplay, which is tragic, considering the rich atmosphere of Achaea. Even that can be turned around to wanting to roleplay shyness, seclusion, fear, whatever. This might have the consequence of having less spontaneous roleplay, which is some of the most enjoyable stuff I've participated in. Randomly asking Halos to remove Daitya's tattoo turned into him trying to exorcise her and her curse manifesting and killing her. While that could have been potentially planned, I think it would have had a lot less impact if it was just Halos doing rp on, Daitya doing rp on, Tesha doing rp on, and then forcing the interaction based on who wants to participate.
Let us flag the *other* way - i.e. *not* ready to RP (at this particular moment). That way our burnt out city managers might not have to hide on alts, and the guy who's trying to work on his svo triggers might not get bothered, etc... or my new alt on another game won't get bombarded with questions and hit on when I'm just trying to explore a new world, dammit.
Starting out with something more subtle, like an RPWHO that can be further broken down into broad categories like Casual, Ongoing, Conflict, Family, City, House, etc., would be a good place to start. It wouldn't interfere with the overall assumption that logging in = in character (which is one of my favourite aspects of Achaea vs. other MUDs), but it would allow people an avenue for seeking out others.
It also encompasses most of the benefits of a Craig's List for RPers without actually having a Craig's List for RPers. That said, if a request board is truly needed, a specific sub-forum for RP Requests could be created under the Scarlattan Theatre.
"Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to? You will never find that [everlasting] life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping. As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man."
and it occurred to me that "anti-flags" wouldn't have to be horribly glaring. Something like "seems engrossed in the study of a sheaf of scrolls" etc... or just "seems pensive and preoccupied". Depending, it could even color direct communications with that person, so people would get immediate feedback if they "bother" you.
@Jhaeli: I'm not sure. This may easily lead to RP becoming much more "staged" and forced than if it just happens on its own and will increase the rift between RP and non-RP.
I don't decide "now I want to RP with others" or "now I want to be left alone". It happens gradually, depending on the circumstances.
Something akin to @Jules's idea would be somewhat preferable to me, as to me that conforms more to how I actually play this game: In almost all situations, I want to RP and interact with people, there are simply those times when I'm in a bad mood OOC or busy working on my system or something, in which I can't devote my full attention to IC interactions. But that's not really a "I don't want to RP" thing, but rather a "I wish to be left alone right now".
Problem is, a "I wish to be left alone" flag wouldn't work well as a WHO list, since it would require people to check that list before talking to anyone at all, which would be silly.
→My Mudlet Scripts
Anything that makes it easier for shy individuals to put themselves out there is a-okay with me. RPWHO would be great as getting responses hours later because someone was hunting kinda sucks.
I'd turn it off when I'm out fishing or seeking out RP on my own and don't really have time to do random stuff. I'd have it on when I'm in areas that would be easily accessible and not in the middle of IC paperwork or a meeting, etc.
This seems like it'd make many feel more comfortable. As I don't think not being on a RPWHO would prevent any rp that anyone was already getting. As long as it isn't immersion breaking I'm A-okay for anything and everything!
Meow, meow, etc.
Eiredhel's Family Tree
All in all, isn't this what SILENCEON/TELLSOFF is for? Perhaps if there were a universal rule that SILENCEON is okay in all cases, and orgs aren't permitted to whine about it, but is primarily used for people who want to just focus on something by themselves for a little while.
Addendum: I'm all for an RPWHO. Considering other MU*'s methods of having an entire area of rooms dedicated to OOC hangouts, if you're on the grid you're IC, and the bulletin-board methods of requesting RP, a simple RPWHO seems like a very simple solution compared to what I had in mind about an hour ago (combination of an actual OOC hangout area you find in dozens of MUX servers, instanced private OOC areas, AFK idling room, etc.).
Star Wars COULD be boring...but it isn't. Here's why I don't tell people that I'm talking with an NPC. Oh, and I never actually met Ethaya, but her comics are absolutely amazing!!
Speaking of rare minerals: Defuperine - That candy coating that you find on the skin of overzealous adventurers who put on so many layers of defenses upon awakening that you wonder how they're able to move afterward.
I worry about everything, that said, what would make it different than a 'I want to get laid' flag, because some people use 'rp' as a reason for that, at least that I've encountered.
I like the idea.
What if you're added to an 'RPer' list after so many emotes entered?
Administratively sanctioned mudsex rankings?
Saw right through it
This might be good. Knowing that a given person will respond if you write emotes and talk at them would be reassuring.
But RP flags, rpwho, 'rp on', rptells, and selecting from RP categories seem very on the nose. It needs a better name and better integration if it is to avoid negating the charm, spontaneity, and immersion of RP.
I am not outright opposed to a system, but I think it might be too hard to find a happy medium.
Not to belabor the point, but it's really important that any new system like this not establish a precedent that everyone else is unwilling to RP. Just because I don't log in looking to get textdrunk, be converted, reminisce about times gone by, or tell embarrassing stories about @Havynwhen she was just a wee little mage (and toggle myself accordingly) doesn't mean I'm unwilling or uninterested in doing so, y'know?
More importantly, I do wonder if there should be some limitations on scope for who/what you can find on RPWHO. For example, newbie in Targ does RPWHO and sees that @Tarausis looking to chat about the price of obsidian these days, can you believe it?, and trots on over there to check it out. Newbie is certainly thrown into the RP deep end pretty quickly (maybe a good thing?) but it might not be to their benefit...they might be confused at why they're getting in trouble with Targ or risking getting killed by Ashtan (or killed on sight). The only real reason they might have to cite for their behavior is "well, @Taraus was on RPWHO and I have some real feelings about obsidian" which doesn't seem terribly IC. And if that newbie suffers IC consequences they're unprepared for, it may actually be a turnoff for them (which is a bad thing).
