What are the RP'ers waiting for?

Echelons

Just looking to see what game that's not out yet, that you guys are looking for.  I personally am looking forward to Age of Conan, because it reminds me of Shadowbane if it had been done right from the start.  It offers a wide variety of world customizations and interactions which in turn offers you a broader horizon in which to RP about or on.

I expect a lot of "WAR" responses which is unfortunate because I think that game is doomed to succeed.  By that I mean it will succeed in the same way WoW has, by namesake, and timing - not necessarily by game play, innovation, and other such adjectives that should decide the success of a videogame, as well as any other product in a set genre or sub genre.  Even after looking past the screen shots, and reading the literature, I just don't see what they're changing.  Sure they're idea for combat is intriguing but really that's it.  Unfortunately its title as the "WoW Killer" will be the reason everyone plays it, a reason to leave World of Warcraft after so many years of slavery under its virtual whip!

Anyway end rant, what about you guys/gals?

Lilalu

I am not exactly waiting for any game to come out. I just don´t believe, any MMO will manage to produce an overall roleplaying atmosphere. And I just don´t want to play a game in which I constantly have to talk to people about their cat being sick, their children having small pox, their girl-/boyfriend problems .... I guess I am to old by now (33 years) to be interested in such things. If I want to talk to someone about personal issues I go out and meet my real life friends. And I don´t like to play with people, who want action so much, they don´t even take the time to write down words in their full lenght. I rufuse to learn internet-shorttalk because I think it´s terrible. I simply don´t understand what those people write and I don´t have the feeling, I miss anything important, because I don´t .

When I log into a game I do so, because I want to roleplay. I want to start roleplaying when I log in and stop not earlier than when I log out. No MMO (now and future) offers this. I see MMOs much more critical, I think, than most people. Because I do NOT like to play them. But sometimes critical voices can be interesting too.

And maybe I am wrong and there will be a Roleplaying-MMO once. There are at least some games, I am watching. But I won´t buy them, I will wait and see.

The most important part of a game in my eyes is not it´s features but the community it will get. It´s the people we roleplay with and not the game.

Games I am NOT interested in:

AoC: Will be just an action game with a majority of people, who just play it, because they like to see body parts flying through the air and heads roll on the floor. Some Rpers are interested in the game, but they will be a very small minority among the people, who play the game only because of it´s violence and nothing else.

WAR: Majority of Ex-WoW players. Do I have to write anything else? Some may be nice people. But the community as a whole will be as nice and as stupid as the WoW-community. No thanks!

Darkfall: Game with very interesting features for roleplaying. But the short-talk PvP-community is gathering to play it also. No space for roleplayers will be left in this game, when it once starts. Some features of the game will be completly useless, because people will fight, fight, fight and do nothing else all the time.

Games I am watching:

Renaissance: Developers promise to support roleplay. But the game also has an interesting fighting system and I fear it will be the short-talk people again who will play it, when it is ready (same problem as Darkfall)

Hero´s Journey: Developers also promise to support roleplay. We will see, when it´s ready what becomes of this promise

Adellion: Just learned about it here on the forums a few days ago. Really interesting project for roleplayers, because RP will be enforced for the whole game. Also there will be a PvP-system, but it will be somewhat old fashioned in comparision to AoC or Darkfall. So I really have some hopes, the PvP-people will not be ineterested in this game anyway.

BioWare´s announced MMORPG: Nobody knows yet, what it will become. But BioWare produced my most favorite game (Neverwinter Nights) in the first run. And I admit to be curious, what they are doing now.

 

 

 

 

Echelons

I think its interesting that you base games solely on who else plays them, other than RP'ers.  Even if a game came out that was totally tailored to the role players, this includes not only the game play and the game design, but the advertisement campaigns directly targeted role players, sighting their best features as the ones role players would enjoy, dedicating full staff of GM's to keeping the integrity of chat in a general character format - if the PERFECT RP game came out, do you really think that more than 50 percent of the people playing would really be an RP'er?