In other words, RP is great but it can sometimes be higher stakes, and there's no real way for someone genuinely new to the game to be able to parse that out. One of the benefits of the lack of a hardcoded system right now is that newbies are eased into RP by the people around them/in their organizations more, which can keep them from getting in over their head off the bat. The reality is that in a world as big as Achaea there ISN'T a really plausible way that young folks would be able to stumble into RP with most other Achaeans, and I think that might be a good thing at least at the outset.
That said, I don't know what the best solution could be - only allow RPWHO to work in the geographical area you're already in (if a kid is hunting in the Great Rock, it's not impossible they could have otherwise stumbled upon and struck up RP with someone else nearby on RPWHO)? Or only have it scan members of the organizations you're already a part of? Something like this initially, and then at some point (age/experience/something) have it be broader?
The trouble with this - and anything of this nature really - is there's only so much handholding you can do with something like this to mitigate the possible headaches, and I'm not sure the benefits outweigh the potential risks on this one.
I've seen this in other games. The people who know how to RP have no trouble finding it and others can't find RP when it hits them in the head. As much as I would like a flag "Here be RolePlay!" to make RP easy to spot, it won't work because of vast differences in what is desired. A few things come to mind though.
First, what would help is a flag/emote to show a person is busy and doesn't want to be bothered. Saves time for everyone.
Second, if older, more experienced players would take time to meet and talk to new players, but individually, not just on a channel.
Third, follow up on the RP. I've had several cases of great RP, but the next day they have no idea who I am.
just my 2 cents worth
@Sarapis what's driving this? Is it the desire to get newbies more involved in RP? I thought Santar's post was pretty accurate:
---------------------------------------------
It's probably harder for newbies and younger players, since you haven't had time to learn names, make connections, etc.
I don't really think there's a problem here for anyone experienced with the game, but for someone like you that doesn't have a firm grasp on socializing with others in Achaea, it's probably more challenging.
----------------------------------------------
If this is the issue you're thinking about, there are definitely better ways to address this than this proposal.
This has likely already been covered, but just to toss in my own two cents:
I'd like it as, and I envision it as, being pretty much an exact duplicate of sparwho. I love sparwho. When I really, really want to find somebody, anybody, to go try to bleed out in the arena, I check it and add myself to the list. I still see plenty of people in the city and on clans ask for spars. I still ask others directly for spars. I still go lounge around various arenas in different cities and show some combat leg and hope to get lucky. SPARWHO just helps me find someone -right now- who has a reasonable chance of agreeing to spar.
That's all!
I appreciate the issue behind this idea, which is to make it easier for newer players to get immersed into the game by interaction with other willing players.
That being said, I don't think this is the way to do it. The main charm of Achaea in general is that it is (meant to be) a roleplay-intensive environment. Something @Carmain is fond of saying is that roleplay isn't an instance - it is all the time. When you are logged into your character, you should be roleplaying. Sure, that's not to say everyone does it all the time, but that is the standard you want to be enforcing.
I heavily dislike the implication that there will essentially be an admin-sanctioned RPON/RPOFF mode. It just further drives a wedge between the 'RP' and 'non-RP' people. As others have said, what is RP anyway? Is it just special events like rituals or tea parties where people suddenly decide to start using special emotes? What about the rest of the time, aren't you roleplaying too? Do you need to use special emotes to -be- roleplaying? What about the people that have it off all the time - does that automatically mean they're not worth interacting with?
I am a firm proponent of organic roleplay. We have seen in the past that those who have shown themselves as willing to roleplay actively go out and find it, and when other people catch word, they go out and find them or start up conversation. That is great. That is a natural development, and like attracts like. It should be the onus of the player not only to go out and 'look' for roleplay, but firstly, to make themselves into someone that people will want to interact with. Newbies may have it a little harder at first, particularly at quieter times, but I think even in Mhaldor we have quite a few people who concentrate on newbies in any case. It's easy enough to avoid people that you have bad experiences with - and that, in and of itself, can be a great story.
Forums, I think, are a great middle ground to address this. People who are looking for other people to roleplay with, whether in general or for a specific event, can post to the Scarlattan Theatre, which is partly what it was set up for - for advice with roleplay. I don't think more than this is necessary or required - it's not like roleplay is that scarce or hard to find in Achaea that it needs a brightly lit up sign saying 'HERE IS RP'!
Stories by Jurixe and Stories by Jurixe 2
Interested in joining a Discord about Achaean RP? Want to comment on RP topics or have RP questions? Check the Achaean RP Resource out here: https://discord.gg/Vbb9Zfs
That's great conceptually, but newbies come and go all the time. You can roleplay with someone for hours, trying your best to make their first impression of the game fun, and then bam, you don't see them ever again. It's easy to get tired of it.
S'why I would never take a novice aide position - why should I spend all my time making a game fun for people who will mostly just get bored of it anyway? I will pour my energy into having fun, and that might involve a newbie from time to time, but if it's not fun, I'm leaving it up to people who either think it is or get paid to do it anyway.
And after enough people start to think like me, there will be few people left to interact with newbies unless they are brave enough to seek interaction in the first place - and not everyone is of that sort of stuff to seek interaction in something completely new and alien to them.
I/Naah never had a problem with lack of roleplay. Whether it's a superior giving me an order, a House task of asking about history, or I see a newbie standing around, roleplay is not scarce. I just think that we shouldn't have to make the newbies approach us, we need to approach them.