I just think you're asking too much, or setting your standards more than a little too high.  Short hand internet lingo has existed since the first chat room was put online.  It's the nature of human literature, acronyms have been the demon of languages for centuries.  I personally don't see the problem, but I think even if I did see it as an issue, that I would just have to swallow it up and get on with the show, because simply put there's nothing you can do to stop it in any game.  But like you said, ignoring it is the best solution.  I just don't think you're looking necessarily at the right issues.

You said yourself that it's not about the game its about the community that takes part in the ongoings of that game.  So why does it matter if body parts fly about when you chop people with your sword, or that there is a heavier focus on PVP than PVE (or vice versa)?  In every game there is that RP'er niche, for the most part, most small but some larger than others.  I just think if you don't want to play the game itself at least marginally - you're just doomed to be disappointed, there are much more efficient (and cheaper) ways to get your fill of role play then having to hunt it down in an MMORPG.

Furthermore I agree with most of your "previews" on the games.  WAR is going to be WoW 2, despite any differences in the game play, the players who leave WoW for WAR will make it so, and honestly I don't see the lore as appropriate for role playing, nor will the game design.  For instance WoW's design is basically designed so snug and limiting that it smothers most chances of role play, I don't see this as being any different.  Example, you can't speak to the opposite faction, as you can't understand them, which basically takes 50 percent of the common role playing scenarios out.

I'm as old fashioned as the next gamer, I would fight in text alone in EQ/EQ2 for hours, because the PVP wasn't enabled, epic battles of pure text... but at some point you have to be able to slice another players avatar otherwise what's the point in playing the game?  If all I'm doing is reading a chat box then I may as well uninstall and look for a role playing chat room.

I've always based the role play-ability of a game on the options in which the game gives you.  The quality as well as quantity of customization within the world, not limited to character creation options, but the ability to do things within the world.  Such as city building, home furnishing, options for player interactions that go past "good guy vs. bad guy".  I think that's why AOC is so intriguing.  You're there to fit yourself into the world the developers lay out for you, the more leeway you have to set out a storyline of your own, for you as well as other people to follow.  To create and define your own factions within that world, give you and your guild mates an agenda that isn't necessarily part of an NPC quest or PVP objective - and still be a viable reason to play. 

 

Anyway I tend to drudge on...I will say more on topic, that the games made by small developers without any real backing scare me away more than intrigue me.   Adellion is promising I'll admit, but from what I can find out about the developers behind it, its mostly a makeshift game.

 

Lilalu

The game features don´t help roleplaying much. If people don´t roleplay, they don´t . There is nothing more to say about this. And as a roleplayer I get bored quickly in such games. I don´t look for a rp-niche. I look for a roleplaying game.

Maybe that´s asked to much. I don´t know. But if it is to much, I just won´t play those games. I am sure they can do perfectly without me and I can do perfectly without them. Simply because I am not interested in stupid monster slaying. If people like to do it, it´s o.k. with me. Just I won´t do it. I prefer to spend my spare time with more interesting things.

I have tried several MMORPGs (including WoW ) and I just don´t like them. I like to play with other people. But I don´t like like the way those games are played. The atmosphere is lousy in this games and even the best features won´t help.

I also don´t mind body parts flying around in a game. You missunderstood (maybe because of my bad English). If there is an overall Rp-atmosphere, there can be heads rolling too. Just in such a game there won´t be a rp-atmosphere. It will be NOTHING but flying body parts and rolling heads. Like a movie without a story plot. Because the people, who are attracted to the game as a majority play it just because of this and not because they want to try some rp.

I stay with NWN2. The features of this game are worse than even the lousiest MMO. But the atmosphere is great! The people meeting on the RP-servers are great! It´s more fun, than any MMO will ever be, I guess.

I think it´s all a matter of taste. And taste is nothing to argue about. To me the people I play with are much more important than the features. Because all of my fun depends on the people and how they respond to roleplaying or if they initate some rp or not. To you it seems to be the features that make the fun, even so the majority of the community is lousy. Maybe it´s because I am female . I never was to interested in technical aspects (just joking).

If you can have fun in a game like AoC, well than have! Just I can´t and therefore won´t play it.

 

 

 

Yukari_Momma

I'm not interested in Age of Conan because, even if there was an abundance of roleplay, we all know how the females would be treated or what sort of personalities would be expected of them.  I mean, all girls startign out as sex slaves?

 

I'm somewhat interested in Fallen Earth.  The world, factions, and story just seem interesting to me.  However, my biggest wait is for Hero's Journey.  That company is known for it's rp support and I'm sure they won't do us wrong again.

Leahvana

Hmm...i'd have to say that i'm really looking forward to seeing more on Earthrise and Champions Online.  Have a feeling that Earthrise especially is going to be GREAT to RP in.

Slanwlle

Originally posted by Lilalu


The game features don´t help roleplaying much. If people don´t roleplay, they don´t . There is nothing more to say about this. And as a roleplayer I get bored quickly in such games. I don´t look for a rp-niche. I look for a roleplaying game.
Maybe that´s asked to much. I don´t know. But if it is to much, I just won´t play those games. I am sure they can do perfectly without me and I can do perfectly without them. Simply because I am not interested in stupid monster slaying. If people like to do it, it´s o.k. with me. Just I won´t do it. I prefer to spend my spare time with more interesting things.
I have tried several MMORPGs (including WoW ) and I just don´t like them. I like to play with other people. But I don´t like like the way those games are played. The atmosphere is lousy in this games and even the best features won´t help.
I also don´t mind body parts flying around in a game. You missunderstood (maybe because of my bad English). If there is an overall Rp-atmosphere, there can be heads rolling too. Just in such a game there won´t be a rp-atmosphere. It will be NOTHING but flying body parts and rolling heads. Like a movie without a story plot. Because the people, who are attracted to the game as a majority play it just because of this and not because they want to try some rp.
I stay with NWN2. The features of this game are worse than even the lousiest MMO. But the atmosphere is great! The people meeting on the RP-servers are great! It´s more fun, than any MMO will ever be, I guess.
I think it´s all a matter of taste. And taste is nothing to argue about. To me the people I play with are much more important than the features. Because all of my fun depends on the people and how they respond to roleplaying or if they initate some rp or not. To you it seems to be the features that make the fun, even so the majority of the community is lousy. Maybe it´s because I am female . I never was to interested in technical aspects (just joking).
If you can have fun in a game like AoC, well than have! Just I can´t and therefore won´t play it.
 
 
 

The game features don´t help roleplaying much. If people don´t roleplay, they don´t .

wikie

yeah i think age of conan is good.....

Lodeclaw

I'm not really pleased with any MMOs on the market right now, and I don't really see anything innovative in development. I'm looking for a sandbox MMO that doesn't revolve primary around combat and preferably does away with the entire leveling system.

Caellach

 

Originally posted by Echelons


I think its interesting that you base games solely on who else plays them, other than RP'ers.  Even if a game came out that was totally tailored to the role players, this includes not only the game play and the game design, but the advertisement campaigns directly targeted role players, sighting their best features as the ones role players would enjoy, dedicating full staff of GM's to keeping the integrity of chat in a general character format - if the PERFECT RP game came out, do you really think that more than 50 percent of the people playing would really be an RP'er?
I just think you're asking too much, or setting your standards more than a little too high.  Short hand internet lingo has existed since the first chat room was put online.  It's the nature of human literature, acronyms have been the demon of languages for centuries.  I personally don't see the problem, but I think even if I did see it as an issue, that I would just have to swallow it up and get on with the show, because simply put there's nothing you can do to stop it in any game.  But like you said, ignoring it is the best solution.  I just don't think you're looking necessarily at the right issues.
You said yourself that it's not about the game its about the community that takes part in the ongoings of that game.  So why does it matter if body parts fly about when you chop people with your sword, or that there is a heavier focus on PVP than PVE (or vice versa)?  In every game there is that RP'er niche, for the most part, most small but some larger than others.  I just think if you don't want to play the game itself at least marginally - you're just doomed to be disappointed, there are much more efficient (and cheaper) ways to get your fill of role play then having to hunt it down in an MMORPG.
Furthermore I agree with most of your "previews" on the games.  WAR is going to be WoW 2, despite any differences in the game play, the players who leave WoW for WAR will make it so, and honestly I don't see the lore as appropriate for role playing, nor will the game design.  For instance WoW's design is basically designed so snug and limiting that it smothers most chances of role play, I don't see this as being any different.  Example, you can't speak to the opposite faction, as you can't understand them, which basically takes 50 percent of the common role playing scenarios out.
I'm as old fashioned as the next gamer, I would fight in text alone in EQ/EQ2 for hours, because the PVP wasn't enabled, epic battles of pure text... but at some point you have to be able to slice another players avatar otherwise what's the point in playing the game?  If all I'm doing is reading a chat box then I may as well uninstall and look for a role playing chat room.
I've always based the role play-ability of a game on the options in which the game gives you.  The quality as well as quantity of customization within the world, not limited to character creation options, but the ability to do things within the world.  Such as city building, home furnishing, options for player interactions that go past "good guy vs. bad guy".  I think that's why AOC is so intriguing.  You're there to fit yourself into the world the developers lay out for you, the more leeway you have to set out a storyline of your own, for you as well as other people to follow.  To create and define your own factions within that world, give you and your guild mates an agenda that isn't necessarily part of an NPC quest or PVP objective - and still be a viable reason to play. 
 
 

 

First - internet lingo may be all right in many situations, but roleplaying is not one of them. Players who use ancronyms and abbreviations in RP make my skin crawl.

There won't be a game where everybody roleplays. But come on, if they can make Hello Kitty Online for the small percentage of players who love Hello Kitty enough to play it, they can make a "perfect" MMO for roleplayers. Put some effort in it and advertise well, take money for it if you want, but for God's sake put effort in it, and the small groups of roleplayers who are scattered all over would perhaps emerge from their secluded caves and join.

I'm waiting for Aion right now and pray for at least one or two RP servers. So far, everything of what I seen from it has been promising, but I have my worries. NCsoft tends to create those "perfect MMOs" with a few "small" blunders that makes the whole game overly annoying.

That, or The Chronicles of Spellborn. I swear, if those MMOs aren't satisfying, I'll give up humanity all hopes of finding a new decent game suited for my RP-tastes, admit defeat and retreat to WoW while waving the white banner.

saint4God

I've been a online roleplayer since MUCKs and have tried many.  For a long time, I was rooting for Everquest, but they made a vital mistake (of many).  They forgot to give a rat's whisker about their customers in just about every regard.  Just like an adopted child, gamers need feeding, clothing and shelter.  So long as Blizzard continues to do so with upgrades, patches, and excellent customer service, I think I'll be staying at their place for a long time.  I'm waiting for the 'next bit thing' to come out so that powergamers and the 'kids' (mentally) who follow them will kindly exit World of Warcraft to leave it for those of us who truly enjoy a deep, roleplay experience.

pandah92

i am waiting for WoW to die along with all those other golddigging games.

when that happens games like fury could catch on and wala

no more poor gamers!

phenex.holy

The most important part of a game in my eyes is not it´s features but the community it will get. It´s the people we roleplay with and not the game.

Charlizd

  i think the game does help a little but you look at back when EQ,AC e.t.c even back to the MUD's the graphics did nothing to the RP that happened in game ok back then the Graphics were ok at the time but looking back the game itself did nothing but give us a place to RP we thats how i felt anyway, Instead of me rolling a char with my Buddy's at there place and pulling out the hundreds of little char models Online opened up the way to RP with the world instead of your pot smoking,beer drinking hooligan mates.

So the game was merely a platform for us to RP our hearts out.

jusomdude

I'd like to see a MMO where everyone role played but I just don't think it's viable. In order for this to happen there would have to be staff monitoring chat at all times, and I don't think any dev company is gonna put the money in that when there's no profit in it. Sure it might bring a few players to the game but not enough to make it worthwhile for them. If it really bothers you, just turn off all public chat channels and only group/guild/interact with other role players.

 

I remembered when I first started UO( first online rpg) and tried to RP... pretty much all I got was "what?"

 

I like to RP, I'm looking forward to AoC.

Lilalu

In fact I hope for a game like Neverwinter Nights 2 - only with more people (but also not to many - I guess 500 would be more than enough) to play on a server. And this game should be developed as a multiplayer game, not as single-player with multiplayer-function. Meaning it should have not this separated areas, but an relativly open game world.

What I like in NWN2 is the toolset and the DM toolset. This way fans can develop and administer their own gameworlds. That´s just great. Some of the fans works are really very professional. Even better, than what the payed staff did . And there are projects for almost every play style and all tasts. You can find everything you are looking for. And if you don´t find it - just get a team together, construct your own module, rent a server and do whatever you want.

 

Tipolesaw

"'I think that game is doomed to succeed.  By that I mean it will succeed in the same way WoW has, by namesake, and timing - not necessarily by game play, innovation, and other such adjectives that should decide the success of a videogame, as well as any other product in a set genre or sub genre.""

Jixx

There are certian elements of current MMOs that I think break the RP experiance.

The huge grind most MMOs current have is one thing that really kills RPing.  You get a bunch of people less focused on the game and more focused on stats. 

The second biggest factor that destroys RP in most current MMOs is having a class system.  You are forced to have a similar character to everybody else.

The third biggest factor that destroys RP is having to aquire items to have an effective character.   Again you are pulled in to a stat based sitution.

 

I posted an MMO idea a few days ago that I think takes a biggest step in a differant direction.   There is no experiance gathering.  There are no levels.  If anybody has played UO the system is very similar to that.  You have your base stats.  STR, DEX, INT, POW.   Depending on what skills you use influances your base stats.  Using a skill also increases your profiency in that skill.   THat sounds an awful lot like grinding but the differance here is that it only takes a few days of steady play to max your skills.  Its not months,  it is days. 

But it doesn't stop thiere.  You have Stat and skill modifiers that you can invest points in.  The points are gained through the Achievement System.  The achievement system is very similar to the quest system in other games.  The major differance is that every 'quest' in the game is loaded to your from creation. 

They have your typical kill so many of a creature,  take this item to this other guy sort of 'quests'  but here is the thing there is no flashing ? above there here.   THere is no quest to accept. 

Example:   BIlly says he is having a hard time with the wolves that can be found around the town.  Go kill the wolves.   However its not kill 10 wolves.  Everybody will have to kill a random amount of wolves.  It could be 2 wolves it could be 30 wolves.   You don't even have to talk to billy first.  You could be just goofnutzing along and decide you want to kill wolves and still complete the achievement. 

The same for delivery quests.  If you talk to somebody and they say they've been looking for a widget.  You can keep an eye out for a widget.  If you already happen to have a widget in your pack you can complete the achievement on the spot. 

The acheivements themselves may start and stop in differant locations compared to another play as well.

You can also gain points through events.  

All stat modifying items can be made by players.  Meaning you don't have to kill X mob 50 times to get the items you need. 

Items that visually change your characters appearance don't modify anything but your appearance.  Meaning if somebody came up and asked you where you got that flashy sword you can say 'I pulled it off the corpse of SomeUglyCritter'.  It'd be pointless to ask 'What are the stats on that sword'  because there won't be any. 

Instead you have two paper dolls.  One paper doll you dress up with all of you items that modify your character,  the other papwer doll has all of you appearance modifers.  Which means you can have the same 'gear' as somebody but look totally differant.  It alleviates the need for everybody to have the exact same setup. 

It also allows a person to play a begger character that is just as powerful as a warrior in full plate. 

With the way I think a MMO should world it will allow everybody to get to a point where they can RP with everybody else rather quickly.   Where as the more senior players will have the cooler looking gear newer players of the same skill level could still compete. 

THis really speeds certain aspects of content create up as well.  When you develope new items for an event you don't have to place a bunch of stats on them and balance them because all of the stat modify equipment will have already been balanced.